← The Portrait System Podcast
Loading summary
Transcript132 lines
- [00:01]
Nikki Klosser
Hey there, it's Nikki Klosser and I want to let you know about an awesome free giveaway for people on our email list. If you haven't already, click the link in our podcast description or go to theportraitsystem.com signup to get on the list. If you sign up, you'll get a free posing 101 PDF to jumpstart things. It's an epic PDF, so you'll definitely.
- [00:19]
Hilmar Smith
Want to get this.
- [00:20]
Nikki Klosser
Also, just by being in our email community, you'll get deals, sales and information about any of our upcoming events and activities. So head over to theportraitsystem.com signup and sign up.
- [00:31]
Hilmar Smith
Today you're listening to the Portrait System podcast.
- [00:36]
That thing that makes you feel at peace with yourself. That's your calling. That's what you should be doing. Regardless of how much money you can make for it. You can always, you know, turn the things around and find an income for it. But it's just finding that peace and that things that you absolutely love to do is magical.
- [00:56]
Welcome to the Portrait System Podcast.
- [00:58]
Nikki Klosser
I'm your host, Nikki Klosser and this show is here to help you succeed in the world of of photography and business. To help you learn to become financially free, doing what you love and so much more. With over 1 million downloads, countless photographers have taken what they've learned from both our episodes and from theportraitsystem.com and they.
- [01:15]
Hilmar Smith
Have grown their businesses, quit their day.
- [01:17]
Nikki Klosser
Jobs and are designing a life of their dreams.
- [01:20]
Hilmar Smith
We keep it real and share stories.
- [01:22]
Nikki Klosser
About the ups and downs that come with running a photography business. You'll hear real life stories of how other photographers run their business and you'll learn actionable steps that you can take to reach your own goals. Thank you so much for being here. And let's get started.
- [01:36]
Hilmar Smith
Hey there, it's Nikki Klosser and my guest this week on the Portrait System podcast is Hilmar Smith. Hilmar's photos are so creative that they make you stop your scroll and just stare. Hilmar's work is so unique and she uses her uniqueness and bright photos to stand out from the sea of other photographers in her city of Orlando, Florida. Another thing Hilmar talks about is her experience of overcoming adversity and finding happiness as a photographer. It was such a wonderful interview and I'm excited to introduce her to you. Here in is Hilmar Smith. Hello Hilmar. Welcome to the Portrait System. How are you?
- [02:12]
Hi Nikki. Nice meeting you and thank you so Much for inviting me to be part of your podcast today. I truly appreciate it.
- [02:19]
Oh, absolutely. I love your work so much. It is very eye catching and colorful and unique and I just can't wait to hear about how you do it all. Yeah, you have a cool thing going.
- [02:35]
Thank you. Thank you so much. I love when people say about my colors because there is something really, truly magical behind my choice of creating with a lot of color. And I love when people recognize my pictures because of it. There is a lot behind my story that Bromie used to utilize really bright colors and it brings so much happiness to my life. And I always wish that brings happiness to other people. And I call it like my dopamine photography style.
- [03:10]
Well, I think sometimes it's hard for people to. And I was like this starting out too. Like, what is my style? What is it that truly makes me happy and makes my clients look good and makes people want to book me and how to stay consistent? I mean, there's just so much to it. So I am curious to hear how you landed on the style that you did. Like when you first started, was this your style?
- [03:34]
Well, this is funny because, and I have talked about it a billion of times, I never chose to be a photographer. I was attracted to taking pictures. And I remember when I was a teenager, I brought it up to my dad once and he said, like, oh, that's stupid. You're gonna start that and whatever, you know. But it was like, I think that it was like 2012 or 2011. I was. My marriage was falling apart. My son was recently diagnosed with autism. There was a lot of things going in my life. My ex husband had this camera that he had bought and he wasn't using it. And I remember how I used to love and it was like my kind of hidden dream being a photographer, but I never really went after it. So I grabbed that camera and I started taking pictures and it was super fun. And I went to this class, Scott Kelby photography class that he was on tour here in Orlando. And I just fell in love with it. And I went right away and I brought a bunch of lights. And I discovered that the time that I was spending taking pictures and learning my camera and learning my lights, it was like the most peaceful and amazing time that I have had in a long, long, long time.
- [04:55]
Yeah, I feel like that's a good indicator that it's something that you really want to do, especially if you're in a different. If you're in a different job. And you know, it doesn't bring you happiness or joy, and then you pick up your camera and all of a sudden you're feeling that joy. I feel like it's a pretty good indicator that it's a good direction to take, career wise.
