We recently connected with Josie Liederman and have shared our conversation below.
Josie, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. Can you talk to us about how you learned to do what you do?
Learning how to take quality photos was not as easy as I thought it was going to be. Admittedly, I bought a used DSLR camera thinking it would be as simple as pressing the shutter release button and magically producing a great photo. After taking my newest toy to my friends’ concert to try and take pictures for them, I realized that cameras are a whole different beast. I think it took me 3 or 4 concerts of dark, blurry, and unusable photos for me to learn about shutter speed, aperture, and ISO, and how to use all three simultaneously. After much trial and error (and some sort of twisted determination that would just not let me watch a tutorial on YouTube), I finally learned that for concert photography there is no perfect camera setting or formula. There is no crazier lighting than colorful stage lights and no restless subject like a band’s frontman. Everything is constantly changing. It’s not an easy technique to master. But, once you get the hang of it and are able to produce crisp and clear photos that capture the energy of the performers and the ambiance of the venue, it’s all worth it.
After securing my first paid position in my college’s marketing department, I became more interested in portraiture. Part of my job is taking faculty headshots and group photos. So, I quickly transferred what I learned from that to my own graduation photo business. Another thing you’d never imagine having a learning curve: Taking photos outside! Remember when I said there’s no crazier lighting than colorful stage lighting? The Florida sun comes in at a close second. Even on the crazy professional Canon 5D Mark IV I was permitted to shoot on, figuring out how to make a subject look like they aren’t part of the sun themselves was a challenge. Just like everything else I’ve taught myself, I found a good recipe of camera settings that make outdoor portraiture easier.
While I’m mostly self-taught, I can’t say I learned everything I know by myself. Having great mentors and being close with people who have skills you’re trying to learn is key. If my good friend Nico Reinhart didn’t let me take his high school graduation photos (while simultaneously teaching me how to use the flash settings on my camera), or if I had not had my friend and coworker Emma Robbins teaching me how to use the big, fancy, Canon R5, I would not be as far in this craft as I am today. I’ve also met so many other concert photographers who are my age, and all of them have always been willing to share their knowledge, whether its camera settings, editing tips, or gear recommendations.
Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers.
My name is Josie Liederman, and I am a 20-year-old concert and portrait photographer based in Tallahassee, Florida. What originally got me into concert photography in the first place was being a musician myself. When I was 5, my late grandfather put me into piano lessons, and then in middle school, I picked up the saxophone. I played in marching band and in concert band settings all throughout high school. Music helped me get into college at Florida State University, where I currently study Commercial Music and classical saxophone under the direction of Geoffrey Deibel. Before I even owned my own camera, I was playing saxophone in an indie band called “Weatherboys” (@weatherboystheband on Instagram, go check them out!!). While that was a lot of fun, saxophone never really fit the sound that the band was going for. In efforts to still be able to hang out with my friends and keep myself relevant the band setting, I took my camera to all of their concerts and created media for their socials. This is where my love for capturing photos of musical acts began. To this day, a little over a year later, I still take photos for Weatherboys, and we grow together as artists.
As a college student, I’ve had so many opportunities to practice my craft in a semi-professional setting. I get to do quite a bit of editorial work with a club called Stitch, a fashion club at Florida State, and Diverse World Magazine, a fashion magazine run by students in Tallahassee. I also serve on the board of “The Music Industry Connection,” more commonly known as TMIC. TMIC is a music organization that plans and produces live music events around Tallahassee. I also recently started working with FSView, FSU’s student run newspaper.
Throughout the process of learning about myself and my love for photography, I also learned the idea of not being afraid to send lots of emails in order to reach a goal/get an opportunity for myself. One of those pesky emails landed me in my first ever paid photography job in the marketing department of FSU’s College of Music. I have the pleasure of photographing my friends and colleagues in their respective orchestras, concert bands, jazz big bands, and combos. I also have the privilege of photographing the faculty and guest artists at Florida State University, which is always exciting.
What sets me apart from others is my wide variety of experience. I have concert photography, portraiture, editorial work, and promotional photography under my belt, so I’m able to provide my clients with a variety of options when it comes to getting portraits taken. It allows my clients to be as creative as they want with their requests with no fear of me not being able to produce their visions.
For you, what’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative?
Especially in the College of Music at FSU, the look on people’s faces when I show them the photos I took of them performing is priceless. As a musician myself, it’s always very cool to see yourself practicing your art in a quality photograph. Performance photos are also important for college students, so they have something to send home to their families and hometown music teachers/mentors. There’s just something about someone seeing a really good photo of themselves, and getting excited about it, that makes me smile.
Some college students have been thinking about what they want their graduation photos to look like for their entire undergraduate career, and to make those thoughts become a reality is a really cool thing to be a part of. I know students who have been cultivating their Pinterest boards, shopping for their graduation outfits, and planning their poses for years. Bringing their hopes and dreams to life is very rewarding.
What’s been the best source of new clients for you?
Unfortunately, for a lot of people whose product is an artform, starting out “free” is how to do it. This strategy helped me build my portfolio and become reputable. I would ask my friends to pose for me so I could practice my portraiture. Even in my concert work, I would show up with a band I was working with but stay to take pictures of other bands on the bill for free. I still do this to build a solid reputation and to have content to feed my followers on social media. After a while, free work becomes scarce, and you get to start charging what you’re worth, which is a huge milestone in this field.
Another great strategy when selling your skill/trade is word of mouth. In the photo business, you can take the greatest pictures in the world, but if you don’t have any connections or loyal customers that will vouch for you, you’re not going to make any money. Something that I’ve found to be a great source of clients, is something as simple as asking current clients to credit me when they post my photos. This works especially well with graduation shoots. Chances are that everyone is shopping around on Instagram to find out who took all of their friends’ photos. If I’m tagged in my clients’ posts, their followers can see who took the photos and can go book their own appointments for themselves. Something else that never hurts: Tell your clients that if they’re satisfied with your services/product to recommend you to their friends. A graduation shoot client is very likely to be friends with someone else who is graduating. An engagement shoot client likely has friends who are getting ready to get engaged as well. The more clients, the more versatile your portfolio gets and the more experience you’ll get in the field.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://sites.google.com/view/josieliederman/about-me?fbclid=PAZXh0bgNhZW0CMTEAAaY1iDZHMT9N67h6Sna16_GeGhzaoKPuljaPrWyVZK9ZK_-eQatmKJ8wkvA_aem_Q_frMwRNhWoyQaQkthHiOA
- Instagram: https://instagram.com/josie.photoss
- Other: https://www.behance.net/sandraliederman
Image Credits
Josie Liederman, Myra Sexton