So Chris, thank you so much for taking the time to speak with me today.

To begin, can you introduce yourself to our community? Your name, the mediums you work in, and where you are based.

My names Christopher Ayala and I'm a photographer born and raised in Queens, NY. I've also been trading for about 10 years (options, stocks, etc) and have found myself a lot more involved in it since the start of Covid.

I'm based in Brooklyn now but I really got into photography through shooting street and traveling with my friends. Eventually I was able to combine a passion for music with photography and started trying to get into whatever shows I could to grow and learn. Raptographer is what came out of all that running around and hustling over the years lol. Lately I've just been focusing on shooting things important to me like my friends, family, and my favorite places to be- when im not obsessing over NFTs of course!

Wonderful. Let's talk a bit about your upcoming project and then back into the general thoughts around NFTs. What have you been working on for this latest release?

So I've been working on this drop for the last few months after discovering the NFT space in early february and following guys like JN Silva and Phil Yoon to catch me up to speed. I was seeing all this digital art and figured that was the only route to go at the moment and wanted to create some based on my photos. I reached out to NeonRetroFuture and they were down to work with me on bringing my vision to life, but i wanted to find a way to include more of my artistic friends in this drop and expose them to what was happening in the space. I reached out to some of my musically inclined friends (one of which you introduced me to dave, Ollie Chanin, as well as keefemartin_, queeniwane, trinidadjamesgg, moresoupplease, and harryfraud) and asked if they could make some music to go over these pieces based on samples and references from my favorite animes, mangas, and life in general.

It's cool you realized so early the power of NFTs. What is it about this technology that gets you excited for the future of art?

I think the ability to create an opportunity for the people that support you to experience art in a new way is very special for this shift we're seeing into the Web3 world. Creating a royalty structure was also very appealing to me as an artist in an industry where a lot of people struggle with the legalities of the subject. What gets me most excited though is the new and creative ways were going to be able to use this tech to benefit the planet and peoples lives as a whole, it's already happening and we've barely scratched the surface.

That's dope. Can you share a bit about what people can expect from the actual drop? Where can they find it, what's included?

So the drop is based on 5 of my favorite photos that represent different points in my life and career as a photographer. People can definitely expect some extremely eye catching artwork and music that encompasses what those photos make me feel like. As far as drop mechanics they'll be 5 digital versions based on those photos that will be sold in limited editions from 10-15 pieces and a 1 of 1 piece all dropping on OpenSea Wednesday night. The original photos will also be included in the drop as 1 of 1s. We are also having a live event on the drop night.

You'll have the ability to claim an 8x10 ceramic tile signed and numbered by me if you purchase the digital version along with a download link to the song on the pieces. I've been building out a discord channel with some friends named Freely and that'll be where you can claim your tiles and/or prints if you purchase the original photos. I've got a roadmap of my own ready to go for the future and i'm really excited to see who comes on this adventure with me.

Sounds awesome. I love that you added this physical element as well, really thinking outside the box. Eager to see this all unfold. What's some advice you may have for all the artists rushing to get involved in the space? Anything you've learned along the way preparing for this huge moment?

Thanks man it's been like 5 months in the making- juggling IRL things with trying to get this drop right so I appreciate that. One thing I will say to any artist out there is to TAKE YOUR TIME. A lot goes on in this space and things are still changing and evolving everyday, I changed the platform I was gonna drop on maybe 3 times before finally settling on an option. Genuine support for drops that you like or resonate with are also super important, whether it be a share on socials or actually purchasing someone's work.

Artists have a leg up in this community from jump because they can create their own hype and lore so just believe in what you're putting out there and make sure to give people their flowers while they're here. I guess the last thing would be following the artists that speak to you whether it be their drop mechanics or the art itself, there are endless possibilities and options in this space and it can be super overwhelming but you can use these other drops as guides to find your place.

Wonderful advice, and wishing you all the success in this space and whatever comes next. To the reader, stay up on all things Raptographer by following him on Twitter.