These photos are from my first commercial shoot in 2016. They are a reminder of how far I’ve come since then and how much I want to do more of this work: creating beautiful images that tell my client’s story. In this case, Reorient, a local, woman- and minority-owned business, wanted to refresh their website with highly styled photographs that reflected their brand and product - natural, luxury herbal elixirs. It was a challenging and rewarding production. Watch the Behind The Scenes (BTS) video below to see how we took over two photo studio bays at City College.
The set was a beautiful mess of props, product, and gear, and my mind was on overdrive. It was my first taste of what it means to be The Photographer on set: managing the technical and creative aspects of the shoot as well as the client experience and expectations. It was stressful and chaotic so I also had to manage myself; in other words, I had to stay calm and professional. We ran overtime into a studio class that needed the space.
When I received the inquiry for the job, I asked my mentor, Sue Tallon, "How do I even put together an estimate for this sort of work?" I was definitely a newbie. Everyone has to start somewhere and I'm proud of these images. Above all, I'm most gratified by my client's testimonial, which she gave me in preparation for my first e-newsletter—more than 3 years later!
It’s been 5 years since I took the leap to pursue my dream of becoming a photographer. I’ve learned that being a freelance creative takes resilience, endurance, lots of hard work, and especially the support of many people. I want to give thanks to my community of family, friends (new and old), photographers (peers and mentors), clients, colleagues from my former and current professional life, and teachers, among others. Thank you for helping my business and dream take flight with inspiring work, moral support, and wise counsel. Thank you. Truly, I am grateful.
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