- [05:16]
Absolutely. And I always tell people, if there is that thing that makes you feel at peace with yourself, that's your calling, that's what you should be. Regardless of how much money you can make for it, you can always, you know, turn the things around and find an income for it. But it's just finding that piece and that things that you absolutely love to do is magical. So I picked up that camera and I started playing with everything. You know, I knew that I loved taking pictures of people. I discovered Photoshop and I was like, oh, shit. These like all things that I can do. This is absolutely like. It was like, I've always been super creative, but Photoshop gave me that tool that, you know, like all the craziness that is in my head, I can put it into an image. So I've always been attracted to weird and different kind of things, you know, so. But since the moment that I got my camera to now, I have gone through so many things. As I told you, I got divorced. Then I fell in love again. And it was magical. You know how it is. I got pregnant, I was like. And I was studying. The thing is, that is when you're doing what you really are truly meant to do, magical things started happening. And that happened to me since the moment that I grabbed my camera. I started meeting amazing people. I started getting good contracts and photo shoots. And now I look back at it and I said like, wow, I was so lucky. Like, right starting, I started working with a motorsport team for the Ferrari challenge and I was going to these Formula one races and all of that, and it was a fantastic world and it was something that it was super fun. But now I look at it and I said like, wow, I was just starting and I got that, that contract with that team and how many people will have love right now to start doing something like that? But life got really lifey. I got pregnant, I was put in bed press. I couldn't do photography anymore. I had to move. Then after I had my daughter, I had really bad postpartum depression.
- [07:36]
That's so hard.
- [07:39]
And I think that people don't talk about it a lot, that it is hard on the body, is hard mentally, emotionally. It's just like dying and being reborn again because you have to at some point say goodbye to some part of you and your body's going through all of these hormonal changes. It's a lot. So I absolutely loved being with my daughter. Like, nothing gave me more peace than holding her and my boy. But I felt like a disconnection between myself and, I don't know, my inner child or who I thought I was. I don't know. It was like the weirdest thing ever. So I decided to pick up my camera once again and my baby was like a newborn. And I started doing a 365 self portrait challenge with a newborn.
- [08:42]
Yeah, yeah.
- [08:44]
Every time that she will take a nap, I will go and I will like if I had to do props or do a setup, like every single nap that she took, it was like a moment for me just to start creating. And it was so funny because I was so depressed, but I was so busy doing everything for my kids. And then I added this to myself and I beginning I thought that it was going to be too much, but it was magical because it put me in contact with myself again. And I started doing things that I absolutely love doing. And I will post them in my blog, in Flickr, Google. You know, back in the day, all those things that were available for us to show our pictures. And the comment that I received all the time was like, I cannot wait every day for your pictures because it always make me laugh. It always makes me smile.
- [09:36]
That's a great thing to hear.
- [09:38]
I know. And it was so funny because all of my concepts have always have had like some kind of humor to them. And when I used to read those comments, I used to sit and think, huh, if they only knew how depressed I am. And I kept repeating that every time I read one of those comments until like a few weeks after I started the project. Then I kept writing that and I was like, but I'm not depressed anymore. I'm having the time of my life. You know, every day I was looking forward to the picture that I was going to do. And even if I didn't sleep at night, I was retouching and I was doing all of that. So it was, it was truly magical. But right after, like was in kind of in the middle of all of these things, something else happened and my fiance passed away.
- [10:32]
Oh my gosh. Oh my gosh.
- [10:34]
And all the progress that I've done, you know, finding myself again and, you know, finding joy and so many things all went to the drain. Like nothing.
- [10:50]
I can't even imagine. Wow.
- [10:54]
So it was once again one of those moments that you are like, you know, seen. And I always Say like, I have had five years of my life when everything that I thought that life was about or I mean, it was just like completely a complete disaster. So, you know, after that, in one of those really dark nights when you feel like the war is falling apart on you, and I was extremely like, dangerous depressed, I decided to write this list. And in that list I wrote every single thing that once in my life made me happy and every single person that somehow made a positive impact or made me feel seen or anything beautiful that happened ever in my life. And it was fantastic just to have that contrast of the way that I was feeling and how beautiful those things I was writing in the paper of all of those moments and people and experiences. And after I was done writing, I was like, from this moment on, I'm going to live my life based on this list. And you know, it was one of those moments when life gets so lifey and it gets so shitty that, you know, looking at it, I mean, I have my kids, I have myself, but I didn't have anything else to lose. I was broke as fuck. I was depressed as I ever was before. I didn't know what the future was. And I still woke up every single morning of my life. I never slept an hour longer. I never let myself get down. I was like, if I lay down to cry one night or one day, I don't know if I ever get up. So I was like, go, go, go, go. But in that letter in that paper that I wrote, photography was a big part of it. And I remember how positive it was when I was doing my, my self portrait photography thing. So I decided like, well, I'm going to give it a go 100% and I'm going to, I'm going to give myself a year, a total year, just to see how far I can go within, if I can support my kids doing it. And at the end of the day, I truly needed to do something that brought me joy. I couldn't see myself like working 9 to 5 doing something that I hated. I didn't have it. I really needed to hold on to something for myself because I was like so depressed that I can not even describe it.
- [13:50]
I can see why. I mean, geez, I told you I'm a yapper. No, this is good. I think it's really important for people to hear some of the personal stories that we experience. And it's, you know, as an entrepreneur, it's not like you just get time off and you still get paid if you need to grieve like you experience significant loss, and we don't get that paid time off, you know? And, I mean, during that time, it sounds like you weren't a paid photographer anymore at that point, when your fiance passed away and you were going through all of this.
