How do you feel about your job?
Imagine a job, where you try to seek an inspiration in almost every moment of your daily routine. Where you have to work on your mood 24/7 keeping your internal enthusiasm and passion. The job, where you need to fill every part of your work with your own style and vision, and to improve this style constantly. Where every workday and it's effectiveness is unique because of the weather, location, lighting and client's attitude. Imagine a job, where you become responsible for other's most important and touching future memories; and sometimes even for others self-esteem. A job, where you need to use your sense of humor, your communication experience in this diverse society to relax the client and make him feel comfortable, no, even more - to look comfortable...
When I started to photograph 7 years ago, I chose or created the themes that made me "filled by art" and made my heart to beat faster. I started to photograph because I felt like creating the photoshoot transferred me to the other dimension - of Beauty and Creativity. I didn't start because it was a trend, I didn't start to make some extra-money. I was photographing my friends, that were ready to show to the world my (sometimes crazy) ideas and I felt very happy expressing my vision.
In 2012-2013 friends started to book me for the classic portrait shoots, love-stories and weddings. I began to learn about people's needs for the photos that they want to get. Since that time, I had to deal with different requests, different backgrounds, different expectations and what is really important - clients attitude.
As I raised as a professional, I got more bookings and more clients of various nationalities and religions. I met up the interesting cultural differences, styles, vision of Beauty and measure of gratitude. I faced the stereotypes, the misunderstanding and the lack of respect too.
I wish that people who are looking for a photographer would understand that it is very important for us to feel valued. My heart melts every time when someone gives me a call or text, starting with the words "I've seen your work, and it is amazing, I love it!", but often the only question is "How much do you charge?" without explaining what do they need and why did they choose me. I don't want to be booked because of the low-price, I want to be booked because of the value of my work, the value of my vision of beauty and creativity. I would prefer to shoot with 10 clients that understand what they are paying for, then 20, who easily pay bigger price for a dinner in the regular restaurant but can't understand, that I'm working not only the exact hour(s) of the shoot, but I'm spending hours and hours after to edit the photos - do the special color-correction and toning, make them look stylish, make them look harmonized among each other, do the retouch and appropriate framing.
I keep investing thousands in my equipment and studying - to get the best professional results and client's satisfaction.
Every shoot that I create contains my soul efforts, so it doesn't become only "client's" after I get the payment and send the final pictures to him/her. They will always remain the part of me. So I keep the right to post the photos that I take on my website or other social media for the promotion, if different is not specified by the contract/previous arrangement.
I wish my clients would understand that they're booking not a service, but an artist and an artwork. They're booking my responsibility for the result, but it depends on them too. If we have no enough time, if the clients didn't prepare for the shoot, don't want to open up or if they don't want to listen to my directions I won't be able to create a miracle.
And in the end, I just want to remind, again and again, that people's memory is not a reliable friend. Unfortunately, the most precious moments; the freshness of youth; the romance of feelings often fade through the years. And the only way to flashback is to have them recorded.
Don't lose your chance to freeze the time and the beauty, invest in your future memories!
From all my heart,
Marta Dorosh
