Today we’d like to introduce you to Crystal Puim

Alright, so thank you so much for sharing your story and insight with our readers. To kick things off, can you tell us a bit about how you got started?

I sort of fell into photography. I wouldn’t have called it a passion but now looking back I was always into visuals.

When I got accepted into the University of Alberta I had NO idea what I wanted to do with my life. I always thought I’d go into advertising but there wasn’t advertising degree offered through the UofA and for some odd reason I was determined to earn a degree over a diploma. So I took a few art based classes in my 1st year of Bachelor of Arts. I took printmaking, industrial design and visual communication design (VCD.) I thought I would most likely go the Art and Design major route but I just wasn’t cut out for it. I was good at printmaking but my heart wasn’t in it, I loved industrial design but I wasn’t as polished as I wanted to be with my deliverables and VCD was interesting but I seemed to gravitate to the photography portion more than the website designing & programing portion or the typography portion. So by default it appeared more and more as I decided to stay and get a degree in Bachelor of Arts with a major in Art & Design that I would seek out freelance work as a photographer.

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?

Not smooth at all. Quite bumpy actually (as it is with most of life’s path.) I originally had applied to Education in my 2nd year at the UofA where I got accepted only to send in an official letter withdrawing my request to go into Education. I just couldn’t do it…again my heart just wasn’t in it.

Then when I decided to freelance I went the same path that many do which was doing all types of photography. I would literally shoot if someone offered to pay me. Newborn, family, engagement, wedding, destination wedding, headshots. I was decent at everything and I had an engaging personality (most introverts do believe it or not) so I didn’t prefer any one form of photography over another until I got a taste of corporate photography and started shooting showhomes interiors. Then that grew into opportunities to shoot commercial buildings and do more corporate work and seeing my work on billboards and in magazines solidified my corporate path.

We’ve been impressed with Crystal Puim Photography , but for folks who might not be as familiar, what can you share with them about what you do and what sets you apart from others?

We are mainly a 1 person show with a sister company that specializes in video production.

Crystal Puim Photography specializes under the big umbrella of corporate/commercial photography. We offer branding images, headshots, architectural and industrial photography with a bit of event coverage and product photography thrown in there for good measure. Our personal favorite is branding and architecture. We don’t like overly stylized or extremely structured shoots often doing our best work when allowed to take the creative lead.

Alright so before we go can you talk to us a bit about how people can work with you, collaborate with you or support you?

I’m the main photographer but will hire on contractors if and when needed (mostly for events.) My husband runs a video production company and often helps out when I need an extra hand. He doesn’t do photography but he helps organize and setup lights when doing corporate team headshots on location or help with arranging items in spaces when shooting architecture.

Pricing:

• We charge hourly for both shooting and editing.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.crystalphotos.ca
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/crystalpuimphotography
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/crystal.puim.photography.Fanpage

Image Credits

Credit: Crystal Puim Photography