COVER CREDITS
TH S EZ NE
PHOTOGRAPHY
FASHIONSIGN EZINE
PHOTOGRAPHY
PHOTOGRAPHY Zev Abosh MAKE UP Douglas Cressman HAIR Michelle Scabar MODELS Irene Rudnyk & Mitch Wiebe
PHOTOGRAPHY FASHIONSIGN EZINE
TABLE of CONTENTS
Editorials Wedding Boudior Family/Maternity Business Camera Stores Workshops
PHOTOGRAPHY FASHIONSIGN EZINE
SVETLANA YANOVA
SOFT & DELICATE PHOTOGRAPHY DOCUMENTS AN IMPORTANT CHAPTER OF A WOMAN’S LIFE
S
vetlana Yanova started her photography business in 2007; inspired after not having a photographer at her own wedding she wanted to make sure other couples had memories of the happiest day of their lives. Starting off as a wedding photography business she later started getting interested in doing beauty and boudoir shoots for friends and families and then moving onto brides. “I create soft, delicate and sophisticated looks and present them in a beautiful final product to my clients.” Her ideal client is a women who’s been through major life changes be it “marriage, weight loss, divorce, cancer, break up...She’s going through some intense emotions and needs to feel beautiful more than ever.” Her client is also someone who values great images, great customer service, and trusts Svetlana to provide both of these things for her. The main lesson Svetlana wants to teach the industry about her business is that clients come first “my business is about serving my clients first and foremost.” The success behind her business is based on good customer service. “Customer service is my forte. I’m also able to connect with my ideal clients in a way they keep coming back for more photos.” Svetlana has a way with connecting clients, which helps them “relax in front of my camera so I don’t get fake smiles or blank eyes.” The secret behind a good picture is perfect eye
contact, which she shows in each client she photographs. The hardest part Svetlana finds about the photography business is marketing yourself. “I’m not so good at marketing myself on Google and need to invest more time in SEO.” Right now she is solely relying on word of mouth but would like to try out other ventures.
PHOTOGRAPHY
The advice Svetlana has for people wanting to start their own photography business is to write out a plan for what you want to do and how you’re going to do it. Another helpful tip is to gather some savings before you start, and if that means you’ll have to keep your day job until money starts coming in so be it, lastly get a professional accountant, whose advice can help you save money and time. To promote her business Svetlana mostly uses Facebook for her beauty and wedding work and LinkedIn for her professional headshots. She does want to start using Google+, which is a must to making your online presence. Another great way Svetlana promotes herself is building relationships with local businesses, “ I love collaborating with local business.” When she approaches business she always asks them what she can do for them, “be sincere about it and help a fellow business and they will be happy to help you.” •
ARTICLE by Jennifer Tiwana PHOTOS by Svetlana Yanova Middle left by Alena Bakutis Photography Middle right by Lexic Photography
FASHIONSIGN EZINE
Svetlana’s photography skills mainly come from constantly practicing. She has also taken workshops taught by one of the best photographers in the wedding industry. On top of that she also takes online course every month to make sure she is on top of her game “in this industry one can’t stay stagnant and must always evolve!”
PHOTOART4U
FASHIONSIGN EZINE
PHOTOGRAPHY
AWARD WINNING BOUDOIR AND WEDDING PHOTOGRAPHER FLOURISHES IN CALGARY
P
hotoArt4U is an award winning photography studio specializing in wedding, fashion and boudoir shoots. It was founded by Zev Vitaly Abosh in 2006 when Zev opened his studio shortly after moving to Canada. At first it was hard adjusting to the different culture and clientele but he soon got a hang of it and his newly opened business started to flourish. An ideal client for his studio would be someone who appreciates the skill and hard work that goes into taking the perfect shot. His “ideal client is the one that walks into Art Gallery, to purchase a piece of art, and when he finds what he was looking for – he DOES NOT ask the gallery owner to make him a “good deal” or a “discount” on the original price of the piece he’s interested to purchase.” The main rule Zev wants prospective photographers to understand about the business is “there are no shortcuts, you can’t purchase a camera today and tomorrow morning declare that you’re a professional photographer.” Photography is a skill like everything else that needs time and dedication to be perfect. Another important rule is to be respectful towards everyone you work with: “good reputation is hard to build – and very easy to ruin.”
