Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Phillip Istomin. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.
Phillip, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. Earning a full time living from one’s creative career can be incredibly difficult. Have you been able to do so and if so, can you share some of the key parts of your journey and any important advice or lessons that might help creatives who haven’t been able to yet?
It took me close to 10 years to get to a point where I didn’t have to stress about when or where the next job would come from. Now, I don’t believe that this would be the case for everyone. Some people are more extraverted and perhaps have better social networking and marketing skills. Others might specialize in an area that has a broader appeal. But I knew from very early on that my main goal would be to try to connect to a very niche audience. The challenge was to figure out a way to get my work in front of those people. My ideal client would not choose a photographer based off the price or popularity of what they do. My ideal client would seek me out because of the unique voice/vision/aesthetic that I offer and my ability to conceptualize ideas and bring them to life. My ideal client would not want to hire the same photographer that everyone else in the area has been hiring simply because they figured out a way to have one signature look that “everyone” loves.
Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.
From the very beginning I was very conscious about creating work that would stand out and make people pause and think. My goal is to hopefully evoke a feeling from my audience so I try to create images that have a sense of story. I’ve always been drawn to photographs that feel like they could be stills from a movie. This is not surprising since film is something I love as a medium and constantly draw inspiration from. I think the best artists put themselves in their work, meaning their work is a reflection of who they are and where they come from. I grew up in Moscow Russia where music and music videos were the biggest influence on me and the foundation of my artistic aesthetic. My family moved to America when I was 13, which I’m sure had a major effect on my adolescent development. Eventually I started paying attention to fashion and fashion magazines, at which point I really fell in love with fashion photography. I discovered photographers such as Steven Klein and Mert & Marcus, who influenced me greatly at the time. I worked backwards in learning about the photographers who came before them, and in turn influenced the big names working in the industry now. I loved learning about each artist’s methods and approach to shoots, from the conceptual stage to their individual style of shooting. I was a sponge absorbing everything that I loved, processing it, and putting it into my own work. In the early days I would just come up with a concept or an idea and reach out to people over social media or friends of mine to see if they would be willing to collaborate with me. This is how I started putting my portfolio together. In the meantime I was also occasionally on the other side of the camera as a model, which helped me greatly in being a better communicator with my models when I had my photographer hat on. Over the years I gained more and more experience and developed my own aesthetic. I’m still surprised when people tell me that they can always spot my work, even though the body of my work ranges from fashion to portraiture to interiors and landscapes. I’ve always hated the advice I’d hear over and over again: “Pick one thing and become a specialist of it.” I could never just pick one genre or one type of photography. I love the fact that I get to shoot so many different subjects and subject matter, everything is its own challenge and I’m never bored!
Is there mission driving your creative journey?
My main mission when it comes to my career is to never stop improving and being excited by whatever it is I’m doing. I’m not even limiting myself to photography. I might get more into video down the line or perhaps even decide to write another album of music. I want to learn new techniques, I want to shoot something I’ve never shot before. Ideas and inspiration are endless. The moment you relax, maybe start caring less, or think that “you’ve made it” is the moment that you stop growing. Of course I love making a good living doing what I do and I want to keep reaching new creative and financial goals. The key is to feel like you’re always moving forward. I always look forward to meeting new people, new clients, and developing long term relationships. I’m big on trust, loyalty, and mutual respect.
Can you share a story from your journey that illustrates your resilience?
There were plenty of moments along my career path during which I really questioned myself and wondered if I could solely rely on photography to make a decent living. I never doubted myself or my abilities, but I knew it wasn’t simply up to me. I would get frustrated by the fact that I knew that my audience was out there, but I had a hard time getting that audience to notice me. In my case it simply took time, continuously putting out new work, and meeting a woman of my dreams who instilled even more confidence in myself and my abilities. I made sure I did everything I could in order to be more visible online. I worked on my website and took care of my SEO. I connected with more clients and was able to produce work that ended up on covers of national publications. All of the efforts add up and lead to more work, more clients, and the all important feeling of validation. You have to care deeply about whatever it is you do, you have to want to be the best at it, and you need the desire to never stop improving.
Contact Info:
- Website: manicproject.com
- Instagram: @manicproject
Image Credits
OC Tanner/Rebecca Lima, The Mellor Family, Jean Mpalomby, Elsa Harper, Chris Crittenden.