We were lucky to catch up with Ben Ray recently and have shared our conversation below.

Ben , thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today Do you think folks should manage their own social media or hire a professional? What do you do?

I manage my own but I need to find a company or hire an intern to manage it. In my industry, social media is a must and I’m honestly terrible about keeping up with it.

As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?

I started out shooting at concerts which is pretty much the opposite end of the spectrum from where I am now. The fog machines, the lighting, the fans, etc. It was a lot to take in, so capturing certain moments when a band is on stage performing was something I immediately fell in love with.

After that, I decided to go to a model photography workshop and it didn’t take long to realize there is more money to be made from shooting models than concerts. That old saying, “s*x sells,” is 100% correct. Haha. And now, I’m what some of us call the”Onlyfans era,” s*x sells more now than it ever has before. Making the genre switch was a no-brainer.

I’d say being published by Playboy, Maxim and FHM is probably what I am most proud of. Models fly in from all over the country to work with me, so I must be doing something right and I guess I’m proud of that too. If someone is willing to fly over 2,000 miles to shoot with you, I think that says a lot about you. I’d like to think I’m known for having great work that models and fans enjoy, but more importantly, I think I’m known for having a good reputation when it comes to how I treat models and other photographers as well.

We’d love to hear your thoughts on NFTs. (Note: this is for education/entertainment purposes only, readers should not construe this as advice

Unless you were in at the beginning, I think they are a waste of time. I don’t even see anyone talking about them anymore.

How did you put together the initial capital you needed to start your business?

Well, not to bring the mood down, but my father passed away 9 years ago and I used some of the money he left me to buy all my initial equipment and software. My only wish is that he could see how far I’ve made it and what I’ve accomplished.

Contact Info:

• Website: patreon.com/benrayphoto
• Instagram: benrayphoto11
• Facebook: Facebook.com/benrayphoto
• Twitter: twitter.com/benray11

Image Credits
Danielle Lynn Zoe Wild Alma Bone Riah Lynn Caroline Jean Tera Hall