Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Ellis Vener. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.
Alright, Ellis thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. What do you think matters most in terms of achieving success?
Q: What does it take to be successful?
Being successful takes work.
It takes work beyond the creative part of being a photographer. Once you get beyond mastering the basics of the craft – and learning the craft is an ongoing process because time changes everything – making photographs is the enjoyable part. The hard part of being a successful photographer is dealing with everything that enables me to continue doing the creative part. The other stuff includes dealing with money and finances, planning for the near and what I want and hope will happen in the distant future, marketing, etc.
Naturally creative people are only sometimes naturally good at doing those more mundane tasks. I know I’m not, and I know I am in good company. Even one of the most creative and successful photographers I know, Richard Avedon, once referred to his unique approach to fashion photography as a “vacation from life.” However, paying as much attention to the details of those areas as I can allows me to keep doing what I enjoy.
I also work at being kind. Extending kindness to others, even if it means just saying hello and acknowledging the man or woman working behind a counter at a rent-a-car agency, is an underrated virtue.
You also need to develop a good b.s. detector, especially for the worst kind, which is your own, the kind you tell yourself.
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?
Hello! My name is Ellis Vener, and I am a photographer based in Atlanta, Georgia. I’m not originally from Atlanta or Georgia. I was born in Corpus Christi, Texas, and my family moved up the coast to Houston when I was eleven. I cannot tell you exactly when I became interested in photography, but it was sometime in childhood, and my interest in photography came from spending time with my father.
My father was a Mechanical Engineer who became interested in photography while repairing optics while serving in the U.S. Army on the South Pacific island of Guadalcanal during World War II. While on Guadalcanal, he would take photos of his fellow soldiers during the day, and at night, he’d develop the film and make small prints of them for them to send home. He continued with the hobby throughout his life and, along the way, taught me the basics of using a camera, developing film, and making prints.
While in high school, I shot for the school newspaper and yearbook and began shooting concerts for local promoters and bands that came through town. At college, I worked several jobs, including one where I photographed fraternity and sorority parties, two or three a night on Fridays and Saturdays. It was my introduction to working as a photographer. I learned a lot from that job, especially about directing people and looking for the decisive moment.
After college, I moved back to Houston and spent three years assisting a high-end advertising and commercial photographer. I also discovered the work of Jay Maisel. Pete Turner, and Eric Meola. Jay and Eric later became friends, unofficial mentors, and spiritual godfathers to me, as they have for many photographers. In 1984, I opened my studio and began shooting annual reports, corporate capability, some advertising, shooting for non-profits I believe to be valuable to my community, and editorial assignments. In 2002, my wife and I moved to Atlanta, where I continued doing the same. This is the work I still enjoy doing today.
The most recent photographs I am very proud of are the portraits I made of a centenarian former scoutmaster and his wife and, most recently, a paraplegic golf pro and his dog. I am proud of them because a) they made those people and their loved ones very happy, and b) because I still enjoy looking at them.
Any resources you can share with us that might be helpful to other creatives?
Early on, I wish I had sought out better mentors in the area of dealing with the business side of business!
How’d you build such a strong reputation within your market?
The work and I am attention to serving and servicing my clients. Learning to listen to the people you work with, whether they are hiring you or they are working for you, is a critical business skill.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://ellisvener.com
- Instagram: #ellisvenerstudio
- Linkedin: Ellis Vener
Image Credits
Ellis Vener