- [14:28]
No, because this is at the time.
- [14:29]
You decided, okay, sorry, go ahead.
- [14:32]
He was a race car engineer. We were living in Florida first. And when I was pregnant, I was put in bed rest. We moved to North Carolina because of his job. And since I was put in bed rest throughout my pregnancy, and then I had my baby, I didn't have time to work, and he passed away. So I wasn't back on the. On the working force again. So it was, like the craziest situation in the most horrible time and all of that. And it was, like, extremely hard. So when all of that was going on, I decided to move. Like, in my list was Orlando. I never liked North Carolina, so I wanted to move back to Orlando. And I sold all of my furniture and everything that I had to be able to move. So it was, like, extremely stressful. And we moved back here to Orlando. And in the list, my photography was a big part of it. And I picked up my camera. And sometimes, not all the time, I will take pictures and self portraits and I will have this idea. But then when I started doing it, it will turn into this crying party because I was so depressed. But I started coming up with these conceptual pictures that kind of represented what I was feeling. And it was extremely hard because I will cry while I was photographing them, while I was editing, and then when I was posted them. And it was cathartic, but it was extremely hard. And I did, like, five, four of them. And I will cry, and I will look at them and I will cry because they will represent so much pain in what I was feeling in the moment. And when they have decided, like, no, I'm not going to do this shit anymore. I'm sorry. I cross a lot.
- [16:33]
Oh, that's okay. I do, too.
- [16:36]
Yeah. So I was like. One day, I was like, this is not. I cannot be. I mean, this is what's going on in my life. I cannot change it, you know? But I cannot ruminate into this situation. I have to find joy because I don't want my kids to look back at their childhood and see me depressed.
- [16:57]
Right.
- [16:58]
In fact, one of the main things, when I moved back to Orlando, it was like, walt Disney's gonna be my kids Band Aid. You know, I'm gonna be sad that nobody's gonna be able to you know, but my kids are going to be every single freaking weekend in Disney. So when they look back at their childhood, they're going to be at Disney. I'm going to be crying in a corner, but it doesn't have to affect them, you know?
- [17:21]
Yeah.
- [17:22]
So I then started doing these super colorful things, kind of based on the pictures that I used to take on my 365 self portrait project. I went back to my colorful and humor and all of that. And there was such a big change on the way that I was feeling when I was planning this, the photo shoot, when I was conceptualizing the picture, when I was taking the picture, when I was editing, editing them, and then when I was posting them, the feedback that I will receive from the people once again, laughing, smiling, and all of that. And it changed so much the experience from what I was feeling when I was expressing my grief and then when I was doing these colorful font portraits.
- [18:21]
I can see it through your work. I really can. So when you said that at the beginning, when we first started talking, that your work is colorful for a reason, it's just. It all makes sense now. And I just love that that has helped you get through this awful experience.
- [18:41]
And it is magical because even when you are sad, even when you put like a red lipstick on or you put like a colorful blazer, or even your socks, you wear funny socks, very colorful. It makes a change on the way that you feel. Mm.
- [19:00]
Mm.
- [19:01]
And even in your house, if you put something colorful, a little cushion or something, it brings some light to it.
- [19:07]
Yeah, it does.
- [19:08]
So I've used that magic as a way. It's a style that I didn't create, is a style that somehow saved me. And I stick to it because it brings me happiness, it brings me joy, is something magical. And. And I hope that it does the same when I do take pictures, because my clients, the people that come to me and they hire me, they hire me because of that colorful style.
- [19:38]
Well, and that's my question, because your work isn't the typical work that you see. And I know you do some personal branding, some celebrities, some regular portraits, that sort of thing. It's not the. The typical stuff that you see. So how are you finding clients who are really into this unique, you know, expressive, fun type of work?
- [20:03]
Well, that takes me back to everything that I just told you. Photography is something very dear and very personal to me. So everything that I do is in that style, and I stick to it. So people who hire me, hire me because of. Of my style, even my Personal brand sessions are very colorful with a lot of props and very different from the regular personal brand session. Everything that I do have that colorful. So to me, the artistic side of photography, even though I'm getting an income out of it, the creative side is the main character in the whole thing. Something that I truly need to do is something that I that even like those times that I. That somebody have asked me to do something different, that is not my style. It doesn't bring me joy. It's just like I cannot do it. I cannot do it. And if I do it, I don't feel good about it, you know?
- [21:04]
Yeah.
- [21:04]
And I think that is because of the story. Because it's not just a job, it's not a source of income for me, is a lifeline, is what saved me and it's what really brings me joy and it makes me feel some kind of accomplished, you know, something that saved me in the darkest part of my life. So to me, it's important to whatever I do, I put that little heart and that little soul. And for me, it's that style, that colorful thing that I built in the hardest day of my life.
- [21:39]
Yeah. So you're in Orlando, which is in Florida, which is a. It's a big city, you know. How are you bringing in most of your clients? Like what? As far as marketing strategies?
