Meet Izzy
Photographer. Creative. Storyteller.
What’s up! I’m Isidore “Izzy” Tabe Jr., the photographer behind IzzyFlicks.
I’m a Maryland-based photographer with a passion for capturing real moments, energy, culture, and experiences through my lens. From college campuses to concerts, festivals, fashion, sports, graduations, conferences, brands, and major events, my camera has taken me places I never expected when I first picked it up.
And the crazy part is photography wasn’t even the original plan.
How It Started
My photography journey really started after I earned my associate degree from Prince George’s Community College and transferred to Frostburg State University.
Going into the new year in January 2023, I launched my own brand. Like any new brand, I knew I needed content. I wanted to constantly market it, put together creative shoots, and bring the different ideas I had in my head to life.
The problem was that I didn’t want to rely on somebody else every time I had an idea. I also didn’t want to keep coming out of pocket every time I wanted to do a photoshoot.
So I made a decision.
I invested about $500 into a Canon EOS 70D and basically told myself:
“I’ll just do it myself. I know I can do it.”
More importantly, I knew everybody wasn’t always going to see the vision for a shoot the same way I saw it in my head. Having my own camera gave me the freedom to create whenever an idea came to me.
And trust me — I had a lot of ideas.
The Camera Went Everywhere
When you’re building a brand, you have to keep creating and keep marketing. Because of that, my camera was basically with me everywhere I went.
I was constantly thinking of a new concept, location, outfit, or idea for the next brand shoot. Before long, people around campus started recognizing me because I always had a camera in my hand.
Frostburg is a smaller school tucked away in the mountains of Western Maryland, and when I first got there, there weren't a lot of photographers around campus.
So something unexpected started happening.
Random people started walking up to me asking if I could take their pictures.
At first, I was really just using the camera for my own brand. But I started saying yes.
One person turned into another. Then another.
I kept shooting.
I kept learning.
And I just kept running it up from there.
Frostburg Built the Foundation
That’s why when you look through my portfolio, you’ll see a lot of work connected to Frostburg State University.
That campus gave me the opportunity to build my foundation as a photographer.
I went from taking pictures for people around campus to working with student organizations, sports teams, events, graduates, creatives, and different departments across the university.
Every shoot gave me another opportunity to improve.
I learned how to work in different environments, capture different personalities, tell stories through images, and most importantly, develop my own style.
What started with a $500 camera that I bought because I didn't want to pay somebody else to shoot content for my brand slowly became a brand of its own.
IzzyFlicks.
From Campus to Bigger Stages
Since then, the journey has continued to grow.
The same person walking around a small college campus in the mountains with a Canon in his hand is now stepping onto stages, into photo pits, backstage areas, festivals, fashion events, conferences, and spaces I used to only see online.
I’ve had opportunities to photograph concerts, festivals, artists, athletes, brands, graduations, fashion, conferences, and major events while continuing to meet and work with creatives from different places.
Now I'm getting opportunities to be on stages capturing some of your favorite artists and celebrities.
And when I think about where it started, that's probably one of my favorite parts of the story.
I picked up a camera because I didn't want to rely on somebody else to bring my vision to life.
Now people trust me to bring their vision to life.
More Than Just Pictures
For me, photography isn't just about getting a sharp picture.
It's about capturing energy, emotion, culture, personality, and moments that people can actually feel when they look back at them.
Whether I'm in a photo pit capturing an artist performing in front of thousands of people, courtside shooting a game, covering a fashion event, documenting a conference, or working one-on-one with someone for their portraits, I'm always looking for the moments that tell the story.
Sometimes the best photograph isn't the moment everybody sees.
It's the split second before or after it.
That's what I'm looking for.
The Person Behind the Camera
Outside of photography, I also come from a strong background in technology, education, leadership, and creativity.
I earned my associate degree from Prince George's Community College before transferring to Frostburg State University, where I continued my education in Information Technology.
My experiences in college, leadership, technology, traveling, working with different organizations, and meeting people from different backgrounds have all played a role in the creative I am today.
I enjoy traveling, experiencing different cultures, meeting new people, attending events, building connections, and finding new ways to create.
Photography somehow brings all of those things together.
DaMotive
There’s always a motive behind the lens.
IzzyFlicks represents more than showing up somewhere with an expensive camera.
It represents taking an idea in your head and turning it into something people can actually see.
That's how this journey started in the first place.
From buying a $500 Canon because I wanted to shoot content for my own brand…
To people stopping me around Frostburg asking for pictures…
To organizations, sports teams, events, artists, brands, festivals, and bigger stages.
We've come a long way.
But I'm only warming up.
I haven't even cut the engine on yet.
— Izzy