As some of you guys know, I have made the transition from being a hobbyist cosplay photographer to a commercial photographer. However, I still keep true to the spirit of The Art of Mezame by planning and executing conceptual commercial photoshoots with corporate clients and couples who want to have a unique fantasy pre-wedding photoshoot.
Recent corporate clients include Singapore Internet Service Provider MyRepublic where we shot Meg, the company’s mascot, and gaming peripheral company Razer Inc. (USA) where I go hands-on with the all-new Razer Phone 2 and came up with a series of images for Razer CEO Min-Liang Tan’s keynote during the Razer Phone 2 reveal and launch.
I have also been extensively running talks, seminars and workshops on photography and am currently working closely with brands such as Phase One, Sony, Fujifilm, Wacom and Eizo. I have recently been made a Phase One Certified Professional and these days run workshops on Capture One in the South-East Asian region as well – notably Singapore, Malaysia, Indonesia and Thailand – with various studios and communities such as the Royal Photographic Society of Thailand and Library@Orchard in Singapore.
DISCLAIMER: In the next 3 entries of my blog, I will share with you some tips and tricks which I have picked up during my transition. I also gave a talk at ShootBKK on this series during my recent trip to Bangkok, Thailand.
These tips and tricks are from my own personal experience and may or may not work for you. Your experiences may vary.
If they do work for you, then that’s great! If they don’t, well, you just have to keep on looking for what works for you.
Good luck, Godspeed and may the Force be with you!
- Document your personal growth
- Keep important blog entries – your achievements, thoughts, storyboards, ideas/concepts and setups (good for sharing!)
- Take behind-the-scenes photos/videos (can be used as educational/marketing material)
- Annually update and archive your portfolio (keep your old stuff to see how far you’ve grown or if you’ve grown at all)
- Print your works; have a consistent improvement but find a style that screams you
- Keep track of your spending
- Have an Excel spreadsheet to take note of your spending – very useful if you are doing commercial work; your next job may determine the budget for your next purchase
- List down your inventory and the dates of purchase (things break down, know when to replace them)
- Master your equipment no matter how small, but know when to upgrade (software and hardware)
- Research before spending (never be penny wise, a pound foolish – futureproof yourself)
- Network, network, network
- When you begin, it’s about who you know
- In the end, it’s about who knows you
- Work with the right people – the right crew of model, makeup artist, assistants, etc. can help you go far
- Don’t just find a mentor, find a damngood mentor who can show you the ropes and is not going to hold back from giving constructive criticism on your works
- Go for portfolio reviews with the right photography associations
And that’s it for Part 1 of this series. Go here for Part 2! Go here for Part 3!
If you have any questions, feel free to email me at mezame@theartofmezame.com. Cheers!