- [21:49]
Well, most of it is worth of mouth in social media. Like I've done marketing on Facebook, Instagram and everything. But nothing brings me as many customers than words of mouth or seal. Those are the two things that truly a thousand percent come back to me.
- [22:13]
Okay.
- [22:14]
And it's just being present. And you know, when. When I create something that is puppy and is different, like I do have a huge part of my business is real does. And I never changed that market. I never did. It was just this girl that I met. I lived in my neighborhood. He. She works in title and I did some personal branding pictures with her. Very colorful, very fun. She has a big personality. And since I did those with her and she has been with me for like five, six years, coming back like twice a year to do personal brands. And just by doing her photoshoot, like I attracted so many realtors and they are a big part. And it's such a competitive market, the realtors. So they really need to step up. And especially here with so many vacations, home is huge here, real estate in Florida. So my style attract them because I'm doing something completely different from everyone. Like I go to these huge, huge mentions that they are listing and Whatever. And I have one that jumped with a computer that didn't work, of course, on a pool. And we did that of him working inside of the pool with a suit, with a computer. And we do super fun. I approach these personal brand sessions as they were like a JQ editorial or something like that.
- [23:53]
I love that.
- [23:54]
And that's what keeps my business and my style connected together and brings me people because I'm always trying. Okay, how? And it's not easy because there are so many people that do different things. But you have to try to connect the dots and see what kind of audience is going to resonate. It's going to come to you because of what you do. That is a stripe for everybody.
- [24:22]
Yeah. As soon as you said realtors, I thought, yep, that totally makes sense. Because like you said, there are so many realtors out there and how do you really stand up? And one of the ways, you know, because our online store is our website, you know, when if I'm Google searching a real estate agent in Chelsea, Michigan, I'm googling it and now one of the first things I'm going to see is their photo. And if there's something that's really unique and interesting, I'm going to click on it. It just makes so much sense. And I feel like so many real estate agent photos are just boring. It's the same old gray backdrop with a gray suit or a navy suit.
- [25:01]
But they have huge personalities.
- [25:06]
I love it.
- [25:07]
My realtors have, I don't know if it's because my style, because they want something, but my clients, my realtors, they all are like main character energy and they wonder in different and they want. So to me, I love it because they're competitive with each other. And I have a lot of them that are in different teams and they don't like each other. So it's truly fun, you know. And they know that I, that all of them are my clients. So they always like trying to push me. No, but you have to make it better like the one that you did to the other guy or to the other girl. And it's so challenging for me because they don't want anything that looks similar to the other. And to me, that's my jam. I cannot repeat and do the same thing over and over again. My brain doesn't let me. And another thing is that it's with social media. And I always tell them, like, if you go right now and you go on your phone and you look at the people that what's your story? You know, that all the names come out. And if you see somebody that has a picture with a really colorful background, that picture is going to just pop up, you know?
- [26:18]
Yeah. I'm looking at your Instagram and I just randomly clicked on this photo of a woman, and she's, like, holding a pie or something. And it's a title company.
- [26:28]
Yes. And I thought, that's my title girl.
- [26:31]
Yeah, that's so cool. Like, I mean, that's gonna draw someone's eye.
- [26:36]
Hair marketing, like, you have no idea all the things that we have done. But I always tell people, okay, I can do whatever. I can go. We can go creative and all of that. But I always tell them something. It has to match your personality. If you are a dry, serious person, don't try to be super fun and bubbly, because then people are gonna know you and it's not gonna match, you know. So I always take time to really get to know the person in the brand, how they are, and kind of guide them, because what I don't want them is to end up with some pictures that don't truly represent who they are. But this girl, Rachel, she is so much fun. She is a joy, and she's so creative and she's game for everything. And her marketing is fantastic. We sit together and we come up with the post that she's gonna make and the pictures and how to match the whole thing. And I was just looking at her Instagram today, and she posted so many things that are so funny. So it works for her. And there are so many people like that that make it different and make it fun and they're memorable. And that's what you want with your brand. You want to be memorable. Do you want to people remember who you are, what you do, and if you make somebody laugh, they're gonna remember it. They're gonna remember you.
- [28:07]
Nikki Klosser
Hey, just a quick break to tell you that since you're here listening, you have access to a really great offer for our listeners only. We have a special promo code you can use to get 50% off the cost of membership. Just go to theportraitsystem.com or click the link in the description and use the promo code PODCAST50 to get 50% off of a membership. We rarely discount membership, so this is a big deal. As I hope you already know, the membership is how I and so many guests on this podcast reached our success. And it gives you access to countless amazing videos, an awesome community, and all the tools you need to build a massively successful business. So use the code podcast50Now to join the community and to start building the business of your dreams. I'll see you there.
