Today we’d like to introduce you to Kevin White.
Hi Kevin, it’s an honor to have you on the platform. Thanks for taking the time to share your story with us – to start maybe you can share some of your backstory with our readers?
I have had a camera in my hand, on and off for over 50 years. A few years ago my friends and family encouraged me to do something with my photography. So, in 2017 I open Kevin White Imagery. I was still working a full time job and started doing photo shoots in the evenings and weekends. It was very slow to start. It is hard to break into this business. Everyone knows someone with a camera or cell phone, or knows a professional photographer. In the beginning I did discounts rates and I did, and still do, a lot of charity work. My main focus is on landscape and nature photography, I want to bring nature’s everyday beauty for everyone to view. I still do weddings, portraits and events, only to help support my business.
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
In photography, technology is always changing. I continued to work will purchasing my equipment. You don’t need to greatness camera in the world, but I would say spending money on good lenses is. Making contacts / clients is hard, again discounted pricing is good for a short time, but don’t undersell yourself for too long. Finding time from a full time job to do photos is challenging. Learning what equipment, computers and software was daunting, I watched a lot of YouTube videos, joined various Facebook pages, photography groups and read reviews. The key, if not going to college for photography, is practice. Building your memory muscle comes from repetition, knowing what lens and settings to use when you walk into a scene can make all the difference. Editing photos is a whole challenge in it’s self. Thanks to the internet, learning is somewhat easier, but you get information overload.
Thanks – so what else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?
I still mainly shoot landscape and nature. My goal is for people to see nature’s beauty and maybe think about how we can protect for the future generations. Or just be appreciative and happy, putting a smile on their face. I travel around South Carolina and North Carolina capturing photos, whatever nature puts up in that moment. I see beauty everywhere I go, the key for me, is to slow down and look. So, I might go from shooting flowers to a downtown to shoot architectural. I do enjoy shooting portraits, causes making my clients happy makes me happy.
Before we let you go, we’ve got to ask if you have any advice for those who are just starting out?
Buy a camera brand that is entree level and spend more on quality lenses. If you’re working, continue until you have purchased a lot of your equipment. Practice, practice, practice. Learning from the web, beware of information over load and remember, it’s someone opinion. To be successful , you’ll need to have belief and vision. The ability to see yourself where you want to be, then look backwards to see the steps that got you there. Write the steps down and check them off as you complete them. Another point of success is being realistic, and set realistic goals/steps. You have to know your overhead and how much money you need to make to keep the doors open. Write a real budget with expenses and income and what course changes you might have to do. You will eventually find your own style and process.
Contact Info:
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/kevinwhiteimagery/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/kevinwhiteimagery/
