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

Emma, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. Before we get into specifics, let’s talk about success more generally. What do you think it takes to be successful?

When it comes to being successful as a photographer in todays digital age, I think it takes less technical skills and that it is more about the ability to grow and adapt to the industry and not get stuck with how things “used to be.” Especially as a young female photographer that has been doing it since instagram started being a thing I often feel as I had to prove myself to be taken seriously by the older generation of photographers. I believe that in any industry, moving with change rather than pushing against it is essential for staying relevant.
Also because, sometimes because a industry is moving forward doesn’t mean that it will completely ignore what was valuable in the past – like film photography that now again is popular in the industry. I remember when I first started out, the industry had just shifted from shooting film to shooting digital, and I couldn’t understand why some people insisted on sticking with film. I honestly thought it was kind of silly, why shoot on film when you could shoot digital, edit your photos, and do way cooler things afterwards? But look at us now, most photographers shoot film as well as digital and it really shows the important of being flexible and open. If you’re too stuck in your ways you will miss what is coming next.
I also think success comes from consistency, curiosity, and the willingness to keep learning. You don’t need to know everything right away, you just need to keep showing up, stay open minded and never stop growing.

Emma, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?

Hi! I’m Emma Bahrton and is a Swedish photographer based in Los Angeles, and been doing photography for over a decade. When I was 12 I started having photoshoots with my friends all over the little island we grow up on which turned into my friends parents seeing my talent and then started hiring me for their local businesses and thats when I realized that my hobby could become a career. Over the last decade I’ve build a sold portfolio in Sweden, shooting for well known brands and influencers. My campaign work has been published in magazines such as ELLE Sweden, Damernas Värld and Aftonbladet Sweden, and I’ve had the opportunity to work to work long term with influencers such as Angelica Blick and shot for brands such as Cubus, Pacsun and Ole Henriksen.
Most of my experience and key projects have been based in Sweden, but in the past year since I received my american work permit I’ve focused on shooting scandinavian brands that are active in the US. Here in Los Angeles, I’ve worked with companies like Sockerbit NYC, SecondHome PR, and Shepherd of Sweden, helping them keep an scandinavian style in the US through storytelling.

Can you tell us about what’s worked well for you in terms of growing your clientele?

The most effective strategy for me along the years for growing my clientele has definitely been to collaborate with well-known influencers and public figures on social media – and making sure they tag me in the post. It’s a very powerful way to have you work seen by the exact audience that is already interested in that type of photography, taking for granted that the person you collaborate with has the same esthetic as you. I think that an important factor though, you need to collaborate with people that align with your style to keep an coherent brand online. I also believe collaborating with people with a bigger following builds credibility, if a well known person trusts you that shows other people and brands that you are as good as you say you are. It truly is free advertising and I do believe sometimes it is with shooting for free to get exposure that could lead to the right opportunities.

We often hear about learning lessons – but just as important is unlearning lessons. Have you ever had to unlearn a lesson?

One of the biggest lessons I’ve had to unlearn in my journey as a photographer is that the best/most expensive camera won’t always give you the best end result. When I first started out, and in photography school, using the most advanced camera automatically made you a better photographer or your work more valuable. But when I started working a lot for influencers and learned their techniques for social media I realized sometimes that the photos that performs the best are the ones that feel most authentic – are shot on an iphone. There are situations where a professional set up makes the content feel to staged and polished and a less advanced set up would to a better job translating the feeling you are after.
This has really changed my mind set and I started using several different types of cameras during my shoots that are both older/newer and better/worse quality. Today I care way less about technical specs and more about the overall feeling that the images are sending.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.bahrton.com
• Instagram: emma.bahrton
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/emma-bahrton