- [28:52]
Hilmar Smith
Yeah, I think this is really, really important for our listeners to think about. Like, we're always talking about how can you stand out in a sea of other photographers? And I feel like a good way to do that is, you know, one through your images, but the way you're talking to people about it. So it's like, what are you saying within your marketing in addition to your photos to make them want you? So, like, a perfect example is saying to real estate agents, how are you standing out from the 25 other real estate agents that live, you know, within a quarter of a mile from you? You can stand out with your photos and I can help you with that. You know, there's just so much language that you could use around that to really help people understand that if you. If they want more clients as real estate agents, they've got to stand out in their marketing. And you can do that for them. You can help them. I think it's. Yeah, it's really smart.
- [29:43]
It's very competitive. And it keeps getting more competitive because even if you look, I see some of my clients now, the approach that they take whenever they do listing videos, there are some people that just take it, you know, to another level of fun, you know, and again, it has to match your personality. It has to match who you are, for sure. Yes, yes. And, you know, like, in branding, you can do so much. You can incorporate your hobbies, you can incorporate the areas of where you live or where you're selling. You know, I did these super funny pictures. You know that it's called farming, right? When you're looking for properties in certain neighborhoods, you farm and you. And you look at, like, how much they. They cost and everything. You know, that's a term that realtors use a lot. So what I did with Rachel is we dress her up as a farmer, and she has like a bunch of farming pictures that are super funny that she uses for marketing. Like. Like, you know, so it's just using those little terms and trying to spin them around, but those are terms that are within their industry that are going to make people laugh and they're gonna make people smile or they're gonna connect. And that's what you want ultimately is to connect.
- [31:18]
Well, there's another photo that kind of jumped out at me, and it looks like she's a plastic surgeon. And it's really cool. Cause I can tell maybe she's not the super bubbly, fun, whatever based on how you did her photos. But it is so cool and eye catching where she has a serious expression. She has a white blazer on. But then the way that you did the lighting and the shadow has, like, the yellow and the pink and the blue coming off of her, that's gonna totally jump out. And in Florida, I imagine there's a lot of plastic surgeons. Not to generalize. Yes. But she could. That could be. I feel like any other, like, dermatology, office or, you know, injectables, Botox, whatever. I feel like it's all the classic. Like, they have their doctor jacket on and it's a classic headshot. Whereas put this photo against all of those and, man, her eyes are going to go straight to her.
- [32:11]
Yes. And that's. That's the whole goal of it. And I adore her. And she's such a badass because that's a. That's an industry that is dominated by men. And when she contacted me to do these pictures, I was like, okay, girl, let's just bring it on. And. And that's the whole thing is just to make it memorable, to make it different, just to make her stand out, out of the other people. And to me, I'm super thankful for every single one of my clients because they come to me because they want something different, but they also. It's just such a responsibility because it's their brand that I'm. That I'm taking and that I'm trying to bring on with my style and my colors and all of that. So it worked for them. And most of my clients, they keep coming once or twice a year. So I'm very thankful for that. But as I say, there is a market for every single one of us. My colors and my style might resonate with some people, but not with others. Some other people would like something, you know, more muted, some other colors or some other lifestyle or something like that. And that's totally okay. But I think that if you are doing photography, if you're doing something artsy, it's because it does something within you, and you have to feed that part, too. It's not only to get the paycheck and to get, you know, to their clients. It's just that you have to fit that part of you so you can be happy as an artist, because if not, you could have, like, a regular 9 to 5, you know? So I always tell people, whatever it is your style, whatever is that you want to do, that is a try for you. I know this girl that makes little costumes for little Animals like squirrels and all of that. And she has clients.
- [34:16]
That's awesome.
- [34:17]
So, you know, so I always do, like, there is a market for every single one. The thing is just finding who you are, what makes yourself happy, and then offer it to the world. Because there are going to be people that are going to resonate and they're going to love it and they're going to become your tribe.
- [34:40]
Yeah.
- [34:41]
And that's what I always try to do. I mean, I know that there are some people that I'm not going to like what I do, but I like what I do.
- [34:48]
Yeah.
- [34:49]
And there are people that come to me for it.
- [34:51]
Yes. I feel like with marketing, something that you could do to present yourself to a specific industry, whether it's real estate agents or insurance agents or whatever is. You could take some standard headshots. And of course, you have to be careful and not use other photographers work trying to say that it's bad. But if you just took a couple standard headshots yourself of a few people and then put one of your really creative, amazing photos next to it and then showed it to people and said, all right, which one stands out here? You know, what does your photo look like? Does your photo stand out? You know, I feel like there's so many different ways that you could include this in your marketing to get it across to people that their photos for their business are so important and will help make them more money because they will book more clients because of their photos. That's something that I talk about in the personal branding system, is just how to help people understand that professional photos will help make them more money in the end.
- [35:52]
A thousand percent. A thousand percent. And another thing is, like, sometimes I get clients that like some of what I do, but they don't want to utilize a lot of colors or they want something like very, you know, take down a lot of the things that I do, and I'm okay with that. But then after I take all the pictures that they. I know that they want and they need, I tell them, okay, give me a chance. Now we're going to take some extra pictures. And then I take the pictures and then I deliver a proof gallery and I'm telling you 10 out of 10, they pick the pictures that I totally. That I do at the end, because at the beginning they feel like it's too much for them. But then when you really show them what you can do, it makes the changes. So it will take you more time. It will whatever. But I wouldn't say that it's Time to prove a point. Because it is not to prove a point. It's just to show people that sometimes you can go beyond what you think that is your style or whatever. And that's our speciality. That's what we know how to do.
