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

DAWN, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. Earning a full time living from one’s creative career can be incredibly difficult. Have you been able to do so and if so, can you share some of the key parts of your journey and any important advice or lessons that might help creatives who haven’t been able to yet?

I suppose you could say my journey was one that started at birth. My mother and father were travel filmmakers and often brought me along with them. My dad would film and edited, and my mother would predicate and write the films. My young years were often spent trying to stay out of a shot or be quiet on set as to not mess-up the sound being recorded.

My father started me on a computer young and I spent a lot of my childhood free time playing on MacPaint. I picked up a camera young and used it mostly for my graphic design projects until I got a random wedding photography job in 2008. From there I was hooked and proceeded to spend the next (almost) decade as a wedding and portrait photographer. During that time, I decided to pursue a master’s degree in the arts and began a program called Computer Art and New Media at the Academy of Art in San Francisco. After one year of writing code and doing graphic design work, I decided I was too outside of the box for either and was on track to quit when a professor pointed out that I was using photography for all of my projects and that I should switch track to work towards an MFA in Photography.

From there I spent the subsequent two years mostly in the dark room getting a degree in Fine Art Photography. I was still photographing weddings on the weekends (and waitressing) to pay the bills, but I was learning! A big regret I have is not using my time at the Academy of Art better. At that time, I was too insecure to pursue the Commercial Photography track and instead of pushing myself I really just hid in the dark room. I feel if I would have been more transparent and vulnerable during that time about the things I didn’t know and dug just a little deeper into my own research and need for information I would have fast tracked my career.

What the Academy give me was a fantastic resource and upon graduation I began to assist other former grads who were making their way in the industry. From those assisting jobs I also got a few internships and one of the internships turned to a full-time job as a Studio Manager for a very successful advertising photographer.

I spent two years working for very little money as the Studio Manager, still photographing weddings on the weekends. During those two years I learned so much more than I had really ever learned in art school. I learned what and Agent or Rep is, how to talk with one, find one, what the expectations are of one, what the benefits, pros and cons are of having one. I also learned how to plan and produce photoshoots, how to estimate photoshoots, how to archive files, copywrite files, build a website, do online and printed promotions, make a hard copy portfolio, etc, etc, etc the list goes on and on. And on top of all the things I learned as the Studio Manager, I was also assisting this photographer out on their shoots, so I honed my lighting skills, learned how to talk to clients and producers on set and in real time, and how to work with larger scaled teams.

After about two years of that I broke off on my own. This is when I would say I first started to fully support myself solely from photography. I want to say this was about 2016, but it’s difficult to remember. Being on my own and fully committed to making it work as a full-time photographer I started gearing my business towards finding commercial clients and started doing less and less wedding work. I live up in Sonoma/ Napa area, so I built my commercial portfolio though wine, food, and restaurants. Often working for little or no money in the beginning to build my book I was able to expand my portfolio.

Because I had worked with an Agent/Rep when working as a Studio Manager I had learned that I love that sort of workflow and I knew I wanted that kind of business and partnership. I also knew that Agents could get you in front of the eyes of clients who you just do not have access to on your own. Plus, I loved the idea of partnering with someone who could push me and help me steer my career and business. I made finding a Rep one of my number one goals, and I traveled all around the country going to meetings to try to find one that was the right fit. I had to do a lot of test shoots and seek out the sort of clients I needed to push myself and expand my portfolio to get it to a place where Reps would even take me seriously. Eventually I did sign with my dream Agent, who I am still with today.

I do not think I could have sped up the process, however as I stated before, I wish I would have maximized my time at school and pushed myself harder. I also just wish I knew about commercial photography and how to get involved earlier. I feel I did waste a lot of time (sort of drifted and wondered after high school all the way through college and didn’t find photography again until my second year of graduate school.)

Learning from mentors has been a crucial part of my success and I cannot press enough to other young creatives how important mentorships, entry level positions, and assisting is. Those relationships really did lift me up, teach me most of what I know, and ultimately help me find success. I think as creatives we really want our younger selves to win and if you have talent, work hard, and are eager to learn, than your mentor is going to do everything they can to help you succeed.

As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?

I am a photographer and director who specializes in creating content for advertising agencies as well as direct to client. I specialize in lifestyle and food/ beverage photography, but I also shoot products, travel, kids, babies, and more. I work with either advertising agencies, or with client’s (brand’s) direct marketing teams to bring to life ad campaigns, image libraries, social media content and advertisements, websites, and much more. Typically, we are working off a very specific creative concept that has been outlined by the agency or client. As the photographer/ director, I am the final step of the process of making this well thought-out concept come to life. I provide either still images, or motion pieces, or often both as my final product to clients.

As a commercial photographer/ director, I would say my number one job is to be a problem solver. Often concepts are difficult to capture, more expansive than the scope allows, or the client has needs that just aren’t in the flow of what’s possible within the time frame, budget, or location. It is my job to think creatively and out-of-the-box to deliver them a product (images/ video) that fits their needs, within their timeframe, budget, and all while keeping it in line with the creative and the brands DNA.

