Entrepreneurs Should Ask Themselves These Two Questions- What Do I Have To Lose? Which Colleagues Am I Inspired By?

A photo of me from 19 YEARS AGO! Nuts! Taken with Ilford 400 film. This is when I lived in Manhattan for four months while interning for YM. I took the plunge with a ‘go for it’ attitude. This portrait was taken at the famous Coney Island in New York. I have my camera in hand and ready to start taking some interesting photos of the dynamic environment. Unrelated, I remember loving those polka dot pants.

I would like to share with you a couple key tips that I have learned over the past 15 years in my business. In 2016 I was particularly reminded of two entrepreneur tips that inspired me throughout the year.  2016 was a year of exploration for me in ways that were necessary to progress  areas of my business.

The first tip is a belief I’ve always held, but we occasionally can go through stages in our life of self-doubt that sometimes holds us back. This is natural as we grow.  The second tip is one I did not follow well myself in the first 8 to 10 years in my business.

Note,  I could easily extend this blog into 10 more tips, but I’d like to get this out in 2016 sometime, so figured i’d stick with these two for now.  The post is long enough with these two! Share your input at the end, as I’d love to hear your thoughts.

• Go for it!  What do you have to lose?!

Some of the most exciting career accomplishments over the past 20 years have been because I had this attitude. Don’t get me wrong, there have been times I chickened out on the ‘just go for it’ mentality. I’m only human. But the times I did not let fear of trying get in the way of attempting to try something new or go after what I wanted, I never regretted it.  Sometimes I knew the chances were low, but the other half of my brain said, “What do I have to lose?” Too many of us don’t ask ourselves this basic question when making key business decisions.

I might not have been the best candidate when I pursued certain dreams, but in reality, likely other candidates were not the best either. Being ‘the best’ is all perception and subjective anyways. It comes down to what we tell or convince ourselves. My first big ‘just go for it’ attempt came almost 20 years ago when I wrote a letter to the photo editor of YM Magazine in New York City (remember Young and Modern magazine??).  Magazines would get a ton of resumes for eager, young interns hoping to gain experience in the magazine industry. I knew my chances were low, but I had a dream of living and working in New York City in between my summers in university, so I mailed out about 7 or 8 letters to big publications in Manhattan. This was before the email world existed….so this too effort! Think stamps and envelops! ha.

I wanted to make the experience more exciting by living in a city I always wanted to travel to, plus in the fashion and entertainment capital of North America.  To my shock, I received a call from Donna Bender months after my application, the photo editor of YM.   With no internet world at that time (GASP!), and after a couple phone calls with Donna, the rest is history.   I can not be more proud to say that Donna and I still talk and see each other occasionally 19 years later. She is a big support in my career still today.  If I did not have that ‘go for it’ attitude and feared applying for the intern position, my experiences and career decisions would have taken a different turn. I am certain of this.

This is me with another intern, Stacey. We hung out a lot that summer, since neither of us were from NY (who is though really?!). Here we are holding up our favorite models. ha. Stacey was an intern for the model editor. Unrelated, this seems to still be my standard pose for candids 19 years later. Miley Cyrus sticks out her tongue and I do that. Don’t ask me why.

In 2016, I let the ‘just do it’ mentality lead the way for some of what I accomplished too. One example was photographing for Toronto International Film Festival back in September for world known photo agency Getty. Ironically, it was Donna Bender from NY that put me in touch with Getty. I don’t normally shoot red carpets, so this was a bit out of my comfort zone, but I looked at this as an opportunity to learn, meet others and expand my celebrity portfolio. I have photographed many corporate events and conferences, so I had the confidence to do the job.

Sure, the other LA photographers had more experience than me. Sure, I was not totally aware of the ‘rules’ and standards for red carpet photography, but I knew I could learn and I would regret not going for it. And believe me, for photography that looks straight- forward  (which it is, once you get the hang of it at those events), it’s a lot of work! But that’s for another blog post. In the end, if I didn’t go out of my comfort zone and shoot for Getty that week, other opportunities would not have followed.

But the best part of TIFF was meeting and chatting with other photographers, while waiting (and waiting) for the celebs to show up on the red carpet for their movie premiere. I did not expect that this would be the most fulfilling aspect for me.  I went into this experience with expectations as to what I would learn and gain, but casual conversation with other photographers is what I valued the most at the end; not being a few feet away from celebs or grabbing some cool shots, but the conversations with my colleagues.  Which brings me to my next tip.

