Rapper A boogie wit da Hoodie poses for a picture on stage. Rees Winga photographed the moment at A Boogie wit da Hoodie’s concert in October of 2019. (Photo courtesy of @rolls_rees on Instagram)
Rees Winga, a St. Thomas senior and marketing major, made a name for himself in the photography industry with his artistic abilities and creative mind.
Winga has gained attention through various social media platforms, including Instagram and YouTube, with his photography skills. He has photographed music artists such as Yung Gravy and Trippie Redd.
While he usually “gets lucky” when it comes to getting into the artist’s shows, Winga never misses the perfect shot. While it doesn’t always happen, he takes advantage of the opportunities he gets to meet the artists.
“The portrait shots, I got lucky. Usually I don’t get to talk to (the artists) , so the times I do are definitely special,” Winga said.
Among the 50 concerts Winga has photographed, there are two moments that stick out to him.
“I got to shoot last minute for Juice Wrld’s tour before he died and that was amazing, and one of his bestfriends that was also on tour with him … Ski Mask,” Winga said. “I got to go backstage. They were the coolest people ever.”
Rapper Juice Wrld preforms a song on stage while photographer Rees Winga captures a photo. Winga took the photo at Juice Wrld’s concert in June of 2019. (Photo courtesy of @rolls_rees on Instagram)
Winga said the St. Thomas community has helped him to grow his social media platform.
“A lot of my followers are from St. Thomas, and I’ve taken photos for a lot of people,” Winga said. “In that way, it gained a large audience for me.”
Professors who work alongside Winga admire him for his artistic abilities. Gino Giovannelli, a digital marketing professor at St. Thomas, enjoys Winga’s enthusiasm in the classroom.
“I really like Rees’ carpe diem take on life. He always seems on and fired up about life in general. His enthusiasm and positive spirit is contagious to the class, myself included,” Giovannelli said.
As Winga’s final year at St. Thomas comes to an end, Giovannelli believes that there’s more to come for the student.
“I think the future is bright for Rees, especially as he continues to grow his business and keeps moving towards the light of what motivates him and others the most,” Giovannelli said.
Leila Weah can be reached at weah7721@stthomas.edu.