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

Hi Gregg, thanks for joining us today. One of the things we most admire about small businesses is their ability to diverge from the corporate/industry standard. Is there something that you or your brand do that differs from the industry standard? We’d love to hear about it as well as any stories you might have that illustrate how or why this difference matters.

In my youth I was very athletic and was extremely motivated to work harder, be more fit, and be willing to endure more pain than my competitors. Oddly, I see where I have incorporated that same attitude into my photography business. There is no obstacle or challenge I won’t take on to get an image that is unique/special. All of my images are made using studio lighting, even on location. So this means I frequently have to haul camera and lighting gear to remote locations to get the image I’m envisioning. I’ve backpacked gear deep into a forest and waded into lakes with expensive studio lights in order to be able to create a very special image for a client. Similarly, it’s not unheard of for me to photograph clients in the middle of the night so that we can gain access to public spaces without there being crowds of people. For me, this approach has become a competitive advantage. There are few photographers that will make this sort of effort. But when prospective clients see my work, they immediately see why it’s true when I tell them a photo shoot with me may require more work — mostly by me, but a little by them too — but the final results are so worth it!

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 have had a passion for photography ever since I bought my first 35mm camera from a neighbor’s yard sale at age 10. But it was just about 13 years ago that a dog I adopted inspired me to take my photography to a higher level. He is a beautiful pup and I wanted to create truly stunning images of him that would make great art for the walls in my home. The images I was making at the time were nice, but they didn’t have the “wow factor” I wanted. For inspiration, I started looking at fashion magazines and realized that most of those photographers were shooting with the use of studio lighting, even when on location. Why couldn’t I do the same with my pup? My addiction to controlled lighting was born.  Soon, thanks to social media, other dog owners saw my images and wanted the same for their dog. And then they wanted images in that style of them with their dog. Today, I photograph more people than dogs, but still have a soft spot for any furry, four-legged subject.
Primarily I do environmental portraiture; that is, portraits that are made on location where the location is part of the story I want the image to tell. While the location may be natural, I use lighting to add special effects, highlight important elements of the story, and/or create a dramatic effect. The final objective is to create an “epic” image, but I have also learned that my clients enjoy the entire experience. The shoot itself, with all the lighting and extra effort being made to create these images of them makes them feel like a star.  Perhaps more important, clients have told me their photo shoot has increased their self-confidence.  While they may have begun the shoot thinking they’d be incapable of looking good and creating beautiful images, they soon realized that was NOT the case.  That is, as they viewed the images on the back of the camera or on the tethered monitor during the shoot, they loved what they saw and, as a result, gained more and more confidence as the shoot progressed.

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?

When I first started doing photography full-time I was taking any and every job I could get, just to generate revenue. Soon, I was dreading my choice to become a full-time photographer. I was doing work that involved no creativity, was not in the style I had become know for, and provided no challenge. I had turned my passion into an obligation and, although I was generating revenue, I was killing my creative spirit. I couldn’t continue like that; I made a conscious decision to be more selective in the work I took on. Now, I’m able to spend time researching locations, studying other photographers, and becoming inspired by all types of different creative artist. As a result, the work I produce for clients is better and, I believe, my reputation for creating special images has increased. It’s a long-term strategic approach to building my business, but it has also created a life for me that has much greater personal satisfaction. And that’s something that you can’t measure in dollars and cents.

Any resources you can share with us that might be helpful to other creatives?

I’m a competitive individual and, as such, when I first got started selling my photography services professionally I viewed every other photographer as “the enemy.” It took years for me to learn the value of collaboration with other creatives — especially other photographers. Once I opened up I realized there was so much to learn by sharing with other creatives.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.greggpatrick.com
• Instagram: www.instagram.com/greggpatrick
• Facebook: www.facebook.com/greggpatrickphoto
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/gregg-boersma-133a62/

Image Credits
All images provided are created by Gregg Patrick Boersma (aka Gregg Patrick Photography).