We were lucky to catch up with Marc Russell recently and have shared our conversation below.
Marc, appreciate you joining us today. Before we get into specifics, let’s talk about success more generally. What do you think it takes to be successful?
I guess the right question is what is success? For some people it is to acquire such amount of money, buy a house or a nice car. For others, it can be recognition from peers and clients, show up on reputable streaming platforms or reach an enormous mount of followers on social media. Well, for me to be successful is to fulfill my own purpose. Every day when I wake up I know why I am leaving my bed. What makes me go through sometimes tedious tasks so that I can continue my life’s project. So for me, what takes to be successful is peace of mind. Clear conscience that I am fulfilling my purpose in my life, in my industry, among the people I meet along the road.
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’m Marc Russell, I’m a professional photographer since 2020 and I love to play the guitar, do short bike rides and dance salsa when get the chance. I have decided in 2018 that photography would help me to be the person I want to be, but only in 2020 with the pandemic I had the courage, the financial means and time to actually push this project through. Today I am a wedding photographer and I basically only shoot couple sessions and weddings. I don’t feel that I am reinventing the wheel, creating an innovative way of photographing. I guess I just understood to a certain point the importance of the photo I take for future generations of that photographed person. Therefore my work is done around affective memories that I use to immerse myself and take pictures as if I were one of them, as if I were a family member. For me this is the difference from beautiful and sublime, as the beautiful posed pictures are good, but when the photography looks back at you is like you can really see yourself in it, and the feelings of the memories can come rushing as if it had happened just yesterday. Reason why I am proud that I can move people with my pictures, I can see many times the sparkle of life flaming inside the couples while I’m photographing them.
Are there any books, videos, essays or other resources that have significantly impacted your management and entrepreneurial thinking and philosophy?
Absolutely, two books have shaped my life since.
1 – How to Win Friends and Influence People | Author: Dale Carnegie. In this one the best lesson is to learn how to listen and communicate properly. I learned that there are many ways of convening the same message.
2- Think and Grow Rich | Author: Napoleon Hill – In this book, the greater lesson for me can be summarized in this phrase as I quote the author by saying that “I am the master of my fate, the captain of my soul”.
Can you talk to us about how your funded your business?
In this industry, it can depend on how you can support yourself. Wedding industry is usually the kind of business that takes time to pick up. So If you live in your parents house, or you have a significant other that can hold the living expenses and you don’t really have to stress with it, then my suggestion is to just reinvest everything that you make at the beginning. Now for those folks that have to support themselves while building their brand, then my suggest is still the same with a small difference. So, I still suggest for you to reinvest all you make with photography, but at the same time to find a part time job that can pay the bills. Having the peace of mind to work trough your creative process can be decisive on your growth. The second is how it worked for me, I had a part time job during the week and my photography projects during the weekends.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://findmarcrussell.com/
- Instagram: @findmarcrussell
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/marcrussellphotographer