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

Brien, appreciate you joining us today. Are you happier as a creative? Do you sometimes think about what it would be like to just have a regular job? Can you talk to us about how you think through these emotions?

As an Artist I am happy but not every job I get as a photographer is an art form. Sometimes it is a very straight forward boring typical portrait that needs to get done with a time schedule and a deadline.

As opposed to other jobs which I can be the art director and have 100 percent total freedom and trust in my client, However not everyday I am making money off of photography but it has picked up a lot. On the side, I am also painting houses which is a dirty hot sweaty job and most photography jobs are done on the weekend so I have had very little free time lately!

Sometimes I wonder what it would be like to just have a 9 to 5 and consistent work. Would I be happier working in a cold air conditioned office staring at a computer all day or would I be miserable?

The last photoshoot I had which was an all week job was working for an arts center in Connecticut and every hour I had to shoot portraits and group shots. It was an awkward job but I got to sit outside and enjoy the weather while I was waiting for the next group. I was thinking to myself “wow this isn’t that bad…I could be sitting in an office building behind a computer!”

Brien, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?

I started photography because my brother was shooting film and I was skateboarding at the time and everyone who skateboarded either had a VX1000 video camera or a canon T2i. I worked my way up through many different cameras and lenses and finally began slow by getting hired by Instagram influencers. I would shoot for very little money and shoot for experience which is always a good way to start. My teacher in college recommended me to an actual photographer from Stamford who works for WWE and I learned so much more by assisting him than I did in college. College was more of learning the fine arts and having fun in the darkroom. I wish it taught me more about business and how much to charge per shoot.

So assisting different photographers I learned how much you can pay an assistant and how much you can charge for your own shoots. All you have to do is ask!

I provide mainly portrait work, event photography, band photos, and anything that comes my way.? My favorite 2 jobs were shooting for Guinness world records which I had to photograph a girl who had the worlds largest mouth gape and my favorite photo I shot was a portrait of a drag queen for a Halloween performance at a gay bar not too far from where I live. I think my work is different because my photos are very vibrant, exciting, happy and speak with intensity. I love to have fun when I shoot and I like to make my clients feel like they are enjoying the shoot and its not just a job for me. I actually enjoy doing this!

In your view, what can society to do to best support artists, creatives and a thriving creative ecosystem?

I think society should understand that art is all around us and we all disserve the credit for creating what we created. Everyone disserves to get paid for their work and I think over produced art such as live, laugh, love art and pre made sailboat/lighthouse photos are boring and we should give the starving artist a chance. I remember a clothing company I worked for with Guinness didn’t even tag me as the photographer on their Instagram page which was kind of a bummer but I did sign a contract and I did need money at the time. But in my eyes why not give me a little exposer? Is it really that hard to tag me and credit me for my time and effort?

What’s a lesson you had to unlearn and what’s the backstory?

One lesson I had to unlearn is do not take every job that comes your way. One big piece of advice I received was would you rather work 10 jobs for $5000 for 5 jobs for $10,000. Sometimes life is meant to be enjoyed and not every little boring job that comes your way is worth it unless you really need it. Do not sell yourself short because you feel bad and want to work. I had to tell people my price and some people backed away because of it. I stopped feeling bad because unfortunately my time is worth it and as I progress in my craft I need to charge more. I also want the latest and greatest equipment but that’s another story. Lets just say the gas prices aren’t going down anymore!

Contact Info:

• Website: www.brienadamsphotography.com
• Instagram: vibekillerbrien

Image Credits
Brien Adams