We recently connected with Peidi Zhang and have shared our conversation below.
Peidi, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. I’m sure there have been days where the challenges of being an artist or creative force you to think about what it would be like to just have a regular job. When’s the last time you felt that way? Did you have any insights from the experience?
I can answer this question very positively first, yes, I am very happy that I can be a full-time photographer. Of course, any job or role in society has its own advantages and disadvantages. For example, the biggest advantage of a freelancer is the relatively free time. As an independent photographer, I can balance my work time and life time better. I know I’ve been very lucky to use my hobby as a career. That’s enough to satisfy me. If I meet clients or models with similar artistic aesthetics, I can communicate very effectively and save a lot of time before we shoot. While completing work and creation efficiently, I can enjoy getting along and communicating with yourself better, and spend more time with friends and family. I’m a Libra and without a doubt that balancing is one of the most important aspects for me. As a full-time photographer, the income range is very large, depending on one’s own ability and ambition, and it is also a manifestation of network and emotional intelligence. As a photographer who has been in the industry for 5 years, I think I have achieved some goals through my own efforts, and of course there must be unfinished parts. I would say I’m happy with that.
Another pros would be that you can meet more talented artists and slowly find a sense of belonging. You never know how much a soul-fit friend can make a difference in your work and life. I have met many good friends because of photography, and some of them are my muses, giving me a lot of inspiration for creation.
On the other hand, the disadvantages of being a freelance photographer are also obvious, such as the chaos of work and rest and the instability of income. In the absence of a fixed commute time, sometimes it is difficult to have a more regular work and rest time, which is not conducive to physical health. Whenever I envy my friends who work very regularly, I basically envy them that they can have a good and regular life, eat on time, go to bed early and wake up early. I know that I should improve that part as a freelancer. Regarding unstable income, I can only say that you can slowly develop your own customer base. If you want a relatively stable income, one is to increase the number of orders received, and the more important point is to cultivate long-term cooperative customers and establish a good Reputation, word of mouth is the best marketing.
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 am an independent female photographer based in Los Angeles, mainly specializing in portraiture and fashion photography. When I was in the first year of high school, my father bought a very good-looking and compact Sony digital camera as my birthday present, and since then I have fallen in love with taking pictures out of control. I got my first DSLR and film camera as a freshman. Since then, photography has become my biggest hobby. I began to observe and record the world through the lens of the camera, interesting people, strange buildings, quiet lakes, smoky forests, I recorded my life and the beautiful and ugly things I encountered.
I didn’t study art in university, but I got undergraduate and master degrees in business. After graduation, I was working for a year. Slowly, I found that I was not happy. I want to do something meaningful to me, which was to pick up the camera again, as a recorder and creator. I started taking pictures of friends around me, people with unique faces and interesting personalities. They trust me a lot and let me express my ideas to the fullest. I post my works on social media, and I have received more and more attention and encouragement from people, and gradually clients have started to ask me to take pictures. This is how I started my career as a photographer. I don’t want to waste a minute that resigned resolutely and devoted all my precious time to the things I love. I actually didn’t think about whether the road would be bumpy or whether I was ready. I believe in a word, if you decide to do one thing wholeheartedly, then the whole world will make way for you.
With more and more photography techniques and aesthetics, I also began to shoot some fashion brand lookbooks, some editorial photography, and my works were published and recognized in some mainstream fashion magazines. In my opinion, my advantage is my sensitivity to fashion, and I also have my own understanding of color matching. Movies and paintings are also one of my main sources of inspiration. In my spare time, I often watch some good movies and go to art exhibitions. As a good fashion photographer, not only must you have good equipment and photography skills, but you also need to improve your artistic aesthetics, observe life, and inspire more creative inspiration.
As an Asian photographer, I feel that my photography combines Eastern and Western aesthetics and also my own understanding. This is different from many other photographers. I think my photography style is very distinct and expressive with strong emotions. For me, every photo is like a poem. The moment I pressed the shutter, I had already thought of a caption for this photo. I hope that when my work is exhibited, every viewer can feel the emotion behind the work.
How did you build your audience on social media?
The social media I mainly used is Instagram. I can share some experience with those just starting to build their Instagram. Nowadays, every artist should connect with the world and other people by sharing their works on social media. In the initial stage, you must upload your own works regularly and frequently and tag some relevant and highly viewed keywords, and add a location so that people around you can also see it. After accumulating a certain amount, go follow some relevant accounts or potential customers in a targeted manner to increase the chance of exposure.
Leaving more likes or comments to your favorite artists. Don’t be embarrassing, send direct messages and express your compliment to them, don’t care about other people’s replies, and don’t be stingy with your own praise. If your own work is good enough, I believe they will also appreciate your work. Posting more stories to share your daily life will also attract more attention and allow more followers to see your post.
The social networking of offline peers is also very critical. To get to know people in the industries in real life, and follow each other’s social accounts. Take Instagram as an example. The more mutual friends follow, the more chances of exposure and meeting more artists in your industry. If you decide to build up a social platform, you should persist doing it. Persistence is the most important factor for success. Finally, the most important thing is to improve the quality of your work. This is the ultimate way to get more followers.
What do you think is the goal or mission that drives your creative journey?
My recent creative goal is to shoot more editorial projects, get to know more stylists, prop artists, makeup artists, models and producers. Build up my own creative teams. Submit my art work to more magazines and shoot some art photography with more artistic expression. Next year I will open my photography exhibition, and get more photography awards.
Contact Info:
- Instagram: peidizzphoto
Image Credits
photographer: Peidi Zhang