We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Callie Zimmerman a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.
Callie, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today Let’s jump back to the first dollar you earned as a creative? What can you share with us about how it happened?
I’m not sure if this is the very first time I earned money doing photography, but it is the most memorable. A former high school teacher of mine asked me to photograph her mother and the mother’s dog. The dog was elderly and about to pass away soon. I barely knew what I was doing – during this time I still spent most of the shoot fiddling with camera settings I only half understood. Honestly, the photos were probably terrible, but the family seemed to like them. The dog ended up passing away not too long after, so I was happy to have captured those last memories. I hadn’t discussed a price with my teacher beforehand, and I was super shocked and happy when she handed me $200. It was honestly way more than I deserved at the time, so I’m thankful to her for believing in me.
Callie, 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 am a portrait and fashion photographer who was formally trained in fine art photography and studio art. I have a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree from Ball State University. I think that having a fine art background informs my current work, even if it is more commercial than what I used to create. I try to infuse creativity into my portrait work, and definitely my fashion photography. About a year after graduating, I decided to intern for a local fashion magazine in Indianapolis, which was my gateway to learning how to work with modeling agencies and collaborate with other creatives. I think what makes me stand out is that I am a female photographer with a very technical understanding of my camera and lighting. There are a ton of talented female photographers in Indianapolis, but most of them tend to be natural light photographers – not that there’s anything wrong with that. But the photographers that modeling agencies tend to use for studio test shoots are older men. I think that I fill a vacuum in that area and offer a more feminine perspective. I definitely feel like I’m a safe space for newer models learning to navigate their boundaries with photographers… sadly, even more well known male photographers may take advantage of naive models. From the very first interaction via email, I make sure to convey that I am here for my clients and will always operate within their comfort level. I pride myself on industry standard, high end retouching as well, which can be hard to find in the Midwest.
Looking back, are there any resources you wish you knew about earlier in your creative journey?
Utilize. Libraries. LIBRARIES. Early in your creative journey, you are likely broke and too uneducated to properly use expensive equipment even if you had it. My local library has something called the “Ignite Studio” with access to a bunch of free resources… for example, the entire suite of Creative Cloud apps, relief cut printmaking, bookbinding, green screen, 3D printing, a pottery wheel, a lightbox for product photography, embroidery, jewelry making, screen printing, AV studio, and much more. There have been several times where my laptop isn’t working and I have to use the library’s iMac to edit my photos. Also take advantage of books and online courses offered through your local library. Granted, not every library has the same resources, but they’re probably there if you look hard enough. Expensive equipment won’t magically make you a better artist.
Are there any books, videos, essays or other resources that have significantly impacted your management and entrepreneurial thinking and philosophy?
Oddly enough, the most monumental mindset shift came to me when I joined the Facebook group “Profitable Non-IPS Photographers.” Before joining this group, all I heard from other (mostly female) photographers was that we should offer our services at a low price because we enjoy doing it and everyone deserves nice photos. I think that the photography community is its own worst enemy when it comes to earning a living doing what you love. There’s so much shame in asking for money – well, in asking for enough to pay the bills. So many people don’t seem to realize that $200 a shoot won’t keep the lights on. Most times, a mom-tog’s income is subsidized by her husband’s, allowing her to charge less. This then becomes the standard for everybody else who is trying to work full-time as a professional photographer. It just doesn’t work. The average person expects so much for so little, and it’s frankly frustrating, because if you think about it for more than a second, the math isn’t mathing. “Profitable Non-IPS Photographers” taught me the concept of calculating my “cost of doing business” which really made the numbers less scary, and start making sense. More than that though, the group shifted my mindset away from a shame-based mentality, and made me realize that professional photography is a luxury in a day and age where everyone has a decent camera in the palm of their hand. I don’t owe anybody anything.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.callietaylorphotography.com
- Instagram: callietaylorphotography
