Bio:
Crush Rush is a freelance photojournalist / commercial photographer living in and based out of Columbia, South Carolina. His photographic eye is keen on identifying and capturing the critical finite moments of ever moving human emotion and the natural world. Rush is self-taught but was extremely lucky in his opportunity to work and play along with some of Columbia's greatest photo makers which helped him hone his skills and gain a deeper appreciation for the craft. Known as a social chameleon, Rush constantly engages different types of people from different backgrounds and demographics to find a common denominator in the grand scheme of life. This he feels allows for him to draw inspiration from very nontraditional sources and make images that can be appreciated by many audiences and be used to invoke many different types of feelings simultaneously.
Education
2009 Midlands Technical College – Business and Marketing / Minor in Religious Studies.
Memberships
2024 - Columbia SC Ambassador
2021 - Current Able SC Board Member
2020- Current Cayce Arts Guild
2017 - Current National Press Photographers Association
2016 - 2017 Professional Photographers of America
Gallery
2023 Look! Photography Exhibit (Family Connections)
2022 Look! Photography Exhibit (Family Connections)
2021 Hindsight-2020 Columbia Museum of Art, Columbia, South Carolina
2021 Thehallway:Art Gallery (701 Whaley), Columbia, South Carolina
2020 The Jasper Project - Tiny Gallery, Columbia, SC
2020 Photographic Society of SC - 30x30x30, 701 Whaley Columbia, SC
2019 Photographic Society of SC - 30x30x30, 701 Whaley Columbia, SC
2019 The Monsters of Our Time - Frame of Mind, West Columbia, SC
2018 River Bluff Gallery In Main/ Columbi-YEAH, Lexington, SC
2017 River Bluff Gallery In Main/ Columbi-YEAH, Lexington, SC
Books
2015 Live. Learn. Love: A Book of Life
Notable Commercial Clients
Riggs Partners
Cola Town Bike Collective
City of Columbia
City of West Columbia
Columbia Museum of Art
Beginnings SC
Imagine This Boutique
Flock & Rally
City of Newberry
Engenuity SC
SC Sea Grant Consortium
One Columbia For The Arts
Shades of Pinck (Megan Pickney)
Able South Carolina
Apartment Association of Greater Columbia
Central Carolina Community Foundation
Columbia Economic Development
Experience Columbia SC
Luminal Theater
University of South Carolina
Editorial / Publications
Editorial work has been featured in hundreds of publications across the globe.
Notable Publications:
NBC News
NPR
The Guardian
New York Daily News
The Weather Channel
The State Newspaper
The Free Times
The Marshall Project
Western Journalism
Post & Courier
Buzzfeed
Psychology Today
HuffPost
The American Conservative
Jasper Magazine
RAWSTORY
and many more.
Press:
-Gifted photographer Crush Rush takes on new role as Experience Columbia SC Ambassador
-Growth Summit 2023 - Creative Hustling 101 (Eva Foussat, Lynn Luc, Cait Maloney & Crush Rush)
Growth Summit 2023 - SC Entrepreneurial Event (growth-summit.org)
-Look! Exhibit Comes Back to Columbia for Eighth Year (2023)
LOOK! Photo exhibit shows young people with disabilities | wltx.com
-Columbia Museum of Art's Binder Podcast Ep. 2 (2021)
Episode 2: The Dam Broke by CMA's Binder Podcast (anchor.fm)
-The Hilltop Glove Podcast: Misinformation vs Photojournalism | Crush Rush (2021)
https://hilltopglove.com/crush-rush-the-hilltop-glove-podcast-episode-3/
-Jubilee: Festival of Black History & Culture Interview between Cecil Williams & Crush Rush
https://youtu.be/mCVSchAO-pY (2020)
-Behind the Lens: 10 Photographers to Watch in Columbia, SC (2020)
Behind the Lens: 10 Photographers to Watch in Columbia SC (experiencecolumbiasc.com)
-Frame By Frame Discussion of “Whose Streets” between Crush Rush & Keith Brinkmann (2020)
https://www.facebook.com/100271628486357/videos/1096190620840495
-WISTV Community Awareness Interview (Richland Library Artist in Residence Crush Rush) (2020)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ds6CiX03GWc
-Country Fried Rock (United for Justice – Crush Rush) (Podcast Interview) (2020)
https://countryfriedrock.org/crush-rush-2008/#.YD7Qlk6SmUk
-WISTV “Witness to violent punch during Columbia protest helps the victim to safety. “
www.wistv.com/2020/06/04/witness-violent-punch-during-columbia-protest-helps-victim-safety/
-Historic Columbia “Documenting History, Local Photographer Steps Into Time Machine” https://www.historiccolumbia.org/blog/documenting-history-local-photographer-steps-time-machine
-Ten Jaw-Dropping Images From The Historic East Coast Flooding (2016)
https://weather.com/news/weather/news/jaw-dropping-images-east-coast-flood
-Allen University to host symposium on the Black press and Civil Rights on March 31, 2022 - The -HBCU Advocate (2022)
www.thehbcuadvocate.com/allen-university-to-host-symposium-on-the-black-press-and-civil-rights-on-march-31-2022/
Awards / Special Recognitions
Free Times’ Best of Columbia – “Best Photographer” 2021
Free Times’ Best of Columbia – “Best Photographer” 2020
Free Times’ Best of Columbia – Best Instagram Runner Up 2019
Able South Carolina – Commendable Award 2019