5 minute read
Q+A ESTHER BOSTON
WORDS BY POLINA OSHEROV PHOTOGRAPH BY CALLIE ZIMMERMAN
Advertisement
It’s been exactly ten years since Esther Boston launched her photography business, having graduated from Herron School of Art and Design. Since that time, she’s worked with hundreds of clients, from small business owners to models to national brands. Boston has also contributed beautiful fashion photography to every single issue of PATTERN magazine. A new mom, Boston is still figuring out how to balance work, life, and motherhood in the post-COVID world, but as things return to normal, she is looking forward to the continued growth of her business and the opportunity to do more creative projects.
POLINA OSHEROV: I think I know the answer to this, but
how long have you been a photographer?
ESTHER BOSTON: When I was thirteen, my dad was getting rid of an old Vivitar film camera he’d had in college and he gave it to me. I really fell in love with the process. The film rewind crank didn’t work very well so I wasted a lot of film, but shooting film also made me slow down and really notice things around me. In high school, I had no clue what I wanted to study in college; I just knew that I liked to be creative. On a whim, I applied to Herron School of Art and Design’s photography program. It didn’t take me too long to realize that being a fine art photographer was not going to help pay the bills, and also, that I wasn’t super interested in fine art photography in general. I still loved to take photos though so I started looking for people who were shooting the things that I wanted to shoot - fashion and portraiture. That’s how I found someone called Polina. (laughs)
PO: Ten years! I knew it’s been a while, but that’s crazy!
I remember getting introduced to you by Steve Cassidy, a photographer whose studio space I was sharing at the Stutz. You started out assisting him. Then, I think pretty quickly switched over to assisting me.
EB: Yes! You hired me even though I broke your fan in the studio. I was so nervous you wouldn’t want to work with me after that.
PO: No way! I didn’t think it was a big deal at all, and you
turned out to be the best assistant anyone could have asked for. I miss those days!
EB: Me too! So many good times and great memories!
PO: You’ve come a long way in ten years. Hundreds
of shoots, a very successful business, and a great reputation with local agencies and businesses. You’ve done a bunch of fashion photography in that time, a lot of it for PATTERN and also Indy Monthly. Do you ever wish that you’d moved somewhere else so that you could focus more on fashion photography and make a living doing that instead of the less exciting commercial work?
EB: It’s definitely crossed my mind over the years, though not so much because of the money but because of wanting to have more options. More options with the clothing selection, access to a bigger talent pool, more interesting locations. To be honest though, some months I get so busy with the commercial work that the fashion stuff falls by the wayside, so I’m okay with where I am right now.
PO: What type of client usually presents the most
interesting projects outside of fashion?
EB: Usually small businesses in need of a library of images to serve all of their marketing needs are the most fun to work with. It’s the projects where I get to shoot the team portraits, the product, the office, and then some candid behind-the-scenes photos of people in their work environment that require me to wear multiple hats of an art director, a stylist, and a photographer. These are usually projects that take longer to put together, and there are more conversations and planning and brainstorming to ensure that you get all the imagery that’s needed and that they fully capture that company’s personality. I love those!
PO: In the last five years, I feel like there’s been an
explosion of people who call themselves photographers. Do clients even care to hire professional photographers anymore and do they even know the difference between those who take photos - which literally can be anyone with a smartphone - and professional photographers?
EB: I think once someone works with a professional photographer versus someone who just knows how to take photos, they certainly can tell and appreciate the difference because it’s pretty significant, from how you communicate with clients — to how you prepare for a shoot, to what you bring with you to the set, to how you deliver the final files. There’s a right way and a wrong way to do all these things, and it’s not always obvious. A client might say, “Hey. We need team headshots here in this office. Show up on Tuesday morning at 9 a.m., and we’ll be ready for you.” If all you’ve ever done is take pictures of your friends outdoors during the golden hour, you might say, “Great! See you then!” Then you’re going to get there, and realize that they’re putting you in a 10x10 windowless office with some lovely fluorescent lighting, a desk, a chair, a bookshelf, and barely enough room to turn yourself around. Meantime, all you brought was a Speedlite and a reflector. You can imagine how great those headshots are going to look. (laughs)
PO: Where do you look for inspiration when planning a
creative fashion shoot, especially when you’re feeling uninspired?
EB: Usually what helps me when I’m in a creative rut is watching music videos. There’s a lot more to look at than just looking at still images. I love to study the lighting and how it’s being used to create a certain type of mood. And then of course the music itself helps spark inspiration as well. ✂
