Dan Folger, 22, is a photographer out of Pittsburgh traveling the world and taking photos documenting everyday life. He is currently working with recording artist Wiz Khalifa—who's in town for the Sundance Film Festival—and the two are inseparable. Folger enjoys being on tour with his team and says there isn't anything like it. He's also worked with other recording artists such as G-Eazy, Rocky Fresh from MMG and many more. Folger now lives in Los Angeles where he owns a lifestyle brand called The GLD Shop, which sells clothing and jewelry.
Who were the photographers you looked up to when you were younger?
Derick G. from Miami. He did all the YMCMB videos; he was their right-hand camera man. He did the photos, the day-in-the-life videos, and that was right around when I had just got a camera. I used to think, "Man, it's so sick that he travels with them doing all the visuals and stuff."
Has your style changed since you first started?
Yeah, my style has definitely changed. That comes with everything, though. Just practice. I've definitely always had my own lane, but now, it's like people know even without a logo that it's a Dan Folger photo.
I know you launched the GLD shop. How did you start it?
I pulled out some money and me and my friend, Justin, had a plug in New York to get jewelry, and then made an Instagram—just started re-selling stuff and then we brought in clothes and more people to the team. We have a full office, full-time staff, and we will be in Vegas for Agenda, so that's the future for us.
Would you agree that we live in an era where artists need to be multi-faceted to keep things interesting?
It just depends. I just like to start a lot of new things—I'm so ADHD. I work on multiple things at once, but that's just me. But I do think working on a bunch of other things helps.
Did you like growing up in Pittsburgh?
Oh yeah, for sure. You wanna know why? It teaches you a lot. You have the seasons, so I know what it’s like getting up when it’s freezing outside, you know? Before this, I worked jobs, 7 to 3 one time, it was a warehouse job so it was freezing, but I did that. It teaches you a lot of stuff. You have the suburbs, you have the ghetto, you know? Being around everything, you become a well-rounded person for sure, so I don’t regret it or wish I grew up anywhere else.
What's it like shooting the "DayToday" web series with Wiz?
They're tight, man, they're also so fun. Wiz is such a funny and good character. He brings so much good energy to the camera—I'll never have to be bored. If I just put that camera on him, he's just gonna say crazy things. Also, make sure the readers know "Khalifa" drops on Feb. 5 and to go cop that.
