Itraeu Compton
Photographer & Retoucher
How did you get into the industry?
I did an internship through Shelter (a local photo and gear rental studio) from there I learned about the industry through every viewpoint
What inspires you?
Life and my wife and my family, I know that’s a pretty basic answer but those two things inspire me to keep going and push through the tough times. I get inspired to do most things out of complete randomness. I’ll be driving and see someone with a certain hair style, and it sparks a full idea for me to use and create a fun shoot out of.
What is your hometown?
Minneapolis
Favorite restaurant?
It was Vo’s, they closed during the pandemic so now we go to the LowBrow
What do you like to do on the weekends?
Hang with my family and spend time outside. Or simply drive around. I usually use the weekends to edit or shoot
What is your favorite band or type of music?
Don’t have a favorite bad or type of music. I listen to a wide variety of music. It’s too many genres to have one that I would listen to constantly
What's the best piece of advice you've ever been given?
The more you do something, the better you get at it. You just have to WANT to put the work in because if you don’t want it as bad then you’ll never get it.
What book, movie read/seen recently you would recommend and why?
I recently saw a move that one of my favorite artists (Kid Cudi) made called “ Entergalactic”. It’s a basic love story. Recent relationship ends, accidentally finds a new partner, falls in love, messes it up, then realizes he has to fight for love and essentially wins her back. The artwork in it is amazing and the music makes it even better. I use to do a lot of graffiti (legally) as a kid and this move hits all of the points for me. It also helps that one of the characters in the movie happens to be a photographer haha.
Are you a traveler or a homebody? Why?
Definitely a traveler. Before our 1st kid, my wife and I would travel all over the place, now we have dialed it back a bit until they are a bit older and because the prices on flights for a family of four are outrageous. Growing up I didn’t travel much so when I saw the mountains in Vegas on a family trip, I was shocked and it make me realize that there’s so much in the world to see other than tiny Minneapolis.