The social media tool Zev finds most useful in growing his business is Facebook and Instagram. “I post a lot of my work on both, and having over 4000 followers on those – it’s really easy to be present.” He also has two websites that he uses to showcase his work. • ARTICLE by Jennifer Tiwana PHOTOS by Zev Abosh PHOTOART4U
FASHIONSIGN EZINE
The downside of being in the photography business according to Zev is the unhealthy competition “the competitive market causes some “professionals” to act in “dirty” ways towards other individuals. It doesn’t have to be like that, there’s enough work for everyone.” Although Zev has never academically studied photography, he has spent countless hours reading, observing professionals like his dad, brother and wife, and experimenting. The biggest contributing factors that make him so talented are his “will and passion” for photography.
If you are looking to start your own photography business, Zev’s most important tip is to not compare yourself to others “concentrate on your own business development and don’t let anyone or anything hold you back and delay you.” Another tip is to make sure this is the right business for you “if you can’t make a living from your photography ONLY (without having a day job) for too long – that “business” is not for you.” Lastly make sure your business is registered, licensed, and insured.
PHOTOGRAPHY
Zev’s secret behind the success of his business is his ability to connect with his clients and his ability to give them what they need. In addition to his excellent clientele relationships, it’s his unique style and perspective that really drives the clients in.
TROY YOUNG PHOTOGRAPHY
TROY YOUNG PHOTOGRAPHY FULL PASSION OF CAPTURING CLIENT’S SPECIAL MOMENTS IN THEIR LIVES
FASHIONSIGN EZINE
PHOTOGRAPHY
T
roy Young has had a passion for photography since his early years of high school; he then later developed it into a successful business called Troy Young Photography which has been ongoing for 14 years now. The reasons Troy started his photography business were to express his passion for photography and make use of his creative talent.
His first area of interest was wedding photography, “I love the special moments you capture with each different wedding.” But for the past five years a big portion of his work has been involved with the fashion industry “ I have a deep passion for the fashion industry and at one point in my life had thoughts of even becoming a designer. But photography seemed to be more my natural thing.” Troy’s ideal client is someone who appreciates quality photography and understands the lifetime aspect of those photographs. For his fashion photography, his ideal client is someone looking for something unique and fresh. Not only does Troy have years of experience to bring to the industry of photography, he also has the drive and passion; another identifying factor is his unique perspective, which really separates his photography from others. Talent and passion are keys to being a good photographer, but the relationship he has with his clients determines why he does so well.“ The thing I succeed most with is client connection. I really do get to know my clients, learn about them and connect.” Having that connection with the client really helps “to bring out more in the work because i know what the client really wants.” Some of the downfalls Troy does see in the business are competing with self-proclaimed photographers: “everyone having a camera and thinking they are a photographer, but yet lack the years of experience, training, learning and growing.” Another downfall is the amount of hours photographers have to dedicate to social networking for their business “ I would like to just be shooting all the time, but there is a business side to this that has to be attended to if you plan on being successful.”
TROY YOUNG PHOTOGRAPHY
“If you want to be successful you must be a business.” Troy believes in surrounding yourself with positivity and his online reputation reflects just that: “I tend to keep my online presence with those that are strong and positive, and I don’t give into gossip and rumors. So most of the time the online community I am a part of is pretty strong, positive and supportive.”
The best piece advice Troy has for people wanting to get into the photography business is to treat it like it’s a business and not a hobby.
ARTICLE by Jennifer Tiwana PHOTOS by Troy Young
FASHIONSIGN EZINE
With photography it’s all about experience, which Troy has a considerable amount of. He has over nine years experience in wedding photography. “I have grown from when I started to now and it shows in my work.” Fashion photography is newer to Troy. He’s been shooting fashion for about four years now and will be going to Florida in May 2014 to take a two day intensive course in model portfolio shooting and working with one of North Americas top model scouting agency. “I will continue to learn and grow and change as needed with trends in all types of photography that I do.”
The future for Troy’s wedding photography is for him to be known as the one of the best in North America for wedding photography. “I want to better myself for my clients so that they get the best service they possibly could get.” The fashion photographer is living his future plans right now. “I am building and networking and expanding myself to more and more people perfecting my skills.” His goal is to oneday shoot the cover for a top fashion magazine. •
PHOTOGRAPHY
Facebook and Instagram are the main tools Troy uses to get his work across and attract new prospective clients. Even though he is a fan of the old school way of showcasing your talent “I would prefer a few solid real likes in person then several hundred fake clicks online.” Another success factor when running a business is location. Troy travels to his clients most of the time so location is always accessible. However, if a session requires specific studio time, the studio for Troy Young’s Photography is located in Airdrie, which is about 30 minutes from downtown Calgary. In the future Troy wants to move his studio to Kensington, but “I am happy with where I am for now.”