Meet T.YLER Babcock | Photographer and Creative Director

We had the good fortune of connecting with T.YLER Babcock and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi T.YLER, what was your thought process behind starting your own business?
During college and grad school i was picking up side projects with photography, creative direction, and studio assistant work for a few artists.

During the pandemic, I realized I was doing everything for everyone else and if created a business, I could package these services in a more professional manner.

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
How did I get to where I am today and was it easy….. This shit is not easy at all. Ahahahaha

How I got here: I put the work in. Nothing is handed to you in life.

It looks glamorous and fun, which it is, but it is 1000% not easy and I think that’s very overlooked.

When I was kid, I was bullied. Unpopular opinion, but that made me stronger and for my current self – it makes me not feel sorry for myself when things don’t go my way….

It made me realize opinions don’t matter. They’re opinions not facts. As an artist, understanding that has been a beneficial element in my ability to keep going and not getting bogged down by the opinions of outsiders, family, friends.

Sometimes those opinions are valid. Sometimes they’re not. Being able to decipher that young and realize opinions aren’t facts, helps me a great deal.

I had my first gallery show at DENIS LEON GALLERY in Boca Raton, FL during Art Basel 2024.

It was my “ From Florida With Love Collection” which will also be my second coffee table book.

My first coffee table book “YLER WRLD” was released a few years ago. It was my first public project. It’s deeply personal and revealing, but I’m very proud of doing it independently.

Professionally I got to where I am off of doing a lot of side projects and background projects. Building my name project by project and probably being manipulated and underpaid a lot of the time.

I’ve had some fallouts with past mentors, but I think that’s part of life and the creative process’.

Palm Tree Dreams Media has always been an outlet for me to create projects and monetize them properly.

However, my whole mission is to create first and monetize second… I love money but as a creative at heart, the only thing that drives me is just getting better at my craft and leaving a creative legacy one day. I have a long way to go, but I think I’m on the right track.

I just wanna keep getting better at my craft and producing art.

I think a lot of people in the South Florida don’t try and create anything unique or new. It’s not even art. They’re playing to an algorithm of bikinis and OF to grow a following. I don’t want to do that. I want to make art.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
We’re not going to Miami. Place is abysmal.

We’re going to Palm Beach maybe the Boca Resort.

We’re hitting the golf course during the day. Hitting the beach to chill after.

We’ll probably go to Flanigan’s if we’re going out to grab food every night or just ordering food to the condo and watching the Knicks.

On Friday and Saturday were doing more golf – more beach but we’d also we’d be going to Honor Bar or an Omakase Bar like Sunset Sushi before we hit Mary Lou’s for drinks and taking some photos while we’re out.

It’s all about keeping good company and making memories. The got and glamour doesn’t matters without good company.

Shout out Eric and Bou at Sunset Sushi.

They’ve been instrumental in my artistic growth and always have taken care of me when I had like zero dollars.

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
There’s a few people.

I met an artist, Mister E, during college who really gave me an opportunity to get into the creative world and have access to a pretty vast network of people. Through that I met many people who work behind the scenes and who look out for me.

I also met King Saladeen and his team. He’s always been supportive of my entire process and never hesitates to get me projects, pick up a phone call, or let me just spam him with creative ideas via text.

Simplicity Jets came a little later, but Jake Tuchman and the Simplicity Jets team changed my life. Jake gave me the Creative Direction role without hesitation and lets me be myself. That’s given me access to a world I am profoundly grateful for. Jake is a true friend. He cares. He supports. He never takes something for nothing. Thats real.

I’ll be In debt to Simplicity and King Saladeen forever. They changed my life.

Website: https://Www.palmtreedreamsmedia.com

Instagram: @SHOTBYYLER – @YLERSFILM

Linkedin: Tyler Babcock

Twitter: @SHOTBYYLER

Facebook: @SHOTBYYLER

Image Credits
All images credited with

T.YLER (@SHOTBYYLER – TYLER BABCOCK)