by Maria Luci
Los Angeles-based celebrity photographer Jeremy Deputat is a born and raised Detroiter. He’s also a photographer whose work is authentic and spontaneous. No stranger to the Motor City’s hip hop scene, Jeremy was brought on by fellow Detroit-natives Kid Rock and Eminem who decided to take a chance on the young shooter, rather than using an industry photographer from LA or New York. Now, Jeremy has traveled the globe shooting a myriad of musicians along with gritty commercial and editorial work. Most recently, he teamed up with friend Rick Williams—owner of design firm The Distinct Life, and the sneaker boutique Burn Rubber—to create a deck of Detroit-honoring playing cards. Their plan was to use the cards as promotions to send to business associates, boutiques, friends and clients.
The project quickly evolved as Jeremy and Rick brought Burn Rubber’s influence into the mix. They decided to combine two things they were both passionate about: Detroit and shoes. So, they reached out to brands like Nike, Adidas, Reebok, New Balance and Saucony to partner with them on the deck and exclusively reveal their new sneakers. Once the footwear companies were on board, Jeremy and Rick began tracking down artists, athletes, and those making positive contributions to Detroit to feature. They called the project “Dirty 30 for 30″ as it would feature 30 personalities from the “Dirty D,” over 30 days.
On choosing the Detroiters to feature, Jeremy says,
All of the cards consist of people representing Detroit, and were selected by Rick and me. We wanted to show the world that Detroit is making noise and these are some of the cats who are repping our city and doing great things. Most of the people featured are affiliated with us in one way or another. We support those who support us.
Jeremy photographed each subject with a new shoe and the photos premiered one-by-one on the website NiceKicks.com throughout the month of June—30 photos in 30 days. The shots were also featured on The Distinct Life’s Dirty 30 for 30 page.
Then it was on to what Jeremy and Rick had planned for in the first place: the Dirty 30 for 30 playing cards. To create the cards, the duo teamed up with Bicycle to create a custom deck (which actually features 10 extra portraits, bringing the total up to 40 for the series).
Jeremy admits that creating the project was difficult at times, especially when trying to deal with 40 different subjects and their schedules—but he says “we made it work, and created a great product.” Others agree, with tons of positive reviews flowing in for the cards. Hypebeast and Sneaker Freaker held popular online giveaways of the decks and Nice Kick’s even declared that Jeremy’s Dirty 30 photos “dominated the summer.” And it doesn’t get much better than that.