We recently connected with Stefanie Haviv and have shared our conversation below.
Stefanie , appreciate you joining us today. 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?
I currently am a full time photographer. I also have 3 kids and a busy horse farm!
I started my photography journey while I was bartending in Brooklyn in 2009 as a hobbyist. I’ve always had a film SLR but it wasn’t until I moved to NYC that I purchased my first DSLR. Once I bought my first prime lens (a 50mm), I was hooked and started getting the urge to shoot professionally.
When my husband and I married in North Carolina, our wedding photographer asked if I’d like to assist him on weddings as a second shooter. This was 2011. I was also working at a French Bakery. I started photographing weddings on the weekend and photographing food for the bakery during the week.
Most often as a second shooter you’re not allowed to keep any of the images for your portfolio. I knew I’d have to do something brave in order to get started on my own. So I did two things: I organized a few styled shoots with the French bakery in order to promote their wedding/catering department. I then had enough images to start a website. The next thing I did was reach out to Jon Sandbu in Norway (Maximillian Photography) and asked if I could assist him on a wedding for free in exchange for keeping the images. I ended up flying to Norway in the Spring of 2015 and once I was home, my career really took off.
I then started a grassroots campaign of reaching out to as many vendors as I could, working styled shoots, and going to showcases. Simultaneously I was getting a reputation as a food photographer and I shot my first cookbook in 2017 with Bruce Moffett (Bruce Moffett Cooks). This is when I went completely full time.
Now my calendar is full with a variety of photography, and almost all of it is referral based. I work with the Charlotte Mecklenburg Library doing their headshots and events, a few other non-profit organizations, I photograph antiques in a studio for a local dealer at least one day a week, I still photograph food for local restaurants, and my weekends are normally booked with weddings or bar/bat mitzvahs.
I do not have a degree in fine art or photography. I have a BA in Sociology and Italian (go figure). Sometimes I wish I would have studied photography and business instead… but I know that my college and life experience led me to where I am today so I’m not sure if I went back in time I would change anything at all. I love what I do and I love how I got here.
What do you think makes you stand out?
I think the one thing about me that is unique is that I am not a niche photographer. People ask me what my favorite subject is and I tell them I don’t have one. Most photographers will tell you in order to make it you must specialize in something. You have to be a “go-to” photographer for x, y, OR z. Not the whole alphabet.
To me, everything is made up of shapes, lines, colors, and positive or negative space. Why chose? If I’ve never shot something before, I run towards that opportunity.
I LIVE FOR A NEW CHALLENGE!
Learning something new from one subject matter will flow into and help me develop when I’m working with the usual suspects (weddings, portraits, food etc.). This has made me fearless and also incredibly versatile.
Any advice for growing your clientele? What’s been most effective for you?
In the arts industry we often forget the “service” side of things.
Before photography, I was always some working in some form of customer service in the restaurant industry, most often a bartender or server. I do not regret working these jobs as for one, it was a great way to make money and buy the equipment I needed to get started; and 2, I was able to build confidence talking to people, making conversation, and building relationships.
Relationships are like plants. They need quality attention or they will wilt. I do my best not only to communicate clearly and timely with my clientele, but I also make sure they feel taken care of and that my photography service not only met their expectations, but exceeded them.
Can you tell us about a time you’ve had to pivot?
Contact Info:
- Website: www.stefaniehaviv.com
- Instagram: www.instagram.com/stefaniehavivphotography
- Facebook: www.facebook.com/stefaniehavivphotography/
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/stefanie-haviv/
Image Credits
Stefanie Haviv