Szymon Podubny Photos. Photography is his passion since 2014. He took a step further by attending photography school and soon after, opened his business at the age of 17. He’s an artist, he often uses photography to express himself and he’s amazing at it. I’ve decided to interview him because in my opinion, it’s just genius to do what you love and make money on it.
Hello Szymon, I've got a few questions concerning your business - photography. Do you have couple of minutes?
Hello Elise. That's one way of calling it (haha). Of course!
How did you come up with the idea of running this business? Why did you think it might work and how did you know it was the right idea?
Six years ago my friend taught me how to show the movement of the light in the photo. From that moment, photography became my passion. Soon, I’ve noticed that it might actually become a way of living, my earnings. I’ve also noticed, that in the era of Internet, everyone needs photos. I happen to like to get to know people and work with them. When I finally got the needed workshop, I’ve decided to put the label and the price on my photos. First orders I got were the portrait photoshoots - my favourite kind of orders.
So, how did you start? Who were your first customers?
I’ve started to photoshoot my friends. It was a great chance for me to master my workshop and learn how to work with people. Not so long after, I've learnt how to communicate with my models and create a relaxed and comfortable atmosphere to shoot. When it comes to reportage photography, I have found a perfect place where I could carry out - my own high school.
You love taking photos but what is your favourite thing about having this business?
My favourite aspect of being a photographer is to get new, various friendships. I love how often the contact between me and some people that I work with, doesn’t end on the photoshoot and arranging formalities. Sometimes even the photoshoots vary with interesting conversations about the world-views, art, photography, I can get to know new perspectives, and these often start new relations, sometimes business wise.
What's differentiating you from other photographers? What inspires you as an artist?
I think what differentiates me from other photographers, is that I am familiar with many segments of photography - hobby wise and professionally. I deal with portraits, fashion, reportage, product photography, landscapes or abstraction. Sometimes I try to connect photography with other medias, like text or music. What inspires me? Music, movies, photos of other photographers, such as Tim Walker, Michał Buddabar, Witkin.... and of course the people I photograph!
How do you plan on growing your business? Obviously, you are very active on social media, what’s your approach to marketing?
I plan to base my business on Instagram but also I count on my customers’ recommendations. My closest plan is to create and sort out my portfolio in order to find and encourage a defined target group. When it comes to marketing, for now, I’m trying to find my style when creating posts or modify them to the customers’ needs. My contact with the recipients is a bit off but I’m trying to get to know something more about public relations and how to write posts, not giving up my style completely. Also, I have to mitigate my sense of humour and directness but again, not giving them up completely.
You are a solo player, you do everything alone, do you think that with time you might need someone to help you with building your business?
Yes, I work alone, but from the beginning, I have asked others about their opinions, both amateurs and professionals. Of course they’re not always accurate and sometimes I need a second to understand some mistakes that I’ve made. I think that with time, I will need someone to assist me when I do the photos. Holding the blende in one hand and the camera in the other is really not that effective and also - not very comfortable (haha). Additionally, I need a person with a sense of aesthetics, who will help me appreciate my work, which I often don’t accept and which I may rediscover. Moreover, obviously, I need massive help from the make up artists.
Are you happy with what you’ve created? What would you change?
Unfortunately, I’m not always happy with what I've created. It’s both business and photos. And even if I am, this feeling kind of goes away, once I start looking for the bad things in it and the things I could correct. That’s the life of a perfectionist. So just how I said earlier, I need to change my attitude towards the recipients to find more customers, as later on, the individual contact with them goes very well. I also need to get more confidence, because without it, I will be nowhere to be found on the market.
Did you experience failures? If so, what did you learn from them?
A few months ago I experienced a serious, in my opinion, failure. I was taking photos on a prom for one of the classes. I have taken this order lightly, as it was the third time I was doing this kind of order. This laxity caused not being well prepared for the occasion and that lead to some technical problems during the event. All the prom, I was fighting the equipment which didn’t want to work properly. It was a very stressful night and I felt really bad towards the class I was working for. When I was editing the photos it turned out that the photos are not too bad, but the stress which I experienced during the event taught me to be always well prepared for every order.
What is your biggest success so far?
It’s hard for me to name the biggest success because I’m still looking forward to it, unless we talk about the mistakes. I think the biggest success might be a little order I got - taking photos on a techno party. Something extraordinary about this order were the conditions I had to deal with and not being able to use the lamp. Despite that, I have taken the order and I was able to catch the specific atmosphere of this event, regardless the obstacles. Also, the party was great (haha).
Any other successes that you're proud of?
Some of my photos were added to the photography section in the Italian Vogue. It's true, many artists have had their photos added there, but this brand is almost a legendary aesthetics determinant and to be awarded in this way - means a lot. Also, I participated in a project called "Mój, Twój, Nasz, Różne Oblicze Krakowa", which presented stories of Cracow's inhabitants, representing different cultures. Of course I took the portraits of the people interviewed. The project was awarded with an exhibition which became very popular in Kraków and had an over a year tour around galleries and museums.
Congratulations! And thank you so much for answering these questions for me.
Thank you!
Szymon Phodubny Photos
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