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

Mark, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today Let’s jump right into the heart of things. Outsiders often think businesses or industries have much larger profit margins than they actually do – the reason is that outsiders are often unaware of the biggest challenges to profitability in various industries – what’s the biggest challenge to profitability in your industry?

The hardest thing to do is to get a potential client to see the need and value in what you do. As a photographer, you start building a portfolio and as you do that your eye develops and your knowledge grows so your quality becomes significantly higher. When you have an impressive portfolio you are now ready to charge people. But even when you have a higher expertise level than a beginner photographer, clients will not see the difference in quality unless it’s side by side. And they will still prefer the beginner photographer because they are building a portfolio, hence not charging a penny.

I personally tell my clients that you aren’t purchasing a photo. You are purchasing my eye and my expert level of composition that has taken close to a decade to develop. It’s not a beginner eye and that has a value to it.

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

I have lived in Nashville for 13 years. Like many people, they find themselves in Nashville to be closer to music. I have always had a dream to do something with music, but when I moved to Nashville I quickly realized I was incredibly underqualified and significantly behind my competition. I still loved Nashville and the friends I had made so I had no intensions of leaving. I began filming and photographing local artists and I developed a passion in the industry of photography and video production. What started as a passion quickly became an obsession. Instead of going out and partying I would often times spend weekends studying ISO or aperture, etc. I wanted to be perfect in every aspect. But, like with music, I found I was again incredibly underqualified and significantly behind my competition. I had made a few friends, Alden Allen and Shea Johnson, in the industry who were more experienced and they agreed to mentor me. I went with them on any different projects they had and they would use me as a second shooter. We would often discuss the more technical aspects and how to maximize a camera’s abilities. Before long I was developing my portfolio and they would continue critic my work as it was building. To this day I still call for their advice.

After a good four-five years my portfolio was starting to look good. The content was good and the quality was getting where I wanted it to. But I felt as if I still wasn’t doing enough and I didn’t have anything to really separate myself from other photographers. I was more known for doing live music photography so I wanted to strengthen my portfolio based around that. I decided to do an enormous project in 2018 called “52 Weeks of Music City” where I would shoot a different band each week for a whole year. I wrote a review on each band and posted the photos/review each week. That was an incredible undertaking where I worked a minimum of 80 hour work weeks. But it was something unique and one of the things I wanted the most was the consistency. I looked forward to shooting a different band each week. …for about the first two months. Then the romance of the project wore off and I was stuck with 10 months of exhausting work. I put it out there that I was doing this and I couldn’t stop. I had to take it one month at a time and eventually one week at a time. It was an incredible journey where I learned a lot but I learned the most about myself and how powerful the mind can be when you are set in finishing and won’t let anything come between that.

There was a sense of depression working so much during that project. I didn’t have time for friends, family, or relationships. I was alone a lot (at shows and at home editing and writing and finding the next show). But when it ended the depression didn’t. I went from working 80-100 hours to having so much free time and not knowing what to do with it. I thought there would be something at the end of this project (like a new project or new clients) but instead it just went back to normal and I didn’t know what to do. 2020 happened and that really pushed pause for any plans anyone had. I was able to do a few video jobs during that time but I was ready to get back to work doing another passion project. I had a lot of time to reflect that year and I wanted to get back to shooting consistently and that’s where I came up with “Project 365”, where I would simply take a different photo every day for a whole year. I would bring my camera everywhere and when I found the shot I wanted I would just post it without any description or title. This project was a lot easier mentally. I was always looking for something and always being creative, but I could do that from anywhere. I had completed the project and when it was over felt like myself again. Confident and fulfilled.

I always did photography and film for the love of the creation and for the final product. There isn’t a better feeling then to put out material and see people enjoy and appreciate it. I had never really gotten much recognition outside of family and friends. But suddenly out of nowhere, nine years later, a few different outlets reached out to do articles, podcasts, exhibits, and my most recent humble accomplishment was Kore Gallery asking me to be a part of their art gallery in Louisville Kentucky. I believe you just have to keep doing whatever your passion is for the right reasons and strive to master your craft and continually grow to maximize your quality as much as possible and everything else will follow as needed. If you didn’t get recognition, would you still do it? Would you still work that hard? Even if no one saw it? Worry about what you can control, and that is your own quality and knowledge.

Can you talk to us about how your side-hustle turned into something more.

I’ve often been asked if I have been able to move to my business full time and leave my regular career. Unfortunately I haven’t. This isn’t something to be ashamed about or embarrassed about. This is just my particular journey. And everyone has a different path to get to where they define success. I could do the endless family portraits for the “expensive” $200 shoots. But when you look at the time that goes in to that process, it’s not worth the money. I actually rarely do special occasion photos unless it’s for a close friend. Family photos and engagement photos all look the same. I just don’t find them to be much fun to shoot and the time it takes isn’t worth the money. And unfortunately there is little to no money in live music photography. Bands typically can’t afford the live music photographers, especially when you are competing with someone who is building a portfolio (like I did when I got started) who is willing to shoot the show for free. That being said, you can make it, it will just be a long struggle and you would have to have multiple success stories to find that moment. To make this a full time career you have to first treat it like a full time career and put in the hours. That means putting in the time that you do for your career, which is hard because you aren’t making the same money. I have always had a plan where I would hit certain milestones and complete specific projects (that are still in planning stages) and when the money comes in and my regular job gets in the way, then I’ll be doing this full time and leaving my corporate career.

What do you think is the goal or mission that drives your creative journey?

My goal is simple. I want to provide content that will make someone think. I want to make content that will put someone in the moment. I want someone to see a photo I’ve taken and them see a message, or create a story. I want someone to see a video I did and have them laugh so hard they forgot they had a bad day. They forgot they are having finance issues or marital issues. I want to help people escape reality. Just for a brief moment if at all possible.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.kimuraproductions.com
• Instagram: @kimura_productions
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/KimuraProductionsLLC
• Twitter: @kimurafilms