- [37:08]
Yep. Yeah, I do the same. I typically have them, you know, bring their outfits that they want for business, but I always, always, always encourage them to bring, you know, the dress in their closet that they've been wanting to wear that is, you know, sparkly or, you know, different than what they typically would think to wear for photos or, you know, just something a little bit more personal and, you know, not quite mine aren't as colorful and different and unique as yours are. But it. In the end, those photos always sell those extra. The extra photos that they didn't think they needed. But I encourage them, you know, always, we turn it into, okay, we're going to take your business photos, but let's do a couple personal things. Maybe it's a little bit on the boudoir side. Maybe it's like a gorgeous gown that they've always wanted to wear or rent from Rent the Runway, you know, and those photos always sell. Always. Yeah, yeah.
- [38:00]
Yes. I do have a fantastic team. My hair and makeup girl has been with me, like, forever, and she pumped everybody up. So we just let it flow, and then between both of us, we just pump. And it is such an experience. And I think that's another thing is making it a fun experience. It's making it, like. Because I'm gonna tell you, I've been doing this forever, and I've been doing, like, self portraiture as a way of therapy for myself, but I absolutely despise being in front of a camera. But it helps me so much because that's the exact feeling that every single one of my clients feel. Because my clients, most of them are no models. So when you put that camera in front of them, they're gonna be uncomfortable. So having somebody that. To me, I always tell them this is gonna be a girls hangout, that we're gonna have pictures to prove that we hang out, but we're just gonna be hanging out. And what they're doing hair and makeup, we are just chatting, and we get to know each other and all of that. So by the time they're sitting there, they're so chill and they're so comfortable with my hair and makeup artists and me. That is so much easier. And another thing that I do, I don't about time. Like, it's not like we're going to have a photo shoot and it's going to be used like 120 minutes. If we're going to. If I see that they need more time and we're going to chill and we're going to spend time creating and doing different things. I do it because at the end of the day, I don't want to rush anything and I want people to feel comfortable and I want them when they leave my place, I know 1000% they are at a billion of pictures that they can pick and they're going to feel like they made the most of their time and their money and they're living here with a friend.
- [40:11]
Yeah, yeah. It's customer service at its best. I'm looking at, on your website, it looks like you photographed boys to men, and I'm totally fangirling about that. And the variety of photos that you got from that is like, incredible. I mean, everything is so different. So I can see how you spend time and why you need to spend time in order to create what you do. I mean, it's. You've got. I feel like people just have to come to your website and see it. Like, if they click on tear sheets and scroll down, they'll see all the different photos you've done for them. But I'm curious, you said you're really into Photoshop, and for example, I noticed that you utilize shadow quite a bit, and in a lot of your photos, you've got these really colorful shadows. Is that something you're producing in camera with your lights? Are you doing that in Photoshop?
- [40:57]
Thousand percent in camera.
- [41:00]
Wow.
- [41:00]
I love Photoshop and I do a lot of Photoshop, but not as much. I used to do a lot of compositing, but since the whole AI thing came up and all of that, I'm just like, I'm not going to compete with that. I love my camera. So that colorful shadows is called RGB shadows, and it's done by using three lights. One light with a red gel, another one with a blue one, and another one with a green one. That is what is called rgb. So you put those three lights right in front of your subject. The shadows that are going to those lights are going to produce are going to be the opposite colors of the lights that you created. So the red. What is the opposite of red? Cyan. The opposite of blue is yellow and the opposite of green is magenta. Right. So that's how you do it. It's really easy. It's just you try once and then of course you can put the shadows lower and you get the lights lower and you get, like, taller shadows, and you can play with perspective and all of that. But It's a really 2D font technique, and it is so much fun to use because it's so simple and it's impressive and it always makes me look so smart.
- [42:25]
It's sand, though. I love them. I love those shadows. It's so cool, every single photo. And I love color. And I especially love it because it's not like a really bright, dark green red. They're almost like a pastel tone, which I absolutely love. So. Yeah. And it just seems like you've utilized them creatively in so many different ways. What about, like, there is a photo I found on your Instagram. She is. She's. She's topless, but she's turned to the camera or to. Sorry, her back is turned to the camera. I mean, but her face is turned towards the camera as well. And then she's got flowers on her hair, and then you have the colorful shadows, and it almost looks like there's water in front of her. Is that something that you're doing also in camera?
- [43:09]
Yes, that's my paper. I have, like, a regular party table, and it's Mylar paper.
- [43:16]
Yeah.
