We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Gianna Russo. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Gianna below.

Gianna, appreciate you joining us today. Let’s start with a fun one – what’s something you believe that most people in your industry (or in general) disagree with?

I believe that an artist does NOT need to create work constantly to be successful in this industry. There is a strong divide between my fine artwork and then the work that I create as a photographer/videographer that sustains my business. It is common for us to be told as artists that we must constantly be creating something new and we are to be posting our work in high-frequency online to gain an audience. Although I do find some aspects of this to be true, I think that the constant pressure to create and to be creative can become too great a pressure for artists and potentially lead to burnout. I guess overall life moves quickly as is, and I would rather create work when I feel most inspired and never force myself to create when I am not passionate about the work I am producing.

Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.

I started my photography journey in the small town of Niles, Ohio in 2013. By the time I was nearing the end of middle school, I had already been casually taking pictures after classes of my friends and the people I knew in my school. I enjoyed getting to know more about portraits and it became a fun hobby for me to spend my time on. Fast forward to my freshman year of high school, at around sixteen, I had so many people requesting to have their photo taken that I thought it was time for me to take it more seriously. I reached out to a local photography studio in my mall in 2015 and asked if they had any internships available. The owner, Michelle, reached back out and said she would be willing to train me and, if I was serious about wanting to learn and work, that she would allow me to work at the studio. I was so thrilled to start to learn more and take my work to a more professional level! I ended up completing my internship and started working as an associate photographer at the studio in 2016. As time passed, I went from an intern to a studio assistant, to an intern trainer myself, and finally ended up working on my own business alongside Michelle by my senior year of high school.

After I graduated high school in 2019, I continued to work on building my own business and portfolio. Unfortunately, COVID hit in March of 2020 and photography stopped for me. There was no economy and no jobs available at the time that could sustain me. I decided to take time off to work in a local factory and save up for college. After a long year and a half of working in manufacturing and sustaining my income, I had saved up enough money and the world began to get back to normal. I started to apply for schools and I was accepted to attend the prestigious Savannah College of Art and Design (SCAD) in Savannah, Gerogia in late 2021. I had two months to pack up my things and move across the country to somewhere I had never been before. It was a very scary experience as a twenty-year-old to move so far away from home by myself, but I was lucky to have a lot of support from my family and friends.

I started my freshman year of college in January of 2022 and have been working towards my B.F.A in Commercial Photography since. As time passed, I began to make Savannah my home. I eventually found a job with a large real estate production company, which would allow me to work in my industry while attending school. Since starting with the company in April of 2023, I have since grown my portfolio and expertise. I got my Federal Aviation Administration Part 107 License to fly drones for commercial use, I have attended and photographed some of the biggest events for realtors in both South Carolina and Georgia, and have photographed hundreds of homes in the area.

Alongside my newfound skills in real estate photography, my education at SCAD has continued to expand my knowledge and push my portfolio to new limits. I have begun expanding my portfolio to not only portraits but also products, fashion collections, and sports. I have had the opportunity to shadow and take photographs with FOX Sports and the Atlanta Falcons, I have attended as a BTS photographer on film sets and worked to complete advertisement services for many local businesses in the Savannah area. My work has now been featured in the Savannah Morning News and gained attention from large corporate companies such as “Billie,” “American Crew,” “Poppi,” and “Dr. Squatch.” In 2024, I opened my own LLC here in Georgia and have since continued to expand my portfolio, knowledge, and services to the GA and SC regions.

I presently am working and attending school part-time to continue on my journey to complete my degree. I am so excited to continue my education at SCAD and to expand my services to also include videography and learn more about cinematography. I am so eager to see how I can scale my business after graduation and am so lucky to make a passion of mine that started more than ten years ago into my full-time career. It has taken a lot of sacrifice, dedication, and hard work to get to where I am today but I absolutely love what I do and am so lucky to be able to have a job that allows me to meet and connect with so many people. I am greatly looking forward to seeing what 2025 and beyond brings for my career and myself.

What’s worked well for you in terms of a source for new clients?

Overall, the best source of new clients for me has been word of mouth. Although having an online presence is important, I have noticed that the majority of my clients have come through personal recommendations and through those who have seen work I have done for their friends, family, or local businesses in the area. Although creating a strong, consistent online presence has been a great struggle for me in the past, I am definitely looking to work on advertising myself more digitally through social media and other campaigns in order to boost my clientele reach.

Do you think there is something that non-creatives might struggle to understand about your journey as a creative? Maybe you can shed some light?

I believe people who are not in a creative industry think it is less challenging to do this type of work because it just “looks fun” or “seems easy enough”, when in fact it is quite the opposite. It is a constant battle to keep up with trends, and new technology, and to gain traction in an oversaturated market. With photography and videography in particular, there is a lot involved just to complete the services themselves. As a business owner in these industries, I play the role of a plethora of different people. I am a website designer, graphic designer, marketer, social media manager, photographer, videographer, drone operator, editor, client relationship manager, bookkeeper, and so much more. It is a lot of work to be on top of all these jobs concurrently. As someone who has worked a traditional, hourly job, there is a big difference in the amount of time I have available to me. It can certainly feel like there are no “off-hours.” I have no real “office.” I am traveling every day to somewhere new, and although fun, can become exhausting in its own way. Granted, I am so grateful to work in this manner because I never get bored, but it is important, and often challenging, to know when to give myself a break and to take time for myself, even when the work feels never-ending. I think the biggest piece of advice I could ever give to others working in a creative industry is to ensure you give yourself time and the mental space to rest. Being constantly creative and constantly pushing yourself to become better is a challenge and, although rewarding, can lead to burnout quickly. Remember why you love what you do and ensure you foster a healthy relationship with your work. Creatives are so passionate and closely connected to the work they do and the services they provide to clients. I know myself and others are very emotionally invested in the work we do and we always want to provide our best services to our clients. It is important to take time and make space to rest, relax, and re-ignite our passion when we can to be inspired again. I am still learning how to do this but I know that it is so important for me to be successful in my creative career.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.grussophotos.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/grussophotos/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/grussophotos/
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/giannarusso/
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@GiannaRusso_101/