We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Belva Chan a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Alright, Belva thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. Owning a business isn’t always glamorous and so most business owners we’ve connected with have shared that on tough days they sometimes wonder what it would have been like to have just had a regular job instead of all the responsibility of running a business. Have you ever felt that way?

I am happier as a business owner, that’s no doubt. But with all the freedom that comes along with it, I sometimes find myself lost, especially when things are slow. It has been brutal this year. Waking up every day without a boss to tell you what to do, you’ll have to become your own boss to keep the work/business going.

A part of me always wondered what it would be like if I just have a regular job, and my mind would wander back to my first full-time job as an in-house photographer for a local e-commerce fashion brand in Hong Kong. I missed the intense, fast-paced work environment with a lot of learning opportunities in other fields. However, the idea of stability never sit well with me. Between having a steady salary and earning for myself as a freelancer, I would pick the latter.

Belva, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?

Hi! I am Belva, a photographer based in Los Angeles at the moment. I started my photography journey in Hong Kong studying in HKDI, I used to assist photographers during college and after graduating, and that was my introduction to the industry. I mainly focus on fashion and beauty photography, by producing high-quality e-com/lifestyle images for my clients, they’ll have professional contents that match their brands’ image to market and promote their products/services.

I am proud of my communication with clients and commitment to projects. In order to create perfect visuals, understanding the brand is my first priority. There’s no harm to know more about someone if you were to create something for them!

Is there mission driving your creative journey?

My goal is to be a photographer until my time is up. I love photography, I enjoy bringing my heavy camera and capturing around town when I am not working. I am lucky enough to have photography as my business, and my only goal is to explore new ways to approach an interesting image.

Can you open up about how you funded your business?

Fortunately, I never had to spend much money on equipment, I used to rent cameras/lights/studio from school for my photography projects, and I only had one lens for the first 4 years after I graduated, I saved up money from assisting during college, and rented a share photo studio which we also rent it out hourly for extra income.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.belvachan.com
• Instagram: www.instsgram.com/belva_chan
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/BelvaChanPhotographer

Image Credits
@kyra212green @stephhstyles @beautybymaricarmen @heyitsjahnice @nicolegrves @reynakhalil @stylebypaigej @ashyleybeloat @tamara_sem_ @kristinamenissov @jabcecc @tristanjwatson @juliette_cecile @whoshaiden @daria.voice.fm