Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Carlisle Kellam . We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Carlisle , thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. 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?

Yes, I’m happy as a business owner. I value the flexibility that comes with my situation. I also value making a living while creating and working with others. Although providing for my family is the main goal now, in the past I have thought, from a creative perspective, about what it would be like to have a “regular job”. I’ve thought that if the flexibility disappeared with what I’m doing now, a regular job may actually allow for more creativity.

I’ll try to explain my thinking. I think something a lot of folks don’t realize is that, with the exception of a very small percentage of individuals, working as a paid creative has it’s creative limits. In fact for most people around the world the limits expand as the pay goes up. We creatives are usually limited by the strictures of our niche. Whether a headshot photographer, product photographer, whatever, there are guidelines and expectations to be met. I’ve done a good deal of big brand commercial work over the years and even then your limited by brand or by the instruction of the art director. I’m not suggesting there is no creativity involved, and I understand that ALL things are done within limits and in fact limits are good, I’m simply saying if you want to implement your own “over all” vision, like directing a film (which I also do on occasion), you’re likely going to have to do it on the side. So if one values implementing their own vision more than anything else but can’t find the funds to make a living doing so, the goal is typically to make as much as possible in the least amount of time regardless of the type of work. That was my thinking at least form a creative point of view. Of course there’s the whole idea of job security, etc. when you’re raising a family but that’s another thing all together.

Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers.

I’m a photographer and filmmaker based in Atlanta. I try to make the occasional movie while making a living as a photographer mostly. At one point I was a creative director for a small film production company and did a good bit of commercial and broadcast cinematography. I have a couple of niche sites that are devoted to specific types of photography I offer, one is ckheadshotsatlanta.com which is devoted to headshots, portraits and editorial photography. The other is productphotographyatlanta.com which is devoted to all types of product photography for mostly small businesses, medium sized brands and the occasional large brand. I also offer my services related to film, art, and editorial/portrait/commercial photography through my personal site carlislekellam.com.

I was a theatre student in college and believe I found my way into paid photography through the theatre doing headshots for actors and art for playbills, posters, etc. I worked as a decorative and mural artist before that. As my graduate degree was in philosophy For the most part the extent of my formal technical training as a photographer came from a 2-year college film program I was part of. Essentially the visual component of film is just moving photography. I think it’s possible that my varied history working with different mediums in the arts may set me apart from others in my field. I’ve kind of gone through it looking at the various mediums as just different particular tools used for achieving the same outcome.

What do you think helped you build your reputation within your market?

I’d say always trying to deliver the best work has done more than anything for my reputation in the market. Also letting my ego and being at service to the client is a big one.

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

At one point during an economic downturn I remember sitting in a bar and realizing I couldn’t afford to by a dollar beer. “Pretty sad state of affairs,” I thought. I said to myself that if things didn’t turn around quick I need to get out. And of course, lucky me, nothing turned around quick. But I was too stubborn to quit.

Contact Info:

• Website: I have three primary websites – listed them all in the other section. Can you include all three?
• Other: https://productphotographyatlanta.com https://www.ckheadshotsatlanta.com https://carlislekellam.com

Image Credits
Carlisle Kellam