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It’s no secret that Pittsburgh is known for being home to many, many hardworking individuals. The city, which was once known as a hard-knocks town but is now well into a period of prosperity, is a haven for artisans and skilled workers of all kinds. Seattle-based social documentary photographer Dylan Priest creates a new series of videos, “Made in Pittsburgh,” that highlight the people that epitomize that “do-it-yourself” attitude, and thrive in a region that appreciates good craftsmanship. Dylan calls Pittsburgh home and started the personal project to bring people’s stories and creative processes to life.
“Video has enabled me to create a more dynamic portrait of my subjects. That being said, I approach my video work the same way that I approach photography: telling the stories of others in a way that is visually interesting, has a natural feel, and that draws the viewer in.“
Personal work is important to Dylan—he says it allows him to stay active and keep his ideas flowing.
“If I stop producing, I feel like I fall into a rut and then it becomes more difficult to get new ideas off the ground. When I do my own projects, I get to see my ideas come to life and I don’t have to follow anyone’s lead. It’s very freeing to do work that you love for yourself and for no one else.”
Dylan did the majority of the shooting and sound all on his own. He hauled the cameras, lights and sound equipment to the locations with an assistant, and edited the final cuts himself. Dylan says he had a major learning curve with the editing software, since this was his first time really diving into such a large video project.
“I watched a lot of YouTube videos and called my friends that edit to ask questions. After four videos, though, I have gotten a lot better at putting them together and I like that I am in complete control of the final product.”
The videos have been a hit locally—Dylan says he doesn’t think that anyone has done something like the project within the community of makers in the city. He’s going to keep working on the series, and he hopes to evolve the direction of the project to be a little more about why people create, rather than how they do it. Overall, creating the videos has been a great experience for him:
“I found that working with creatives and learning about why they create really inspires me to create my own work, and that helping people to tell their stories to a broader audience is something that I really enjoy.”