See all submissions in the 2020 Self Portrait Challenge.

Featured Self Portraits By:

After being blown away by the work on a few recent client projects, we reached out to StudioNow Creator Mikel Dabbah about his photography, experiences around the world, and staying inspired under the restrictions of the pandemic.

Tell me who you are! Who are you, not only as a photographer but as a person out from behind the lens?

Since my childhood, I have always liked challenges, trying different things, and going beyond normal. I feel uncomfortable being in routines, living in the same place for a long time, I like changes. I guess that’s why I have lived in so many places so far. I also love everything related with traveling and aviation. I am studying to become a commercial pilot – I think there’s no better combination like photography and aviation, excited for what’s coming!

How did your photography journey start?

My family bought a camera some years ago, I occasionally used it on our trips but it all started during the year I lived abroad in Germany. My best friend inspired and transmitted me the passion for photography. We went every weekend to a different city with his camera and to take photos! After that, I took my family’s camera and started taking pictures on my own and I realized it was something I truly loved.

Then when I moved back to Mexico, it naturally started being my business career and I could afford new equipment.

The subjects in your portraits look so comfortable and natural in front of the camera – is there anything special you do to help people feel at ease when you photograph them?

In my opinion, the key is to make them feel comfortable, sometimes being in front of a camera can be somehow uncomfortable for inexperienced models so I always try to have a conversation before the shooting and let them know I am a cool guy who wants the shooting to be a fun experience. Make them feel secure and the shoot will naturally flow.

What is your most consistent source of inspiration or creativity?

Other creators for sure, there are many talented photographers out there who inspire me in a way or another. Also, being the creative guy from my family inspires me to keep creating new stuff and keep believing that hard work always takes you to the next level. My family and friends are always looking up my work so that’s my biggest motivation to stay creative and keep doing the absolute best work I can deliver.

In your biography, you mentioned living in many different places around the world. How has living and experiencing different cultures changed or influenced your work?

The opportunity I have had to be all over the world is invaluable.

I have met people from all the continents and have built very valuable friendships. In my opinion, building relations is the most important aspect to take care of when being a content creator, there are thousands of doors to open out there, and the fact that I have lived in different countries made me an open minded person and that directly influenced my way of working when talking to clients and covering projects.

How has COVID impacted the way you create or work? How do you stay creative in a pandemic?

To be honest, the pandemic forced me to push myself to try new things, it was hard to find clients during those tough times, so I started creating for myself, having fun because besides seeing photography as my work, it is also my passion and something I love. Here are some photos I created at my house during the pandemic.

StudioNow is all about community, and we’re constantly seeking inspiration from one another. What tips or tricks could you offer to fellow photographers?

Working with other photographers is a good way to learn, grow, and create new ideas! As well as looking at other creators’ work can be a good source of inspiration, but never compare yourself with others, that’s a mistake you want to avoid.

Remember photography “has no rules to be followed” a photo with the wrong settings can even end up being a masterpiece with post work! So, get out of your comfort zone, take your camera and be wild! Allow yourself to have fun and not to follow perfection.

Interviewed By: Karissa Ismael

Here are 20 StudioNow Creators that blew us away in 2020:

Alan Wilbur – Salt Lake City, Utah

Antonio Chagin – Coral Springs, Florida

Arielle Ferraro – Rochester, New York

Ashton Hansen – Minneapolis, Minnesota

Barbara Cilliers – Berlin, Germany

Bret Bowerman – Traverse City, Michigan

David Tonelson – Garden Grove, California

Deidre Schlabs – Nashville, Tennessee

Gabriela Chavez – Guadalajara, Mexico

Jake DeBruyckere – Phoenix, Arizona

Joe Thomas – New York, New York

John Dale – Boulder, Colorado

Josh Newton – Santa Barbara, California

Justin Vasquez – San Diego, California

Matt Liteplo – Ottawa, Ontario

Mosi Azad – Vancouver, British Columbia

Richelle Hunter – Toronto, Ontario

Rob Wilson – Victoria, British Columbia

Sean Carline – Los Angeles, California

Summer Luu – Portland, Oregon

Celebrating a monumental year, we look forward to the projects and creativity to come. Cheers to 2021!