I do not do this alone. For each project I employ a team of other professional creatives who all play important roles. My agents, alongside producers, help to bid jobs and work with me to figure out scope and approach. We then bring on specialists like food stylists, subject specific wranglers (if you’re on set with a snake, you need a snake wrangler and if you’re shooting a big name brand of chips or pretzels, you will surely need a chip wrangler), wardrobe stylist, hair and makeup artists, prop stylists and set builders, lighting techs, gaffers, assistant directors, casting agents, and so many other specialty positions. Each person not only has their own job to execute, but they are chosen based on their own creative skills and portfolio to help the whole team work towards the common goal of delivering images or videos that fulfil the client’s needs and brand’s voice.

From pre-production through to post-production, and every step in between I am thinking creatively about how to execute the client’s vision in the most elevated and dynamic way possible. I follow a well thought out game plan, while also leaving room for sporadic creativity. The small part of my job where I am actually executing a photograph (pushing the trigger more-or-less) is completely second nature to me and has to be. Every other detail of the job – where we will shoot, how we will light, how we will accomplish X amount of shots in one day or in one setup, how we will style it and who is best for that job, how I will interact with talent to get authentic and real reactions, how I will translate the client’s vision and communicate with them to make sure I am hitting the nail on the head – and just so much more, is where the majority of my energy goes.

There are endless pieces to the puzzle and often some don’t fit, or get lost, and it’s my job along with my amazing team to make sure we still execute, still provide incredible content, and do it all with a smile on our face and creativity in our minds. And we do! It’s an incredible challenge that often comes with the responsibility of managing and making sure large budgets don’t get waisted or abused. The reward of working in this way is that you get to take this fuel – the amazing creative concept, the generous budget, the incredible creatives alongside you – and you get to truly make something magical that nobody has ever made before. It’s the best feeling in the world when it all comes together, and everyone is happy, there is truly nothing like it. You, my friend, have just made something.

As the director, a huge part of your success is based in your team and who you choose to work with. I am hyper collaborative not only with my clients but also with my team and I am endlessly inspired by what each one of them have to offer. Being collaborative at every stage of the process is the way I work best. I come to the table with lots of ideas, but I also love receiving feedback and morphing our approach into something that feels like a crew-wide effort. I truly believe that team energy is the best energy, and I love being inspired by the talent, stylists, photo assistants, art directors, marketing professionals, and producers I work with on a daily basis. I am proud to say that I am truly a team player and I love being part of something bigger than myself.

The photo and video industry, like a lot of industries these days, can be hard on our planet. There is often a lot of travel, waste, and electricity that goes into a production. My company, Dawn Heumann Photography, LLC is a proud member of 1% For the Planet. I also plant a tree for everyone on my set, for every day we’re on set, on every set. It’s a little thing but it adds up throughout the year, especially when there are 50+ people on set for multiple days in a row. The trees help to offset our carbon footprint. I also love to choose production partners who share my values. On set, we lean towards reusable products, plant-based dining options, and other values like composting and recycling.

What do you find most rewarding about being a creative?

I feel that there are two kinds of artists out there. There are the ones who are “art for art’s’ sake all the way”, to me they’re the true artists. Born to make a statement, with a pure and unwavering vision. Stubborn, at times, to the point where they won’t create unless they can create their own way. Then, there are the ones who entirely love the process. I call us the “creatives”. I knew from the time I was very young that I was a creative. I love art. I love making and getting my hands dirty. I love learning new mediums and seeing what they are capable of. As a “creative” I still very much have a vision but often that vision is inspired or sparked by someone else’s idea, life, or concept. There is room in this industry for the steadfast artist as well as the creative collaborator. There are pros and cons to both breeds and at times I feel envious of those artists who can’t waver even an inch from their personal vison. However, at the end of the day, I believe firmly that being the collaborator serves my clients best and that it makes me a fantastic partner and teammate.

And so, for me the most rewarding aspect of my job is the creativity itself. I love collaborating. I love the group-mind that can come together and create something bigger than the individual. I live to get lost in my projects and I feel alive in that inspiration. I am never particularly attached to the outcome but more so, as I touched on above, I find myself the sort of creative who loves the journey. I find so much of the joy purely in the making.

Are there any books, videos, essays or other resources that have significantly impacted your management and entrepreneurial thinking and philosophy?

I have an undergraduate degree in Philosophy and Religion. Though that may seem irrelevant to anything, it’s been quite a phenomenal foundation for me. Through these studies, I have learned to relate to almost any other person on earth. I know most of their Gods, and religious undertones, and I also understand on a spiritual level what unifies us all. I have found this most powerful when I am in foreign countries, where often religion play a much larger role in society than in North America. Beyond the religious education, the great philosophies of the world almost always speak the same truths and there are gems and gifts in all of the ancient texts that have inspired me.

Here are a few inspiring reads that come to mind, in no particular order.

The Art of Happiness, by HH The Dalai Lama
Big Magic, by Elizabeth Gilbert
The Four Agreements, by Janet Mills & Don Miguel Ruiz
Tools of Titans, and Tribe of Mentors, by Tim Farriss
The Happiness Hypothesis, Jonathan Haidt

Contact Info:

• Website: www.dawnheumann.com
• Instagram: @dawnheumann
• Linkedin: Dawn Heumann
• Other: Pinterest: @dawnheumann

Image Credits
Dawn Heumann