Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to LaMonica Cartier. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.
Hi LaMonica, thanks for joining us today. Risking taking is a huge part of most people’s story but too often society overlooks those risks and only focuses on where you are today. Can you talk to us about a risk you’ve taken – it could be a big risk or a small one – but walk us through the backstory.
At the beginning of 2021 after having several conversations with my support system, I decided to quit my 9-5 to give all of myself to building my brand 444DESIGNSTUDIO. I debated whether or not it would a good idea to quit my job and risk it all. Eventually I decided if I took a calculated risk it would be worth it. The first several months of not having a safety net brought in worries of failure and instability, but luck was on my side. Things started to align for me. Clients came by word of month; I also did unpaid gigs to gain exposure and some of those unpaid gigs turned into paid opportunities. Now I am the go to photographer for some of those clients.
Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.
I’ve always had an interest in the “Arts,” which lead me to attend and graduate from the Art Institute. The Art Institute wanted students to be well rounded artist, so we took classes outside of our major/core classes. When I took photography class, it seemed foreign to me, but as the course went on, my interest grew and I loved learning more about photography. After graduating I played around with it and found my passion. By way I went to school for Graphic Design.
I started as a street photographer but after attending a concert and seeing the artist’s personal photographer,‘I decided this is what I want to do! So I started shooting local shows in Philly that lead to me shooting for a media outlet. I love music and I get to shoot some of favorite artist!
When the pandemic hit, it affected concert photography so I had to reposition and figure something out. From there I pivoted to learning about lighting and all the cool ways to shape light and from there I developed an interest in portrait photography. I thought to myself, I can do this, I can offer portrait photography.
It’s been a fun and stressful journey and through it all my interest in what I shoot has grown. I offer portraits, headshots, events and BTS (behind the scenes). I guess you could say I don’t have a niche, I just love taking photos of any and everything.
I help clients from anywhere to growing their brand to feeling confident about themselves.
My editing style and the way I use light sets me apart from others. I’ve been told by friends and clients that they know my work by my style.
The times when I wanted to give up, I am proud of myself for continuing to push through. There were plenty of times when I had to remind myself that anything in life worth having takes work. Enjoy the journey, stay in your lane, don’t worry what others are doing in their lane or you might crash.
Can you talk to us about how your funded your business?
Like most artist, my 9 to 5 funded my business in the beginning. Camera equipment, strobes, lenses, everything photography related.
Can you tell us about a time you’ve had to pivot?
The pandemic caused me to explore other avenues of photography. There were no concerts going on, so instead of doing nothing with photography I studied lighting and portrait photography.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://444designstudio.com
- Instagram: 444designstudio