Running your own business, and especially, being someone from which people expect creativity demands venturing out of your comfort zone.
I was a an art director in marketing for 20 years before I became a photographer. The process of creating is more laborious as a designer than a photographer. There are a slew of people that need to approve each piece of work before it moves on to being printed, published, or goes live. One of the biggest problems I had with the industry is, the people who made the decisions didn’t have degrees in marketing or design, forcing those with degrees to do what they knew was a bad idea.
So I’ve moved to being out on my own as a photographer. There isn’t a team of approvers I need to curate my work to, but at times, I need to advise on locations, scenarios, attire, play the role of unlicensed therapist, and take on roles and projects that are outside of my comfort zone.
My latest project was a commercial photography shoot for a card game by Keymaster Games. The game is called Fuego. I was advised that it would have an ultra-lounge, fiesta feel with a touch of Uno.
Technically, it took me some time to learn the game, because I had to stage photos that had to comply with the pieces in play. The other challenge, and this one is completly my fault … I thought it would be easier than it was. With the technology available in Photoshop, you can select the foreground or background with one click. A white background begind bright orange pieces should be no issue, however, there were so many pieces, I had to set my appeture to 22. This would ensure that all the pieces were in focus. It also ensured the backdrop was. You could see all of the pilling of the fabric. After trying a few of my best tricks, I had to resort to coloring in the backdrop ine solid color.
My next challenge was coming up creative solutions to match the feel of the game. I haven’t worked on a design project or theme in years. In Ohio, you often times have to wear several hats because people don’t have the budget for a set designer or stylist.
Fortunately I was able to set the space up with some lights and a box at my home studio so I could shoot when when I felt inspired.
At my stage of business, I have to be open-minded to say yes to potentially doable projects, but I also have to be smart enough to deny sessions that will not be worth it. As you move forward with your business, you will realize the difference more and more.