- [43:17]
And that's the magical thing you have to absolutely love photography. And to me, it's always been my playground is just go to the studio and just try a bunch of different things. So if I see something on Instagram or Pinterest that, oh, I like that. And I'm gonna try to figure it out, how they take it, what materials they use and all of that. And the beautiful thing about just having time to experiment is that there are so many magical mistakes that you can make that you can turn into your style. And in that series of pictures with the girls with the flowers, it's just. I was turning on and off lights and moving things here, and I just got a blue one, and then I was going to turn another one, but then I move it to the side, and I was like, oh, he's making two different shadows here and there. And that was like a little thing that I wasn't planning to do, but it happened, and now I know how to do it, and I can incorporate that magical two shadows in some other sessions. So I absolutely love photography, and I absolutely love light and color and. And I love playing and creating new things. It's really, really what brings some kind of life to me. And I absolutely love teaching when I have those magical moments and those crazy little Things happen. I love to share how things happen and how people can create different things because it's one you try once, then you can get so many things out of just one little light or two lights or using colors. So it's all the experimentation and playing and just taking time just to create without expectations. I think that's when magic truly happens.
- [45:24]
Well, clearly you are extremely passionate about what you do and I think it comes off to your clients. Like you said, your clients are going to walk away feeling excited and happy and it's really great. But I'm curious because as far as selling photos, do you have packages? Are you giving high volume of digitals or are you just spending a lot of time on just a small number of images that you offer? How do you do that?
- [45:53]
Well, every single one of my packages have included digital. I don't do in person because it takes so much time off me and most of my clients, as I say, do personal branding so rarely they want any print with them. But what I do is, since I told you my sessions can take for six hours, doesn't matter how much fun we're having, they. They purchase a package with certain amount of pictures and then when I send them the proof gallery, they always end up buying like double or triple of what they already order for. The other thing is that I keep those galleries, since it's personal branding, I keep those galleries up and it's like my little income that never stops. Because since mostly realtors, they keep needing content over and over and over again, so they keep ordering more and more and more and more pictures. So that's why another reason that I don't mind spending so much time for them, because rarely happens that they just walk away with just the pictures that they bought in the package. They always, always end up buying more. And if they don't buy it right away, I know that in a couple of months they're going to be ordering more from my website.
- [47:23]
Yeah, that's great. So you have specific packages then or it's a la carte?
- [47:28]
No, I have a specific packages and I do packages that are just in the studio. I do packages that are on location. Like that the personal brand session that I was telling you about that we went to one of the listings in the pools and all of that. I do that. But obviously they're very, very creative and very playing out. And then I do hybrids, which we take some here in the studio and then we do some other in location. Those are my main packages for personal branding. And then obviously for something Like Voice to men, it's just really up to how many images they need and the licensing and the use and for how long. That's another kind of monster there. But having them, like, taking pictures of them was one of the most amazing things ever. And it was truly magical because they are as dreamy as I thought they were when I was a teenager.
- [48:33]
I love it. Oh, I love Voice 2 Men. It's just so cool. So cool.
- [48:38]
Definitely.
- [48:39]
And these photos are just amazing. Absolutely amazing.
- [48:42]
Thank you.
- [48:43]
Yeah.
- [48:46]
A little residency this in August in Vegas and they were like covering buildings, those pictures, and almost died.
- [48:56]
It was such magic. Speaking of Vegas, you're teaching at WPPI again.
- [49:02]
I am. I absolutely love wppi. It is so much fun. It is like, always wait for Arlene's email and I'm like, yes, that is.
- [49:12]
And what do you do? You know your topic. Are you able to say that yet? I'm trying to think if it's all been released. But do you know what you're speaking about?
- [49:20]
I am teaching about doing. Breaking the rules in photography pretty much is doing unconventional angles. You know, like things like using a wide angle lens to take portraits, you know, working with color and patterns and things like that that usually you will. Because, you know, if you learn traditional photography, you are always told that you're supposed to do this and to do that, and when you really want to create something different and impactful, you have to break so many rules. So the class is pretty much like a little push in the back for people just to take a little step out of their comfort zone and experiment with things like the same thing that I do with light and everything.
- [50:12]
So, yeah, come check it out. I'm excited. Very cool. Well, this has been really great. It's such a breath of fresh air to just see unique work. And I just am so impressed by you and what you do. And, you know, I know you've just been through a lot and just to see you kind of coming out on top with all of this and having a successful business, even though I'm sure it was extremely hard at the beginning, like you mentioned. But I'm. Yeah, this is. This is really great. And I appreciate you kind of opening up and sharing with people everything you've been through, because I, you know, a lot of people out there are going through a lot of hard times. And I think hearing that, you know, while I'm sure grief, you know as well, I know that very personally that grief doesn't ever go away. But there are certain things that you can do to help that. So thank you for sharing all of that now.
- [51:06]
Thank you. Thank you. And I always do it just because we used to, like, hold those problems and hold that pain inside. But if you really look outside, there's so many people going through pain into things, and that you can, at the moment, think that you cannot get over, but probably you can get over some things, like grief, but you can learn how to live with it and to turn the experience into something. I wouldn't say positive, but into something that will bring you growth and put you in contact with who you are. So thank you so much for inviting me to be part of the podcast. I truly appreciate it.
