Brook is a local photographer with a ton of passion. I followed her for some time before we finally decided to meet up and do some work together. One of the many things I respect about Brook is her dedication. When she does a job she puts her whole heart into it. Her big project right now is Camera Class Photography for Kids where she teaches small groups of ‘kidtographers’ cool camera techniques. I spent one afternoon with these future photo experts and joined in the lesson of the day – action photos. Most recently Brook was appointed the awesome position as the Director of Photography for Liquid Sky.
Get some motivation from Brook and read more about Rose Riot Photography below.
1) What motivates you to wake up in the morning?
Sleep? I’m not familiar with this word, haha. I have always been an early riser but if I have a big shoot or am teaching a class the next day, I get so excited I wake up around 2 or 3 a.m. I like work when the world is asleep. It’s much easier for me to focus that way. I tend to have all my super creative ideas at night but tend to do more of the actual hands on work or business in the morning.
2) What has been the most challenging part of creating your business so far?
The most challenging part is everything! It has been such a wild ride. When I first started it was frustration when I couldn’t get the image results I wanted and everything seemed to be way over my head. When I started learning how to do “stuff”, the challenge was being taken seriously. With this odd age of social networking, people saw my evolution. Sometimes I feel like I went through an awkward technology and artistic “puberty” in front of everyone of the world. Keeping up with technology is hard, keeping up with social networking is nearly impossible for me but the HARDEST part is the money part. I am simply not motivated by money, never have been. I am motivated to feed my children and pay the bills but charging people what I am worth is a toughy for me.
3) What is the most rewarding part of your business and what is something you loath doing?
I feel deeply rewarded when I get compliments from artists and other photographers, I am really hard on myself so having someone I respect tell me I did a good job feels great.. Doing a really difficult shoot and then seeing that I nailed the images is rewarding. Working with kids, teaching kids is pretty darn rewarding. Getting an email from a parent telling me how much their child enjoyed my class rocks my face off. Hearing a kid get excited when they learn how to do something cool with a camera is a fantastic feeling. I don’t loathe anything about my education program at all. I do loathe having to deal with the business part of my photography business. That part is a drag.
4) Who are 2 people that inspire you and why?
5) What is your one piece of advice for readers who want to get started on their own project / business?
Play nicely with others!
6) Shameless plug – what makes your brand great?
The Rose Riot brand is kind of always evolving but the thing that makes Rose Riot Photography great is the range of emotions I capture with my work. I always say that babies, animals and rockers are my favorite thing to shoot. They all have amazing emotions, I love to capture that! Camera Class Photography for Kids is great because I am an AWESOME teacher! Kids are my favorite people!
Follow Rose Riot on Facebook – Instagram & Twitter: @RoseRiotPhotography
Photos and Interview by Joyelan.com
Face to Face ATL is a bi-weekly blog series of interviews with local small business owners and project founders. Find out where the ideas started and what motivates these empowering individuals. If you know someone that would be a good fit for this blog please email Joy@Joyelan.com #FacetoFaceATL
