The Creative Freelancer

S2E6 DP Shannon Palmer

David Bracetty — Fri, 30 Apr 2021 14:30:04 -0400

I’m thrilled to finally get the chance to speak with DP Shannon Palmer. Based out of New York by way of Baltimore (crabs cakes, football and DP’s… am I right?) she shares her journey from athlete to DP. In this episode you’ll find out her thoughts on film school, having a full time job and what steps she took in her career to make a name for herself as a DP not only in Baltimore but also NYC. If you’re an aspiring or even a seasoned DP who feels stuck and not sure what the next step you should take is – this is the episode for you!

S2E6: Michelle Gustafson | How to Move Across the Country and Start a Photo Career

David Bracetty — Tue, 18 Aug 2020 18:01:05 -0400

Philadelphia based Michelle Gustafson and I met during an assignment cover The Penn Relays. I was amazed at how naturally she struck up a conversation. Watching her work and approach people she had never met seemed to come so effortless to her. After following her on Instagram and seeing her reportage and portraiture, I had to know how she was able to reach out to complete strangers, walk into their house and put them at ease for portraits, especially with the topics she was covering including addiction, epidemics, immigration and other sensitive subjects. As per the bio on her website: “Her reportage and portraiture keenly reflects a curiosity and sensitivity towards her subjects, observing the intimate gestures and subtle interactions between them to tell a larger story of human connection and relativity.” Some of her clients include The New York Times, U.S. News and World Report, NPR, CNN and Bloomberg Business. Our conversation starts in 2004 as she, a New Mexico native, decides on what college to attend. Over the next few years (and a few states later, she makes the jump to the east coast and shares with us in detail each step she took to building the career she has today. It’s our longest episode of the season but packed with inspiration to anyone looking to start fresh in a photography career or even a seasoned photographer looking to move to another market. Michelle shares in-depth, step by step how she interacts with the subjects she photographs in their homes. This episode serves as a blueprint to what it takes to create a career in reportage and journalistic photography as well as some amazing gems dropped by Michelle that will light a fire of motivation to any seasoned photog. If you have been trying to “make it” as a photographer and wonder “Am I on the right path?” this episode is for you! ++++ A quick shoutout to this episode’s sponsor, Think Tank. Flashback to 2015, I had just quit my full time job to create content for Gary Vaynerchuk’s personal trainer. I had to travel once a week into NYC with a laptop, lenses, camera, mic and headphones. I knew my current bag wasn’t going to cut it. After doing a ton of research I settled on the Think Thank Airport Essentials bag. I can’t begin to tell you how many miles I’ve walked around NYC with that bag on my back fully loaded with my gear. It’s super reliable, fits into overhead compartments and had been my go to bag for the last 6 years now. See the multiple ways you can arrange your gear by heading over to the Think Tank website. Play Interview with Michelle Gustafson Click to listen to full episode

S2E5: Caitlin Dooley | The Power of a Stylist

David Bracetty — Tue, 11 Aug 2020 19:52:00 -0400

New York City based Stylist Caitlin Dooley keeps Season 2 of The Creative Freelancer going strong. It’s already our 23rd episode of this podcast and like all great things with the number #23, Caitlin delivers. Ever wonder what a photographer should have lined up before dropping into that stylist’s DM and asking them to work […] The post S2E5: Caitlin Dooley | The Power of a Stylist appeared first on The Creative Freelancer.

S2E4: Elizabeth Collins | Working with a Producer

David Bracetty — Tue, 04 Aug 2020 15:22:04 -0400

Season 2 continues to roll along with Producer Elizabeth Collins. Elizabeth’s company, CTRL E Content produces branded content and commercials for companies including UPS, Jersey Mike Subs, Nike, L.L. Bean and others. In this conversation, we discuss the top 3 mistakes Directors are making by self producing. We also talk about when is “the right” time to consider reaching out to a producer. Is it dictated by budget? Experience? Elizabeth also shares what she views the relationship between a Director and Producer looks like on a project. As a director who’s self produced projects and was seeing the budgets and demand continue to grow, working with Elizabeth was a true pleasure. It helped having a professional discuss the details of budget directly with the client and keep the client demands within scope in the budget. If this sounds like the episode for you, tap that play button below and enjoy this conversation with Elizabeth Collins. ++++ A quick shoutout to this episode’s sponsor, Think Tank. Flashback to 2015, I had just quit my full time job to create content for Gary Vaynerchuk’s personal trainer. I had to travel once a week into NYC with a laptop, lenses, camera, mic and headphones. I knew my current bag wasn’t going to cut it. After doing a ton of research I settled on the Think Thank Airport Essentials bag. I can’t begin to tell you how many miles I’ve walked around NYC with that bag on my back fully loaded with my gear. It’s super reliable, fits into overhead compartments and had been my go to bag for the last 6 years now. See the multiple ways you can arrange your gear by heading over to the Think Tank website. Listen to Elizabeth Collins Interview Click play to listen to full episode Links mentioned in our convo Zoey’s Extraordinary PlaylistOzark

