Today we’d like to introduce you to Esther Marie.
Esther Marie, we appreciate you taking the time to share your story with us today. Where does your story begin?
I am a black 20-year-old woman and a photographer based in Minneapolis, Minnesota born and raised. I have been doing photography for about 4-5 years but doing it as a business for 3 years. When I first started my photography journey I was 15 in High school for recording arts. A school for creatives and kids that want a career in music and arts. My photography teachers Amy Lund and Layne Bellamy taught me so much and I honestly can’t thank them enough. They taught me how to set up lights, backdrops, and sets. They even showed me how to edit on Lightroom and gave me tips for starting my photography business. Truly Hsra has made my passion for photography thrive in more ways than I can ever explain and for that, I’ll forever be grateful. At the age of 17, I officially started my business. I was beginning to take clients from Instagram and Facebook. only charging $35 for an hour. I was shooting outside mostly and using my school’s photography room and their equipment. But At 18 I was gifted a free year at creative space by peers from my high school. That was my first time ever having a studio and actually having a consistent client base. at that time I was also working a part time job at target and taking 3-5 bookings a week. It was a bit exhausting. But because I had a passion for it, it fueled me to keep going. now that I’m 20. I’m at an all-women studio loft located in Minneapolis. I’m truly blessed to be surrounded by successful women photographers. Alex Monson, my studio manager and an amazing photographer. Has helped me so much with my photography journey. And I couldn’t have gotten this far without her
I’m sure you wouldn’t say it’s been obstacle-free, but so far would you say the journey has been a fairly smooth road?
I’ve gone through many obstacles that I can’t even count. I use to actually take the bus for 1-2hrs just to get to my shoots. And having a job and going to school while trying to do my photography was extremely challenging. Especially for a 17-year-old. But overall I think my biggest obstacle has been losing friends over photography pictures or having clients threaten me over the total price of the shoot. It’s draining no doubt but I’ve been fighting for this passion for a while now and nothing is gonna stop me from pursuing my photography
Thanks – so what else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?
I’m a photographer and creative director. I love being able to create and connect with people through creativity. My photography makes me proud because of the passion you can see in my photos. I’m also proud of winning many awards from competitions.
Risk taking is a topic that people have widely differing views on – we’d love to hear your thoughts.
Many many risks. Photography is a risky career. It cost a lot for equipment and studio space. Not only that but sometimes having a photography business is risky to your mental health. Worrying about finishing pictures on time and enduring mean comments from clients.
Pricing:
- $200 for an hour session
- $300 for events
- Personal creative shoots are free collaborations
Contact Info:
- Website: https://dotcards.io/eyemarie
- Instagram: https://instagram.com/eye.mariee?r=nametag
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/esther.marie.503
Image Credits
Eye.Marie