Read the 2020 End of Year Letter from our CEO

However, there is not a lot of advice on what to do when you have recently moved into an office provisioned for building out the culture you and your co-founder have dreamed of, but then not being able to occupy it. Or how to lead on the news that there’s a virus on the run with little knowledge of how it could impact a team member, personally or professionally. Nor, what to do when your team is frozen due to fear of losing their job.

Not to state the overly obvious, but there is no advice on how to maneuver a start-up in a worldwide pandemic.

This crisis has impacted nearly every single person on the planet, yet none of us have proven guidance clearly stating what the ‘right’ next step should be (a single misstep can kill a startup) or even how to be a CEO during such a time. Like a start-up, you figure it out along the way and try to adapt as quickly as possible.

This year had some clear setbacks for StudioNow. We had to make some very stressful decisions and have some very delicate conversations. Difficult times led to inspiring adaptation and even growth. As a company that’s always been transpicuous, we embraced new ways of working transparently with our employees and creators in a new on-line office; the Zoom room. We got to meet our team’s pets, children, and judged our peer’s bookshelves as we conducted back to back virtual meetings across five time zones in bedrooms, kitchens, and patios.

With all of the challenges that 2020 provided, there were multiple silver linings. It humanized so many businesses in an entirely new way – including ours. We saw capitalism often conceded to community, and at StudioNow, we all saw empathy in incredible and inspiring ways.

Our employees, clients, and creators watched StudioNow transform with the launch of our entirely new platform. With great strides forward during some very difficult circumstances, we re-imagined StudioNow and built an innovative way to manage the creative process – underlying our strive to become a leading collaborative visual production platform powered by the best network of visual creators around the world.

StudioNow’s mission statement reads: “We exist to dramatically improve efficiencies around visual content production and enable the creators who create it to thrive doing what they love.” I can honestly say that we’ve built a world-class platform that affords that statement to ring true. I personally look forward to giving life to it and thankfully, the need to capture and share visual stories will never be quarantined.

As you are a part of the StudioNow story, without your personal contribution, commitment to our company values, your creativity, and trust – we simply would not be where we are today. This must continue in 2021 because when we come together, there is absolutely no limit to what we can build or achieve. I truly look forward to the next StudioNow chapter with you.

To better times,

Chad Newell, CEO

Here are a few of our favorite submissions from the recently closed, 

StudioNow Challenge, Black Portraits: 

Jamely Wal

Jojo Melendres

Reynaldo Mozo

Anthony Bolden

Gregory Mbo Mba

Nathon Ruehl

Feer Mejias

Talent ZuKutu

Kristin Sayad

Dennis Otieno

Shae Cacciola

Quiony Navarro

Remi Yuan

Monica Vera

Busingye Kagonyera

Celyn Rodriguez

Pat Rodgers

Chynna Nicoletti

Denis Lomme

Andrii Omelnytskyi

Maile Pollock

Beata Revayova

Sue Barr

Attila Adam

Austin John

Paloma Herbstein

Kelly Yu

Ben Haley

Jeff Honforloco

Tiayrra Bradley

I helped my 4th grade educator mother evenly space her desks 4 feet apart to accommodate all 25 students soon returning to the classroom. Although the teachers will do anything to make sure our kids feel welcomed, the room once filled with curiosities is now replaced with a sense of uncertainty – stripped of all games, books, and recess toys.

The same day, picking up a few things at Target, I walked past a father and son deciding on a new mask that would match the kid’s first day of school outfit. A striking conversation to have with a soon to be second grader, but the son’s excitement on choosing a mask to show off to all his friends was just as thrilling to him as picking out a lunchbox. It reminded me that school is more than reading, writing, and arithmetic – it is a community we all long to hold onto.

So, whether you are starting the month walking to school or down the hall to the kitchen table, September will offer a change of perspective, patience, and growth far beyond the textbooks. Our students need to feel safe, teachers need to be supported, and parents need to remember they are not alone. We are all in this together.

