Nicole Poltiske's Interview with Photographer

I reached out to Andrew Fedchenko for my interview. He has alot of work on his website.  He does the photoshoots for Nectar Frozen yogurt. I really like alot of the work he does for them. He had alot of really helpful advice in his interview. 

http://afotography.com/

How long before you started becoming successful or before you started making money taking pictures?

A) It takes a few years before you really start making money or being able to use your business as a viable income source to pay bills. As a business owner you wear many hats and so there tends to be quite a learning curve. I think the statistic for any business is about 5 years on average, before true income is generated.

Did you have to do a lot of odd end jobs before you started taking being successful from the type of work you loved?

A) I’m always doing ‘odd-jobs’ for photography. Typically I work mainly with businesses doing marketing, product and headshot photos. But that is not all the work that comes in. I am still relatively new to the business (close to 5 years now) and still take on odd jobs to help pay the bills and costs of doing business. It takes time, especially when you are building a sustainable business with a good client base.

Did you ever feel like you were not going to be able to make it on just being a photographer? 

A) Of course. I still sometimes feel that way, haha:) Not just as a photographer but as a business owner as well. It is a long, hard road, especially as a solo business owner. Discouragement is a part of the process, but if you keep getting up every time you fall... you will succeed.

What kinds of struggles did you have trying to get your self started up? 

A) Trying to figure it all out. I am not a business minded person, so I had to learn financial, legal and technical aspects of running a business to succeed. Not to mention sales, booking and continued learning of my craft. There is a lot to do as a business owner and it can be overwhelming at times.

How did you get your first job? 

A) Word of mouth, friends, online advertising and marketing. Having a good website and SEO will go a long ways also.

How did you market your self?

A) Website, social media, and just plain old talking and meeting people. The grass roots stuff:)

How often do you shoot personal work vs paid work?

A) Not as often as I would like:) Now-a-days I tend to shoot mostly paid work and less of my own. It’s all about balance.

What pays the bills? 

A) My bread and butter is headshots. Headshots for professionals, business owners, CEO’s. 

Do you have any words of wisdom for a freshly starting out of college photographer? 

A) Balance. Everything is balance. We live an a world saturated with information and everyone has their opinions on what the best way or right way to do something is. However, that does not mean that it will work for you. Take everything in balance and you will be successful.

What is the one thing you wish you knew when you started taking photos?

A) I wish I knew that it was OK to be me. 

Who’s work has influenced you the most? 

A) I can’t really think of any specific photographer. But I do like imagery that looks real, not doctored up. There is a fine line where photography becomes digital art, something that it is not. I like the raw feel of real imagery.

How do you push your self to take better photos?

A) I analyze my work and am constantly thinking of how I can do better. And I aim to always do my best.