This week our featured guest is Becky Johnson with Becky Johnson Studios. Becky is an accomplished photographer and her work speaks for itself . As an artist, her main desire is to capture the moments that speak to each and everyone of her clients from the first time you look at them to the fiftieth time you look at them. Read what she has to say in our interview below. Thanks Becky! You are amazing!What do you love most about weddings?
I have been involved in photographing weddings for more than 15 years and it never gets old. I think the most enjoyable factor, is the energy of a wedding – the challenge that it presents as an artist. I have said and will continue to say, that weddings present the biggest challenges in the photographic world. It is a one-time chance to get something right. There are no re-takes, no pauses, no second chances. You rarely have “the perfect lighting” and sometimes not the perfect situation, but you know how to adapt and think on your feet. This is something that a photographer can only achieve through years of experience in shooting weddings. I love working with people and I think that having that gift works symbiotically with shooting well. Weddings are so chock full of folks from different cultures, ages and belief systems, that it really is a very energetic and dynamic event – and that is part of what makes it so much fun!
How do you continue to challenge yourself in this industry?
In the industry right now, let’s face it – there are a ton of everyday people, taking big risks – buying photographic equipment and taking the plunge because they really love photography. Many of them are turning to shooting weddings because they think the money is great – shoot a little on the weekends, maintain a full-time job on the weekdays and get that extra $500 a week. Truth is, the seasoned, full-time wedding photographer, could never make a proper living on charging $500 a wedding. These folks who do it to earn extra cash, may not have the proper insurances, carry back-up equipment or really have a clue as to how to properly shoot a wedding. I challenge my business by learning how to separate myself in my branding, marketing and shooting style. If you really look at wedding photography – beyond the price sheets, beyond the gimmicky sales pitches, taking all of that away – look at the substance of what you are buying. The art of it all. I have to challenge myself to always explore being a better artist than what I was yesterday, that is what will ultimately separate me from the crowd.
What do you think is the most important thing each couple that works with you needs to know?
THE single most important thing, is that this is an art. This is all by Becky Johnson and for my client. I am not a convenience store photographer – the gimmick of convenience is great, get in fast, pay a higher price, get out quick – all while the motor is still running. But a true artist – one who really cares about their craft – is not going to churn and spit out this labor of love like a convenience store purchase. Good work takes time. This is my craft. My passion. I do not hire a team of photographers and throw someone in the line up to the wolves the day of your wedding – you get me. I do not send my images off to an image edit warehouse – every image is edited with my style and only the way I see it, from capture to finish. I do not have some person 1000 miles away designing my albums – they cannot see a design the way I see a design. Only one person knows my client best, and that’s me. I’d rather shoot 25 weddings a year and know the people I call my clients, than churn out 150 weddings a year and treat my clients like a number. I feel that if I know my couples well enough, it gives my work a deeper meaning - and what you get as a service and product is more meaningful. It’s richer, more intimate and more personable. Isn’t that how your marriage is? So the one lasting purchase of your wedding, should reflect the same care and intimacy as the union itself.
Bernard Pivot's Famous Questionnaire
I have been involved in photographing weddings for more than 15 years and it never gets old. I think the most enjoyable factor, is the energy of a wedding – the challenge that it presents as an artist. I have said and will continue to say, that weddings present the biggest challenges in the photographic world. It is a one-time chance to get something right. There are no re-takes, no pauses, no second chances. You rarely have “the perfect lighting” and sometimes not the perfect situation, but you know how to adapt and think on your feet. This is something that a photographer can only achieve through years of experience in shooting weddings. I love working with people and I think that having that gift works symbiotically with shooting well. Weddings are so chock full of folks from different cultures, ages and belief systems, that it really is a very energetic and dynamic event – and that is part of what makes it so much fun!
How do you continue to challenge yourself in this industry?
In the industry right now, let’s face it – there are a ton of everyday people, taking big risks – buying photographic equipment and taking the plunge because they really love photography. Many of them are turning to shooting weddings because they think the money is great – shoot a little on the weekends, maintain a full-time job on the weekdays and get that extra $500 a week. Truth is, the seasoned, full-time wedding photographer, could never make a proper living on charging $500 a wedding. These folks who do it to earn extra cash, may not have the proper insurances, carry back-up equipment or really have a clue as to how to properly shoot a wedding. I challenge my business by learning how to separate myself in my branding, marketing and shooting style. If you really look at wedding photography – beyond the price sheets, beyond the gimmicky sales pitches, taking all of that away – look at the substance of what you are buying. The art of it all. I have to challenge myself to always explore being a better artist than what I was yesterday, that is what will ultimately separate me from the crowd.
What do you think is the most important thing each couple that works with you needs to know?
THE single most important thing, is that this is an art. This is all by Becky Johnson and for my client. I am not a convenience store photographer – the gimmick of convenience is great, get in fast, pay a higher price, get out quick – all while the motor is still running. But a true artist – one who really cares about their craft – is not going to churn and spit out this labor of love like a convenience store purchase. Good work takes time. This is my craft. My passion. I do not hire a team of photographers and throw someone in the line up to the wolves the day of your wedding – you get me. I do not send my images off to an image edit warehouse – every image is edited with my style and only the way I see it, from capture to finish. I do not have some person 1000 miles away designing my albums – they cannot see a design the way I see a design. Only one person knows my client best, and that’s me. I’d rather shoot 25 weddings a year and know the people I call my clients, than churn out 150 weddings a year and treat my clients like a number. I feel that if I know my couples well enough, it gives my work a deeper meaning - and what you get as a service and product is more meaningful. It’s richer, more intimate and more personable. Isn’t that how your marriage is? So the one lasting purchase of your wedding, should reflect the same care and intimacy as the union itself.
Bernard Pivot's Famous Questionnaire
What is your favorite word? I can’t say I have one favorite word – but a few are; live, faith, love, strength
What is your least favorite word? hate
What turns you on creatively, spiritually or emotionally? Speaking about my business, when a client feels good about the images I produce for them.
What turns you off creatively, spiritually or emotionally? People who place such little value on my service to them or the craft as a whole. That pertains to both consumers and professionals.
What sound or noise do you love? Absolutely, the fatty giggle gurgle of a baby.
What sound or noise do you hate? Chewing.
What is your favorite curse word? A word that is not allowed anywhere near a TV camera.
What profession other than your own would you like to attempt? I always thought if I had to get another job, it would be a snake milker for Discovery Channel.
What profession would you not like to do? I wouldn’t want to be a chicken sexer.
If Heaven exists, what would you like to hear God say when you arrive at the Pearly Gates? Heaven exists and God would say, “Becky, you are funny, but you ain’t THAT funny.”
What is your least favorite word? hate
What turns you on creatively, spiritually or emotionally? Speaking about my business, when a client feels good about the images I produce for them.
What turns you off creatively, spiritually or emotionally? People who place such little value on my service to them or the craft as a whole. That pertains to both consumers and professionals.
What sound or noise do you love? Absolutely, the fatty giggle gurgle of a baby.
What sound or noise do you hate? Chewing.
What is your favorite curse word? A word that is not allowed anywhere near a TV camera.
What profession other than your own would you like to attempt? I always thought if I had to get another job, it would be a snake milker for Discovery Channel.
What profession would you not like to do? I wouldn’t want to be a chicken sexer.
If Heaven exists, what would you like to hear God say when you arrive at the Pearly Gates? Heaven exists and God would say, “Becky, you are funny, but you ain’t THAT funny.”
You can view of Becky Johnson's work at http://www.beckyjohnsonstudios.com/! Enjoy!
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