Trey Paul is a freelance photographer with a “creative eye.” 

“One thing that I hear a lot is that I have a good eye. Which is the only thing that really kept me going," Paul said.

Paul values feedback from both peers and mentors, but he knows is always his harshest critic. Paul says he constantly searched for ways to enhance his work even if it was just by a small increase.

“A lot of my best work is work that I didn’t really like at first and I’d really obsess over the details,” Paul said.

He is a former athlete at Shippensburg University, and his background in sports fuels his competitive nature. 

"My goal is to be better than before and the competition…I can be just as good, if not better,” Paul said. 

Regardless of how the goal is met, Trey Paul’s main focus is the end goal. Despite his accomplishments the past three and a half years, he has continued to spend time properly defining his own style. Paul remains “picky” with detail. 

Paul works toward achieving his goals. He takes on tasks without compensation when necessary. Over the past three and a half years, he has dedicated time to defining his personal style. He maintains a strong focus on details and precision in his work.

From there, he continued to incorporate a sharp and rich style to his photos. Paul’s images are made with “deep, soulful colors that evoke a series of emotions.”

“Sometimes you have a vision for what you want but you don’t know how to create it,” Paul said. “That’s what cost me a lot of long hours.”

He referred to himself as a perfectionist that will go to the furthest extent just to get to his desired look. 

“A lot of what the public sees are things that I’ve spent hours on behind the scenes just to get that look,” Paul explained. 

Paul began learning about Adobe’s Photoshop, Lightroom and Premiere programs during his senior year of high school in a production class. However, the course wasn’t what drove his passion for photography. 

What started as a shared hobby with friends grew significantly, leading Paul from a high school classroom to working with college students, all before owning his own camera.

“Once word got around, everyone was so amazed with the work that had taken place,” Paul said. “I got that confidence for myself and thought, maybe I'll dabble in this.”

His club advisor, Kurt Dunkel, sold Paul his first camera, a Nikon D, for $100. Without this connection, he would not have been able to purchase his first camera.

Paul has since gained experience working with professional athletes, including Dallas Cowboys linebacker Micah Parsons and wide receiver CeeDee Lamb, and track and field Olympian Sydney McLaughlin.

“Right now, you see me on the sidelines with rappers, artists, athletes, etc. It’s cool to follow TreyLens now but it wasn’t cool back then,” Paul said. He feels grateful for his supporters from the beginning and now tries to “help out the little guy.” Paul has expanded into the world of concert photography and has captured photos of R&B singers Ashanti, Lloyd, Drake and Chris Brown. Paul's experience and drive to capture incredible moments doesn’t stop there. 

While at Shippensburg University, Paul participated in an organization called "Raider Neighbor," a program seeking the improvement of the community. A program launched by Kurt Dunkel summer of 2020, the Raider Neighbor program aims to build positive relationships by addressing issues related to noise, litter, vandalism, assault and substance abuse. 

Paul continues to use his camera and incorporate his passion for giving back by collaborating with companies specializing in Youth Camps, such as FlexWork Sports Management and The CJ Stroud Foundation.

Without a doubt, Paul has become a diverse photographer. He specializes in sports, lifestyle, portraits, events and graduation photos. He plans to acclimate TreyLens into an LLC by the end of the year.

“A lot of people come to me for mentorship, which is crazy, because I have only been doing this for three-and-a-half years,” Paul said. “They come to me for advice and I say, ‘You have to consume great content to make great content.’” Paul believes that not everyone has the ability to be the best right away. He sees benefit in learning from the best. He states that even the greatest singers, rappers, athletes, musicians, etc. have learned a little bit of something from someone in their desired field who has done it better. 

“Shoot often, shoot great photos, not just good ones. I spend hours editing trying to create the vision in my head for what I want,” Paul said. “Don't be afraid to accept rejection, that's half the battle. Be delusional, when your talent gets there, your confidence will get to where your delusional mindset is. It isn’t easy, I like to block out the negative and keep going.”

At some point, Paul felt his work was no longer appealing to himself or others. Through this experience he proclaims the importance of resilience. After seeking free and tedious opportunities, Paul says he learned how to take risks in the state of exhaustion.

"I almost quit,” Paul said. “I did one more post on Instagram for myself. I learned that I can express myself creatively and it'll still appease other people." Since then, Paul has expressed a new level of confidence in his work as a photographer.

"If I can tell anyone anything it would be these three things–it's a competitive industry, be the first to submit your work, and resilience is key.” Paul said. “Be desperate, act desperate. I lose sleep trying to accomplish my desired outcome.” 

Paul feels understanding the difference between arrogance and confidence defines his humility. He feels those who are arrogant remain stagnant in mental growth. Paul explains, “I can’t sleep when I don’t try.” 

Paul explains that at one point he wasn’t outgoing, vulnerable or social characteristics that are important to succeed within this industry. Now, he says having the talent is half the battle. 

Paul said, “I’ve been told no one million times. You can’t be afraid of rejection. Once you get past that, the sky's the limit.”

“I had to earn the right to be in this space, I had to earn the trust. I had to take that shot,” Paul said. “I just want to tell people to keep going. You have to be innovative. Don’t be afraid of being different.” 

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