S2E3 : Emily Maye | How Personal Projects Can Open Doors

David Bracetty — Tue, 28 Jul 2020 18:07:00 -0400

Continuing with our pattern of all female creatives for Season 2, photographer/director Emily Maye is our guest on this episode of The Creative Freelancer Podcast. Based in the US, represented worldwide, Emily's client roster is amazing and includes Adidas, The North Face, Rapha, Lululemon, Whoop, Trek, Tracksmith and the list goes on and on. One this episode we discuss how an injury changed the trajectory of her career from professional ballet dancer to visual creative. We also discuss how a personal project of the Tour of Utah led to an opportunity to create images for a professional cycling team. Emily does an amazing job of dropping wisdom throughout the episode and if you are paying attention, they will be of great value in your own career. ++++ A quick shoutout to this episode’s sponsor, Think Tank. Flashback to 2015, I had just quit my full time job to create content for Gary Vaynerchuk’s personal trainer. I had to travel once a week into NYC with a laptop, lenses, camera, mic and headphones. I knew my current bag wasn’t going to cut it. After doing a ton of research I settled on the Think Thank Airport Essentials bag. I can’t begin to tell you how many miles I’ve walked around NYC with that bag on my back fully loaded with my gear. It’s super reliable, fits into overhead compartments and had been my go to bag for the last 6 years now. See the multiple ways you can arrange your gear by heading over to the Think Tank website.

S2E2 : Amy Wolff | How to shoot for a magazine

David Bracetty — Tue, 21 Jul 2020 21:00:19 -0400

Our guest on this week’s podcast episode is Hearst Photo Director Amy Wolff. Amy oversees the photo departments for Runner’s World, Bicycling and Popular Mechanics magazines. Last month I put out a question on my Instagram asking everyone “Who do you want to be a guest on The Creative Freelancer?” Amy Wolff was the collective request (alongside Emily Maye which will be the next episode). In our conversation, we discuss the current role of a photo director in the magazine industry and how she sees that changing. We talk about the recent visual brand shift at the magazines and what was the driving force behind them and also tackle the question everyone was sliding into my DM’s about, “How can I shoot for Runner’s World Magazine??!!” This episode is great for anyone looking to get on a magazine’s photo editors radar and explains in detail how to do it the right way. Hint: You don’t send nasty emails saying “I can’t believe you hired that person instead of me!” After the episode, please consider sharing it with someone who would benefit from hearing this conversation. While you’re at it, leave a review and let me know about via DM and I’ll enter you into this month’s giveaway for Think Tank swag. ++++ A quick shoutout to this episode’s sponsor, Think Tank. Flashback to 2015, I had just quit my full time job to create content for Gary Vaynerchuk’s personal trainer. I had to travel once a week into NYC with a laptop, lenses, camera, mic and headphones. I knew my current bag wasn’t going to cut it. After doing a ton of research I settled on the Think Thank Airport Essentials bag. I can’t begin to tell you how many miles I’ve walked around NYC with that bag on my back fully loaded with my gear. It’s super reliable, fits into overhead compartments and had been my go to bag for the last 6 years now. See the multiple ways you can arrange your gear by heading over to the Think Tank website. Listen to Amy Wolff Click here to play Full Episode

S2E1 : Daniele Anastasion | Writer + Director

David Bracetty — Wed, 08 Jul 2020 15:45:42 -0400

Welcome back to Season 2 of The Creative Freelancer, I’m your host David Bracetty and on this episode, our guest is D.C. based writer and director Daniel Anastasion. I first discovered Daniele’s work on I am Yupik, a short film about a native Alaskan teenager’s quest to preserve his culture, premiered at the 2016 Sundance Film Festival. Her first feature, The Redemption of General Butt Naked received the Sundance award for Best Cinematography and was nominated for an Independent Spirit Award. She also is the director behind Run Mama Run an episodic series that follows Olympic hopeful Sarah Brown as they trains for the Olympic Trials while pregnant. We recently sat down to discuss her process as it relates to directing, her need to tell these stories and the importance of relationships coming up in the film industry. ++++ A quick shoutout to this episodes sponsor, Think Tank. Flashback to 2013, I had just quit my full time job to create content for Gary Vaynerchuk’s personal trainer. I had to travel once a week into NYC with a laptop, lenses, camera, mic and headphones. I knew my current bag wasn’t going to cut it. After doing a ton of research I settled on the Think Thank Airport Essentials bag. I can’t begin to tell you how many miles I’ve walked around NYC with that bag on my back fully loaded with my gear. It’s super reliable, fits into overhead compartments and had been my go to bag for the last 6 years now. See the multiple ways you can arrange your gear by heading over to the Think Tank website. Listen to Daniele Anastation Click here to play Full Episode View Daniele's Work Show Notes Links to everything Daniele mentioned

