Today we’d like to introduce you to Erik Van Riper
Hi Erik, so excited to have you on the platform. So before we get into questions about your work-life, maybe you can bring our readers up to speed on your story and how you got to where you are today?
I spent most of my career as an operations executive, while Barbara was working as a proofreader/editor and doing photography and graphic design. We were on vacation many years ago and Barbara had brought her digital camera along, I started asking to use it more and more, as my experience was with film cameras, and digital really began to interest me. While living in Los Angeles, I started taking photography classes from some prominent photographers, and fell in love with the art. Barbara had spent several years photographing weddings and engagements while living in Central Minnesota. We then moved to Rochester, MN together a few years ago, and decided to open a studio (Happy Clicker Studios) to explore how to turn our passion into a labor of love. We are now in our 3rd studio space, each time growing larger than the last and loving every minute of it!
I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
Overall the creativity has been progressively smooth, but the economy has been a major contributor in creating bumps on our path to success. After the COVID lock downs, many city downtowns – including Rochester – are struggling to come back to life. People are increasingly working from home, which has slowed down a lot of business in the city. We are slowly seeing improvements however, and are doing all we can to help create a vibrant addition to the community!
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
Our niche is creating a story with the use of light, shadows and color, and a little magic. We love when a customer comes to us with a spark of an idea. It’s usually not fully fleshed out, and we get the opportunity to help bring their original concept to life. From set design, to lighting and posing, when it all comes together it is a fantastic feeling. Between my technical know-how and Barbara’s design background, we can help tell a customers’ story with sincere emotion. I think the thing that sets us apart from other photographers is that we are not going to take your picture – we’re going to create a portrait with you, one that undeniably shows you the way you see yourself, and how you want the world to see you. We consider it “mission accomplished” if we have to get our customer a tissue while they are reviewing their images, it means we hit the mark if their images evoke powerful emotions.
We’re always looking for the lessons that can be learned in any situation, including tragic ones like the Covid-19 crisis. Are there any lessons you’ve learned that you can share?
After Covid, people have become very different when it comes to capturing their concepts or special moments. People feel that those moments have become even more important due to personal losses throughout the pandemic, with people, life and time, and that makes our job even more special if we can help preserve memories for them. If we are hired to help a customer with a project, it has always been important that we really listen to the client to fully understand how to bring their vision to life. After Covid, people want to be heard and understood on a more personal level, and to do that, it’s important to take the time to get to know them. Every project with the client is like planning with a close friend – and when it’s their day/time to come in to the studio, we take it seriously that they have chosen us to help make their concept a reality, and honored and grateful that they have chosen us to help them create something to represent a chapter in their life or business. Not too serious though – because creativity can be so full of energy and fun! It’s really a team effort from beginning to end! Covid made time, and life, much more precious, and capturing those once in a lifetime moments all that more important.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.happyclicker.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/happy_clicker_photography