Here I am outside Elgin Theatre in Toronto for one of my red carpets during TIFF16. Unrelated, I personally like how my red head scarf compliments the red carpet. Unplanned. Red is my favorite colour.

This is my regular photo assistant and friend, Joe. He has his own photography business too. We have worked together for over 15 years now. Although he looks bored, we actually enjoy each others company. He makes me laugh.

• My next tip is for entrepreneurs to form true relationships and friendships with others in your specific field of work.

This might seem like a simple, obvious tip, but people don’t always have an interest in forming bonds with their competition. I was guilty of this in my 20’s, but maturity and confidence has taught me otherwise. Yes, we sometimes converse via email and complement each other’s work on Instagram or read photo blogs,  but I’m talking about the value of becoming trusted support for others in your profession.  I am not saying to make other photographers your new BFF’s, and certainly NOT to steal their connections.

This is my theory- Once you become friends with other photographers, there is great comfort in that relationship and no one else can quite relate to what you experience.  Nobody else understands the ins and outs of the business like a fellow colleague. Not my husband or best friends can fully grasp the challenges and process of what I do. Only another photographer can relate to the details of running a photo business.  I find comfort in our discussions, where no question is a dumb one. You can offer ideas about locations, studios, events, business tips, where to save money with equipment, and just in general how the industry is evolving.  Not to mention, sticking with competitive rates while not bringing down the industry salary standards.

We all have our photo specialty, so instead of viewing your colleagues as your competition, view them as peers who inspire you.  A bonus is that after building a level of trust and respect, we often pass along jobs that we are unable to take ourselves.  Good people reciprocate these offerings, and it’s a win win situation. But don’t become friends with other photographers in hopes of it leading to work, as that should not be the goal.

In my 20’s, I often kept others in my field at arm’s length, as we see them only as our competition and don’t want to leak our connections and jobs. Perhaps creative freelancers are especially more guarded, as we are used to working alone in the pre-production, editing phases and in a lot of our marketing. With maturity, I’ve learned this is not helpful to any of us.

I am not suggesting to hand out your client list to your peers, but there is a ton we can learn from others in our field.  Good people who are confident in their skills and talent don’t feel threatened by keeping others close, they rather find fun in communicating. If anyone wants to steal your clients, they can simply visit your website and client lists anyway.

What I love about my business is that I’m fortunate to meet others of various ages and creative skill. One new friend I met at TIFF the past year was 27 year old Baden Roth.  I’m 41, but we got along so well,  and I treated him with the same respect as any veteran photographer. He motivated me with his accomplishments and l learned from him. We still chat long after TIFF regarding the business, as we are both skilled in different areas. I keep in touch with LA beauty photographer, Kate Szatmari. It has been awesome watching her move from Canada to LA and see her career flourish.  Warren Toda is a veteran photographer from Toronto that I chat with via email, and I have reached out to him on a number of occasions for both technical and business advice.  He is a smart and honest guy.  Joseph Fuda (my assistant who also has his own photo business) is someone I love hanging out with.  I can count on him when I need him.  Nikki Lamb Tudico, is a photographer and owns a successful new marketing firm. She is the type of determined women who I respect, trust and appreciate. We have referred each other photo assignments a number of times.  Most recently, I was introduced to veteran photographer,  Alex Urosevic, who is filled with an insane amount of knowledge about our industry. We talked for almost two hours in person last month.  I love his high energy!  I find great value with each of these individuals, and I hope I provide some value to them as well.

Not all photographers want to become friends with you.  We all have busy lives, so you should rightfully so be picky about who you spend time with.  I’ve met a couple artists with egos and attitude that I will stay clear of,  but there are jerks in every industry.  Trust your gut. It’s about growing and motivating each other.  It’s a win win in my eyes and adds to the fun of what we all do each day. They challenge and encourage me to keep improving my skills and talent. Life would be boring otherwise, which is why I encourage other entrepreneurs to do the same with those in their field. Appreciate the bonds you share, as we are all in this together in the end!

Here I am photographing in my favorite studio space in Mississauga, Ontario. This studio is owned by Peter House, another photographer who I enjoy chatting with when we see each other. It is very motivating chatting with a late 20 year old photographer who has accomplished so much at such a young age. Clearly he is a smart business guy.  This shoot was for new musician, Jenn Connor. Occasionally I still use this ring light on set. On a separate note, I love wearing my head kerchief whenever I can. It rocks.  

Do you agree with my opinion? What do you appreciate the most when communicating with other peers in your industry? I would love to hear your views below.