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Interview with Bambi Cantrell

I am very excited to bring on one of my favorites my personal friends she is a wonderful photographer you guys all know her we've had her several times here on creative life and we're excited to watch one of her segments next ladies and gentlemen miss bambi cantrell bambi so good to have you how are you doing today I'm doing great it's so nice to see you rest likewise likewise so tell us a little bit about the courses that you did in photo week oh my god to see your body weight two of my very favorite programs that I've ever done the first one was about making big prints and working with your personal printers like I used the ups and ninety nine hundred printer and two of the things that I taught in that first course were things that I do on a regular basis one of them is how to create really beautiful elegant greeting cards or promotional cards to send to clients and this is that this is exactly what one of them looks like and it was a little bit higher yeah there you go perfect this ...

is one of the ones that I did for four new moms or for to send out to doctors I have a no b g y n that I work with and I give him gift cards and this is the gift cards they hold it on the other side of your face there you go and us a little bit more and closer your face perfect there hugo and then I don't know if you could tell that it has its race off the paper the little photograph is and then I hand dekel the the edge and that added a little bit of gold building and then on the inside is just printed a very elegant little gift card message my doctor gives he's out to his patients and this brings me new clients. So anyway, this is one of the things that I showed how to do in that first course the second thing that I showed how to do was working with in cost ix now in caustic sse r it's when he poor like hot wax on top of unto a photograph, my goal is to create a variety of different kinds of products for clients. I don't want to give the impression that I owe that I do all my own printed because I don't use a photo they doing a amazing amazing job but for those times when I want something that's a little bit different that they don't offer like like the caustic process, I'm going to do that myself and then this is kind of an example of what I might do again I do the building on the edge of the prince it's mounted on a board like you see, I'm actually currently working on this piece so these are two of the two of the house choose on that first segment the second segment is un opposing for families and I love this particular segment because my style of photographing families with children is very different it's my goal is to make the experience so much fun that the children want to be photographed and so we do all kinds of crazy things like I have from jumping on the couch and and playing around because it's important that they buy into the experience. And so I show you some of my favorite tricks for for taking interesting, captivating family portrait that aren't your run of the mill kind of image is that you can get anywhere that's awesome, I mean, that's one of those things that we hear constantly is the need to stand out and what you're doing with the prince one is making images there art that are you can't just go to costco and get a print of that you cannot get that effect. It is so much more important now than ever before for us in the professional arena photography to differentiate ourselves from anyone with a camera with point shoot you know, just anyone with the camera because let's face it cameras or great these days, so we have to do things that are a little bit different and I pride myself and I like that I like the challenge of creating a variety of different kinds of products to make my company stand out. Yeah, absolutely. And it let's you and let you bring out the inner artist. I mean, that's why I think a ton of us got into this was because we love art and we are artists. We consider ourselves that and so being able to actually do that and recognize that as our strength it's beautiful, and you're giving us a lot of the tools to do that. I love it can't wait to see that let's talk briefly about some of your previous classes. Now you have been on creative of live at least, I think three times for full, for full workshops. What are some of your favorite memories from that? What do you have a favorite among the course you've taught I will send my personal favorite is the third course and that's, the one that I did here in my studio. I loved that experience because it's one thing to come to the creative live arena and teach a course there, but I feel that when you come to my studio, this is like you were right sitting in my studio, seeing what I use on a regular basis and how I work with within the confines of the studio space that I have and I think that's part of the secret to my success is the way that I manipulate the scene and use the different environments. Not only that, but one of the other benefits of seeing the studio environment is that a photographer or those that are interested, you know, get a chance to see other aspects of the photographic business, and we did a whole segment on the sales process, which was which was priceless, and I think, really, really important. The other thing that I did that I love in that course was that I brought in some of my favorite people, we have a couple of local artists and crazy design architects that are building that, that we're able to give some really quick tips on redefining your space. So it was it was my very favorite class, other than that I've done two courses that dealt with opposing the first one was more wedding oriented and who of us doesn't need to bone up on our posing when it comes to weddings? The second course that I did was more geared towards food war photography and gave some very, very and I was able to give some very so specific instruction on posing and lighting specifically. Yeah, I loved coming down to your studio I mean it's it's a beautiful space and the way that you had used it and intentionally set it up to be that space where you can shoot where you can have those sales events I mean, it really was it's a different