We have put together a collection of back to school inspired images from our StudioNow Community who are, like us; parents, students, and teachers.

Virginia Petrucci

Rebecca Mason

Qi Yuan

Olga Gimaeva

Eric Barkkari

Nikola Spasic

Nicoletta Romei 

Lacey Jewel

Busingye Kagonyera

Jan Cattanneo

Froi Rivera

Desy Al-hikmah

Dennis Otieno

Austin John

Julia Shepeleva

Nicole Ravicchio

Philipp Salveter

James Thomas

Mikhail Noyerenchuk

Kaan Turker

Chamath Geethan

Dive into more submissions!

VIEW CHALLENGE

Introduction to Editing with StudioNow’s Rodrigo Daguerre

Introducing StudioNow’s very first Creator Circle webinar!

Led by StudioNow’s Content & QA Specialist, Rodrigo Daguerre, join us as we review the importance and tricks to improve your success with editing in commercial photography.

Topics covered:

• Why correct editing is important to YOU to gain more client trust and improve project success
• The importance of understanding the details and tasks for project briefs at StudioNow and other commercial clients
• The importance of understanding Photo Editing Technical Specs for project success
• Best Practices for Outstanding Client Communications  with Editing Requirements

You may have these tools in your kit, but tightening up how and why you utilize them in your work will heighten your caliber of potential clients and opportunities.

]]> https://corp.studionow.com/create-a-hireable-about-me-page/ Wed, 29 Jul 2020 22:27:27 +0000 https://corp.studionow.com/?p=13095 Read More]]> Amazing websites, get you hired. There is no surprise in that statement, but what you may not consider is your “About Me” page may be the deciding factor is a client reaching out to work with you and not your spectacular portfolio slide. With an over saturation of creatives nowadays, brands, businesses, and recruiters (such as myself!) look for talent that stems beyond the camera work. We want to hire people who are professional and relatable – someone who we will enjoy working with on important projects.

That introduction and trust start on your “About” page. Convince them that they want to hire you and not your camera set up and you are guaranteed to land more opportunities. Here are a few tips to get you started.

Introduce yourself with a professional photo, video, or gif…

Consider your about page as a way of shaking a potential client’s hand and introducing yourself (elbows if we are still in COVID!) Although we never judge a book by it’s cover – your style, approachability, and initial impression will connect website viewers, ultimately converting them into clients.

Whether it is a boomerang throwing confetti, video of you in action, or a professional portrait done by a colleague, make sure it matches your personality. If you never shoot in black and white, your portrait shouldn’t be. Don’t do a corporate headshot if you are a roll in the mud/get dirty kind of artist. Your portrait (and ultimately your entire being) is an extension of your brand – make it easy for viewers to see what you are all about.

We don’t need to know your whole self right away…

Every artist has a “when I first picked up a camera” story, but that doesn’t mean you have to tell it. Okay, a little harsh I know, but your about page should hold a concise message that tells your story without giving away all the spoilers of your autobiography.

For example, although I got my first camera when I was two years old, you do not need to know the stories about me taking blurry pictures of my parents cause I couldn’t stand up without wobbling. Instead, I start my artist story in 4th grade, when I won first place in an art competition for Photoshopping my sister’s face on my pet mastiff. The piece was titled “My Favorite Things.”

In those quick two sentences I told you about my early start in the arts, I like dogs, have a sister, and a sense of humor. Cut out the segways and get to the good stuff. Clients do not have a lot of time to spend on your website and will make a decision if they like you after the first few sentences, so utilize their attention wisely and creatively.

It’s not always all about you… 

While I always love to know what your favorite color is, your about page can also be a great place to hint toward what working with you would be like. Especially for wedding and portrait sessions, giving the viewer a glimpse of expectation of a shoot will help form confidence in not only your ability to create great images, but the art of making a subject comfortable in front of a camera.

Testimonials, behind the scenes videos, or clear “what to expect” guides will make your soon to be client excited and gravitate toward working with you. Just because we have the same camera equipment, does not mean our sets run the same – show that off and you will connect with like minded people.

Direct viewers toward the next step – hiring you! 

