We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Brian Kuhlmann. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Brian below.

Brian, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today Have you been able to earn a full-time living from your creative work? If so, can you walk us through your journey and how you made it happen? Was it like that from day one? If not, what were some of the major steps and milestones and do you think you could have sped up the process somehow knowing what you know now?

I started as a yearbook photographer for my high school, and the local newspaper published this action shot I took of someone scoring a goal during a soccer game. . Someone reached out after seeing the photo to hire me, and I loved how that felt. I immediately sought out additional clients, and started photographing weddings. Wedding photographers are always in demand, and it was a great way to get experience, but ultimately it wasn’t the type of work I enjoyed whole-heartedly.

As I grew as a creative, I sought out clients that fit what I wanted to create. At the time, it was architectural images. I found buildings around my hometown of St. Louis that I loved, and spent a lot of time watching how the light played with their features. I would photograph the building in the light I liked best and then reached out to the owners, the architect, the contractors… I basically contacted whoever was involved in the building. A lot of people bought rights to the images, but some hired me to create another view of the building, and even sent me on assignment to other projects.

After 6 or so years, I was busy enough with the exterior and interior architectural photography assignments that I stopped booking weddings. I loved the process of finding new clients, meeting with them, and creating new work, but I started missing the interaction I had with my wedding clients. Most architectural interior work is created in the middle of the night with only an assistant, and the exterior is a lot of waiting for the right light. I wanted more interactions with people. Specifically models (talent). When I wasn’t out hustling with builders, I was creating personal projects that got me excited. I rented a small studio space and began marketing to the suppliers of building materials to the buildings I was already photographing. I noticed their marketing materials usually had people interacting with their products, ie: windows, fireplaces, closet organizers…etc. I created a small portfolio showing how I would create for these clients, it worked. It didn’t take long until I was shooting for a handful of great clients. I was now building complicated sets in my studio and then lighting and directing talent. My business ballooned. I got a much larger space that could handle a full workshop and storage areas.

It didn’t take long though before I was restless again. I loved seeing these advertisements created on location with beautiful talent. Most of the time it was some sort of beverage campaign. So in my down time I scouted local venues that would make great backgrounds. Then I would contact local modeling agents and see if their talent would shoot for a print or file. This went great and it wasn’t long that I started landing work from the large lifestyle brands.

Now I have shot all over the world for major campaigns and worked with numerous celebrities. All my experiences, weddings, products, lighting large spaces help me hone the skills I bring to every project. I never waited for anyone to give me the green light to try something new, or create the work I wanted to make; I made it first and then sold it to clients. Don’t wait for someone else to give you permission to try something new. Bring the idea to fruition and then market it to your clients.

Brian, 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?

I wanted to participate in after school activities in high school, but I had horrible asthma, so sports were out. When a friend said he was joining the yearbook club, I didn’t know what that meant, but I was like, “Count me in.”. At the first meeting, the editor said she needed photographers. I hadn’t really ever picked up a camera before but it sounded fun. At the time, I didn’t realize it alsoFast forward 40 years later, I’ve structured my photography business to offer a few different services. First, I am a commercial advertising photographer. My clients range from Fortune 500 companies down to mom and pop local businesses. Additionally, my studio doubles as a rental house. Productions/clients rent the space to create whatever they need. I rent the space by the hour, half day, or day. Equipment rental is also part of the equation. I also run a full-service print lab. With two large format inkjet printers, a high-end scanner, and a fantastic print lab manager, we offer our services to any artist that needs their work reproduced and printed with the highest accuracy.

The Brian Kuhlmann brand embodies excellence in image creation. When a client hires me, they know they will receive decades of skills and experience in handling almost anything that needs to be photographed.
involved developing and printing the photos I took (way before digital). It was a blast and it opened so many doors at school. I was friends not only with the jocks but also the rest of the student body, teachers, and staff.

We’d love to hear a story of resilience from your journey.

Everyone will always have bad days, horrible events that will make you want to throw in the towel. It’s persistence that will carry you over the finish line.

The very first project of my professional photography career had me wondering if I made the right choice. I had just purchased my brand new Sinar 4×5 camera, along with expensive strobes, to photograph a catalog for a chandelier company. The fixtures were large and shiny, so I set up a white sweep from one side of the set to the other to reflect in the brass of the chandelier. This particular fixture was a wall sconce. While I was under the dark cloth focusing the camera, I noticed that the wall the sconce was attached to started tipping towards the camera. Before I could get my head out to see what was happening, the wall came down with a crash. It hit the white sweep and pulled it into the center of the set, along with all the strobes and stands. In the last second, the wall clipped one of the tripod legs, shearing off the leg. Then, like a cherry on top, my brand new camera landed with a thud right on the lens. I went outside and sat on the loading dock with tears in my eyes. I couldn’t believe all the equipment I had purchased the week before now laid broken in a pile. To make things worse, this was day two of a 15-day catalog shoot. I knew I had to finish the project. I called a local camera shop to rent everything I needed, and we were back to shooting the next afternoon. I really wondered how I would ever recover from this disaster. One foot in front of another, that’s how. I just kept going. I was able to replace some of the gear after I landed another project. I just kept my focus on what I wanted, and eventually I reached another goal. Persistence and resilience are the keys.

Is there mission driving your creative journey?

Reaching towards goals has been the secret sauce to 40+ years working in a highly competitive industry. With each shift in my “focus” as a photographer, new goals emerged. How do I master this new type of work? How much do I charge? What is it going to take to sustain and allow me to have a certain lifestyle? It is so important to have a target to go after. If you don’t, It is like a rudderless ship in the middle of the sea. Wherever the winds blow, that is the direction you go. You will never make it to port.

Currently, my mission is to build my commercial business back to where things were before the pandemic while building a strong fine art business. I don’t ever see myself not taking pictures, so I want to always be making a living from the photos I am taking.

Contact Info:

• Website: briankuhlmann.com , songofabsolution.com
• Instagram: @bkuhlphoto @songofabsolution @porchlightsb
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/briankuhlmannphotography
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/brian-kuhlmann