Che of The Town from Rochester works for actor Che Holloway
Photos courtesy of Christopher “Goodknews” Cardwell. See also Marching on Genesee Street for the Martin Luther King Jr. National Day of Action.
You first met Che in Rochester works for actor Che Holloway, an impromptu interview and amble through the Neighborhood of the Arts.
An aspiring and successful actor, Che is deeply immersed in the Rochester cultural scene. So much so, we’ve named him Che of The Town!
Exclusively for Talker, Che has solicited and is conducting interviews from about 60 Rochestarians working in a diversity of creative fields.
For the full series, see Che of The Town: Interviews
Christopher Cardwell has been in the magazine a couple of times. I first met Chris at the 2nd Rochester Historically Black Colleges and Universities Fair at the Riverside Convention Center where he was taking pictures on behalf of Mayor Lovely Warren.
Photo: Chris Cardwell. From HBCU’s are alive and well in Rochester
Chris kindly offered several photos for the article, HBCU’s are alive and well in Rochester.
Next, I met up with Chris at the April 4th Martin Luther King Jr. National Day of action at Wilson Foundation Academy. Chris generously offered 516 photos of the event of which many are found in Marching on Genesee Street for the Martin Luther King Jr. National Day of Action.
Photo: Chris Cardwell. From Marching on Genesee Street for the Martin Luther King Jr. National Day of Action.
Christopher “Goodknews” Cardwell; A Celebrity Photographer on Top of his Game
In this highlight we turn our attention to Christopher Cardwell also infamously known around town by the name of Goodknews. Chris “Goodknews” Cardwell’s body of work is extremely impressive and he is a photographer you can expect to see at the top of the scene for many years to come.
I was fortunate enough to shoot a couple of times with “Goodknews” and got nothing short of “good news” when I received my images.
I asked Goodknews a few quick questions. Here is what we discussed.
Tell us a little about yourself, where you are from, grew up, what H.S./College you attended etc.
My name is Christopher Goodknews Cardwell. I was born in Cleveland, Ohio but spent many years living in Rochester where I went to School 16, Gates HS and Hampton VA where I attended college at Hampton University.
What inspired you to be a photographer? Early experiences worth sharing?
Honestly I got into photography by mistake. When I lived in Ohio, I and a couple of my frat brothers had a business and with that business we managed models. We had a photographer but he became bad for business so we fired him. Since we didn’t have a photographer, I started doing it so we could keep our business going. I fell in love with the craft.
Talk about a time where you have faced adversity/conflict and have triumphed.
Everyday being a black man. But I became a college grad, business owner for 7 years and never been to jail. Those are my triumphs .
What do you believe sets you apart from other photographers?
Just being the person I am. And customer service is what sets me apart. There are a lot of awesome photographers in Rochester; I’m just one of them.
Do you have other interests or hobbies?
I am in a frat called Kappa Alpha Psi and one of the things we do to set our frat apart from others is twirl Kanes. I also love to play basketball
Any projects you have out or currently working on?
I’m currently working on expanding me clothing brand based around photography and positive. Just signed a contract with my new partner out of Cali so I expect it to take off very soon.
Where would you like to see yourself in 5 years?
In 5 years i see my self married and happy and doing photography and out of rochester ….
What advice can you give to aspiring artists/entertainers/photographers?
Keep a positive mind set, write down you short term and long term goals , work hard and believe in yourself. And for photographers the more you shoot the more you learn.
How can we follow along in your journey? Social media?
Facebook Goodknews Photography Lounge and Christopher Cardwell
IG I_am_Goodknews and goodknewsphotography
twitter goodknews
website www.goodknews.me
SEE ALSO
Marching on Genesee Street for the Martin Luther King Jr. National Day of Action
