When I bought my Canon Rebel XTi for Christmas (a selfish Christmas gift for myself), I knew I wanted to develop my photography hobby into something more serious (read as: revenue generating), but I know in order to land any gigs, you must have a professional portfolio. Photos of family members at a Christmas dinner just don’t count.
I didn’t think it was fair to charge anyone for me to experiment on finding my style, so I offered to photograph my regular actors for free. These are actors and actresses whom I’ve worked with on multiple occasions so I’m used to them. It was a win-win situation: they got great quality photos and I got material to put towards growing my portfolio. Oh, and valuable lessons in time-management, lighting, etc. etc.
Actually, when I started taking portraits I knew I didn’t want to do boring photos. I had to find my style. I researched and stumbled upon amazing photographers such as Dave Hill, Joe McNally
and others who continue to be inspiration for me. I’m still exploring and trying to find my “niche”. I’ve found that paying attention to resourceful blogs like Strobist and DIY Photography really pays off. I’ve also found it helps to remain humble; We’re all students in our own right.
I’ve since discovered my strengths are creative portraits (like the film noir-ish detective look of my friend MJ’s photo above) where I get complete control over the overall look & feel, and in live event coverage (ie: rock concerts, parades, etc.). But, I’ll continue to explore, never discounting any experience, but perpetually learning.
That being said, I really gotta finish my website.
Filed under: About me, Art, Pearls of Wisdom, People, random | Tagged: cheyne, freelance, hawaii, headshot, independent, journalism, model, modeling, photography