- [51:55]
Absolutely. Well, you're not done yet. I still have a couple more questions that I always ask at the end of each episode. The first question is, what is something you can't live without when you're doing a photo shoot? And it doesn't have to be a photography product, specifically if. Because I'm going to ask you that again. But if it is a product, that's okay, too. But what's something you can't live without?
- [52:19]
I. Oh, my goodness. That's a really good one. I mean, obviously my camera, but I think that that's way too obvious.
- [52:27]
You shoot Nikon, right? You're a Nikon ambassador.
- [52:29]
I am, yes.
- [52:30]
Yes.
- [52:31]
Probably a Nikon ambassador, yes. So obviously my camera, but I think that's the only thing, because I've learned to do everything with so little that I can think that I can make everything happen. MacGyver, everything.
- [52:48]
All right.
- [52:48]
Yeah, I think that that is pretty much.
- [52:51]
That sounds good. Yeah. Just tell people. What body camera is it?
- [52:57]
I have a Nikon Z8. And, well, I would say the lens that is always in my camera is a 2470. I have several lenses, but that's always my go to. And I always have to push myself to change it, because, I mean, that gives me the range that I need in the space that I have, but is always my Nikon Z8.
- [53:21]
All right. Awesome. Okay. Number two is, how do you spend your time when you're not working?
- [53:27]
Probably hanging out with my kids. Disney is such a magical place for us, and we go, like, every. I'm not lying to you. We go every weekend, and every weekend we find, like, a new adventure, something new to do that we have never done before. Definitely 1,000% Disney. Yes.
- [53:46]
Yeah. Very cool. All right. And number three is, what is a specific photography product that you would recommend for people to have?
- [53:55]
I will recommend to get yourself and this is something that I totally changed recently is I still shoot with straps, but I started incorporating constant light. And I use emeran or aputure lights, but I use the ones that you can change the colors and you can change them just by using your phone in the app. And it is so magical because, like, that picture that we were talking about of the plastic surgeon, we did those pictures and those colors, and then I will take a few pictures, and then on my app, I will change the color of every single one of those lights. Well, if I was working with the strobes, I will have to go to each one of the lights and change the gels, and gels are a pain. So. Yes, definitely. Definitely. And I talk about it a lot. I still love my straps, my profiles and everything. Perfect. Wonderful. But those constant lights are so fun to use.
- [55:06]
Awesome. All right. And number four is, what would you tell people who are just starting out?
- [55:11]
Just find the thing that you love and just go for it over and over and over again. And if you don't know what you love to shoot, if you haven't decided or you haven't found you feel like I want to shoot everything, that's a lie. Because there's going to be a moment that you're going to realize that you want something different. I started with people, but I did motorsports. I did long exposure landscape. I did macro. I did everything. And the good thing about just trying and pushing yourself to do different things is that you're going to learn different techniques. That at the end of the day, whenever you choose your genre, you have that pocket full of tools that you can use and you can experiment and you can try. And that's the magic of all of it, because every single genre of photography has a little trick here and there that you have to master. And when you master all of them and you put them all together, you can create something unique and something that is uniquely yours.
- [56:19]
All right, well, thank you. Thank you again. This was so great. And I'm looking forward to your WPPI class. It's going to be awesome. I'm excited to see you in action.
- [56:30]
Okay. And you're going to bring it the roller skates.
- [56:32]
Oh, my God. You know what? That's a really great idea. Just skate around this. The hotel. I should do that. I'll get places.
- [56:40]
That would be awesome.
- [56:41]
It's a really good idea.
- [56:42]
I will cover myself with bobograap and I will join you.
- [56:47]
What if I just by myself. Really great idea. And I think I might have to do that. Yeah.
- [56:55]
And if there is an 80s party again, the roller skates will work fantastically.
- [57:01]
Oh that's such a good idea. I need to put that on my list to pack because if I can just skate around, I mean, why not? I love roller skating so much. It's like my favorite thing in the world to do. So can you imagine?
- [57:12]
On the stage. You have to do it on the stage.
- [57:15]
Oh my gosh. That's such a good idea. I love it. Well, thank you again my dear. And yeah, I will talk to you soon.
- [57:23]
Thank you so much for inviting me. It was super, super, super fun. And I'll see you soon. Let's party in Vegas.
- [57:30]
All right. Woohoo.
- [57:32]
Nikki Klosser
Thank you so much for listening to the Portrait System podcast. Your 5 star reviews really help us to continue what we do. So if you like listening, would you mind giving us a review wherever you listen? I also encourage you to head over to sue brice education.com where you can find all of the education you need to be a successful photographer. There are over 1000 on demand educational videos on things like posing, lighting, styling, retouching, shooting, marketing, sales, business and self value. There's also the 90 day startup challenge plus so many downloads showing hundreds of different poses. We have to do checklists for your business, lighting, PDFs. I mean truly everything to help make you a better photographer and to make you more money. Once again, that's Sue Bryce education dot com.