How to Become a Photographer – Elisabeth Caren

Entertainment, advertising, editorial, and fine art photographer Elisabeth Caren shares her 10-year journey towards discovering what fuels her existence. Now she shoots portraits for high-profile celebrities such as Serena Williams and Amy Adams – but it wasn’t always that way. Find out what she did to become a professional photographer without an MFA, how she created opportunities to build her photography portfolio, how she balanced her client’s needs with her own creative freedom, and why working for free was the best career decision she made.

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TAKEAWAYS FROM THIS EPISODE:

1. Do the research.

2. Tell people what you want to do.

3. You can work for free and still make money.

4. Figure out – what does the client need, and how can you give them more?

5. If you are not constantly making mistakes as an artist, you are dying.

6. Present your final product in a professional way.

MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE:

• Elisabeth’s website

• Elisabeth’s Instagram

• Sound blimp

• New York Times’ article on Quarter Life

• International Cinematographer’s Guild

• Joseph Campbell‘s quote about following your bliss

• Los Angeles Center of Photography

• Julia Dean

• Mary Ellen Mark

• Frank Ockenfels

• Art Schrieber

• Elisabeth’s editorial work for Viva, Serena Williams, Padma Lakshmi, Angie Harmon, Giada De Laurentiis, Kristen Bell, Jamie Alexander, Rachelle Lefevre

• Amy Adams

• Frank Gehry

• NBC’s Hannibal and MTV’s Awkward

• The Cynthia Corbett Gallery in London

• Art Palm Springs

Thank you so much for listening!

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