experience yeah he said and so I thought it was amazing I agree coming down there was was fantastic and senior work in your natural element was wonderful so I agree it is a great place to may I wish I hope we can do that again sometime I'li too wait, I'm sorry yeah, you know, I think that to me one of the things that makes that course specifically very unique and you know, people all the time are asking maybe you can we come to your studio and we'd like to see what it's like well, this is a great way to do it without having it encouraging costs. Yeah, absolutely and that's one of those things where again, seeing somebody working in their natural environment will actually help you to then recognize what am I doing in my space that is different. What can I do? Even if I don't have a home studio and actual studio, what can I do to my home or wherever you're meeting your clients to make it a more welcoming environment to make it more conducive to a successful experience and you know even on that russ one of the things that I did in that last segment is I took the course on a tour of my first space which was in my home and so in the first in this course I'm able to show you where I used to live and I come from a very blue collar background so I don't come from money and so it's I was able to give the audience some very, very useful tips on what to do if you have a home studio absolutely it was a wonderful experience so folks check it out if you are interested in being able to actually run a beautiful and effective studio it was really really cool so bambi we've been asking a couple questions of everyone and I would love to hear your answers what are so some of the questions that you get asked the most often I mean like you said people right you want to come visit what are the questions people are asking you well it depends on whether it's a photographer or a client the clients want to know sometimes they'll go you know how much do you charge and you know that's like the big question of the hour photographers want know what itself I used that we're just kind of funny because it really depends on the situation on dso but the good thing for photographers here's my answer I would say that there is no horace that answer um I think it's really important for photographers to learn the difference between an s stop in a bus stop no joke around about that occasionally but it is so true more today than ever before is it important for the photography community for those out there that are interested in doing this as a profession toe learn their craft because then you have the ability to manipulate in camera and create images that really scream in your behalf and then as faras clients when it comes to you know how much do you charge you know I'm very straightforward I let them know I think that it's in their best interest that they pay more to hire me because I'm not one of the least expensive photographers in the in the universe but I really believe that that it's in their best interest to pay more absolutely I love that for for that one actually owning up to your value and recognizing and telling people yes I have value and you're going to spend more for me and you're going to get more and that's why you should spend that money and then I love your your answer for the photographers because that's what I mean that's what we're all about here is learning your craft learning what you need to do so that you can have an answer no matter what the situation because every situation is going to be different and you can't just give a single like this is the f stop that you should be using correct because it just light changes and if you don't if you don't understand if you don't know enough stop from a bus stop, then you can't make that decision based on the situation you're in I love that and now let's hear one of things that we've been asking is well is what the advice you would give to a young bambi kentrell who's just starting out what do you wish you had known when you were starting? Um it's twofold? The first thing that I would say is I wish I had known that was ok to make mistakes however you use those mistakes is tool for growth you don't use it as an excuse for sloppy photography and find too many folks make excuses for themselves and just think that if they press that shutter enough times that they're going to get a great picture, well that may be a happy accident so I say really work on your craft and the second when it's, the other thing that I would have to say is and this is the best advice I ever got from anyone was from denis reggie in nineteen eighty nine when he said don't price your services according to what you personally kind of ford and before that I spent the first five years of my career literally starving to death because I was so cheap, I could afford to hire myself. Um, so I once I learned that it was okay for me to charge more it's, not about how much you charge it's about what you get to keep, and I'm very passionate about the photography community not starving to death and also learning to become profitable and none not giving yourself into too much debt. And I think that's one of the benefits of the creative life experience is that you can gain a very, very high dollar education ah, very good education with without having to spend thousands and thousands of dollars, and I truly believe that the best thing that I get to do today, I get to do because I don't have a lot of debt. Um, I'm get free, my business is debt free and not that I have every toy known to man, he just needed camera, you need a good lens and a good camera by one don't buy into the lie that says you have to have everything to get started, get be pure, and if you learn your craft, then you can get by with a good camera and a great lens and maybe a flash or something, but you can't do that if you're going to just be, you know, just shoot them running around and not learn your craft. I love that. Thank you so much, bambi. Very wise words. I love hearing. We hate the idea of the starving artist it's it's, a concept whose time has passed. And I think that folks like you are on the forefront here, of teaching and helping people to understand that they don't have to starve and in order to be an artist.