They read about your mom, plants, favorite movie, and now want to work with you – don’t let them wander off on their own! No matter how clear you think your website is, everyone needs a hand to hold when it involves making decisions that will cost them money. Leave a clear call to action at the bottom of the page that links to your contact information or social pages. Do not give them an excuse of why they didn’t inquire about your work or services, make it easy.

Check out examples from a few StudioNow Creator’s websites to get inspired: 

Eno Adoghe // enoadoghe.com

Joni Schrantz // jonischrantz.com

Christopher Ried // christophercreatesphotography.com

Rachel Hanon // rachelhanon.com

Lauren Scott // laurenscottstudios.com

David Cabrera //davidcjphotography.com

Tell us a little about you – who is Aaron with & without a camera?

With a camera, I’m attracted to color relationships, textures, and I try to approach creative challenges with sharp wit. Without a camera, I’m attracted to similarly punchy, playful things, though on a much more expansive scale: I could spend hours roaming the aisles in grocery stores, and love back to back to back movie marathons where I can wander from theater to theater. I’d like to think I’m the same person both professionally and personally, but I’m pretty introverted. Sometimes I like to suggest a more outgoing side through my work; I much prefer my photographs speak for me. 

Were you always a photographer?

I didn’t think much of photography until I was a teenager. I remember my parents buying me a film point & shoot camera for the holidays when I was 7 or 8 and being a bit confused as to what I would do with it. I was always really interested in film and thought I was going to move to LA, go to film school, and work in Hollywood. Photography slowly became a tool where I could visualize my fantasies much quicker and more specifically than on film, and I found I could create quicker and whenever I wanted with much less planning. It just kind of stuck with me starting in high school and I haven’t put down a camera since. 

You have a very distinct style using bold colors and high contrast lighting. How did you come to develop such a signature look? Any tips for creators trying to find their personal voices in photography?

I used to shoot with very involved setups and huge productions (with lots of people!) but that all kind of changed when I finally settled down in New York. Before I had my studio, I would do still life experiments with an on camera flash in my tiny Chinatown apartment. Where it originally felt like a very limiting approach to creating the kind of imagery I wanted, it forced me to create more interesting compositions in front of the camera. I don’t want to say that my approach to the technical side of photography is secondary to what I’m documenting, but the actual hands on styling & creation bit is what has always excited me about photography. I think there are plenty of ways to approach how to take a photograph, and it took me a very long time to realize that many, many of these approaches are valid. For anyone trying to amp up their personal voices, I’d suggest taking a step back and really thinking on what excites you about the medium and why you create. Focus on that, and the rest will fall into place. I think in general we are all so focused on trying to create imagery that fits into the current fold or echoes a sense of familiarity that we’ve all seen, so creating something that feels true to you instead of true to others feels key.

Has COVID19 impacted your creativity? If so, how do you continue to create in a crisis?

Yes, it’s impacted everything. I think initially it sucked any sense of creativity that I had away–I lost a bunch of contracts and jobs and felt pretty stuck and helpless. Once the pieces began to settle here in New York City (not that they are still completely settled) and it became apparent that this was a more permanent situation, though, things started turning back around slowly, with a lot of businesses realizing new opportunities in new potential customers and digital marketplaces to appeal to. I have been trying to approach each job as a challenge rather than an obstacle, and in turn it has made me much more resourceful in space and execution. I’m shooting from a makeshift studio in my living room which can prove to be pretty exhausting, but I am so thankful that it’s doable. I haven’t had as much motivation to create for myself as of late, but going into numerous weeks of isolation, I’m trying to make that a bigger priority.

Recently, you have created a series with condiments from your refrigerator used as nail polish. What inspires one to dip their fingers into ketchup?

Yes! I’ve been making a lot of sandwiches while in quarantine, which has given my mind a lot of time to aimlessly wander. I have been thinking about how I haven’t really had the need to put on actual presentable outfits lately, and how else people generally dress up with jewelry, make-up, or something like painting their nails. I’ve always loved taking food items out of context and subverting expectations, so this was a fun little exercise with whatever I had on hand (no pun intended).