Anthony Supreme – Taking Chances + Building Relationships

David Bracetty — Fri, 09 Dec 2016 08:22:56 -0500

LA based director/photographer Anthony “Supreme” Thompson sat down with us this week to share his story of how he went from directing and producing music videos in North Carolina, to living out of his car in LA and landing the opportunity to photograph the cover of J. Cole’s newest album “4 Your Eyez Only“. This Anthony Supreme interview is not one to miss!

Anthony takes us through his journey and shows us the relationships he’s built along the way in his career. He also dives into why he left North Carolina for LA to live out of his Honda Element.

The episode is an amazing source of motivation and inspiration for anyone looking to take a leap in their career and how to set yourself up to succeed. It shows us why genuine relationships are to critical to new opportunities and why gear matters less than you think.

Below are a series of timestamps and questions we cover as well as the top quotes from this interview with Anthony Supreme. Feel free to explore the links to all of the other directors, artists and photographers he mentions and give him a follow on Instagram to stay tuned to his journey.

Hope you enjoy the episode and please be sure to share with someone you know needs to hear this.

Timestamps

1:10- How did you pick up this Director/ Photo mentality and what were your first couple years like?

5:12 Did you pick up and leave Red Audio?

6:00- Talk why LA vs Atlanta

7:04- How did you teach yourself and what were you using?

8:00- How did you meet Scott Lazer and Isaih Dante?

8:48- Did you set up test shoots during that time?

9:30- Talk about your story at the record store in Sydney

12:23- How did you get to Sydney?

13:10- How did you get on text message terms with Scott Lazer?

15:25- Did you already have your portfolio before the opportunity with Cole came up?

16:40- Talk about what you usually shoot on and what did you shoot Cole’s cover with?

18:50- What would say to someone looking to make that jump to another city?

22:15- Looking back now did you feel that things were taking forever or happening quickly?

26:55- What was it like having J.Cole go through your pictures?

27:57- How did you get the shot that ended up being the cover?

32:45- How does one live out of their car in LA?

42:30- What advice would you give to someone who knows what they want to do but they are still in college?

48:00- Do they tell you their budget or give you the rate upfront for shooting a cover?

50:45: Where do you see this going now?

Show Notes + Links

Anthony Supreme Website

Photo Gear for J. Cole Cover

5d Mark II & III

L Series lenses

35mm Canon A1

Disposable Polaroids 400 ISO

Truth Bombs + Top Quotes

“I mean I still live in my car, but I always find myself saving more money and be able to do the things I want to do.”- 3:50

“I wanted to move to LA because of the weather, warm all year long” 6:27

“I remember RCA asking “Could we get some of those photos so maybe we can use one for his album cover?” 10:12

“I knew that this opportunity was pretty much what you prep your whole life in photography for so why would you half step it any, just got and have fun.” 18:19

“There might be millions of photographers that are great at what they do but don’t have the opportunity yet but that doesn’t mean opportunity won’t come and just being patient about the opportunity” 22:03

“If he’s back there (J. Cole) at 4 AM working on music and I’m up here looking at Facebook, then I’m doing something wrong. Maybe I should be working on something too. ” 24:00

“I’m out of town on tour with Cole the next three months, do you want to stay at my crib?” 14:48

Kareem from Russia-

“The first day he got there, walking around DTLA and he randomly walked on set and just started working for free on a movie set. He had an AC belt or something like that. Just built a network talking to people on set. Fast forward now he’s working on the set of the Fast and Furious getting paid.” 20:30

“I looked up a bunch of YouTube videos of staying in a specific car.” 35:00

“He emailed Birdman everyday for a year.”

“Having a solid route and going place and sacrificing your playtime for work, while everyone is playing”- 38:57

“You’re 19 yrs old, you really have no motherf*ckin excuse to not be learning” -41:31

“Relationships really do take you a long way but sometimes you have to let relationships go too” 40:10

“You need to come with me to set to learn and meet some people”

“If you love what you do, then obviously, thats what you should be doing” 44:20

“You have to make a choice in your mind at some point whether it’s something you really want to do or not.” 53:47

Brook Pifer – From Personal Project to Client

David Bracetty — Fri, 02 Dec 2016 14:19:35 -0500

New York based lifestyle photographer Brook Pifer recently sat down on our podcast to talk shop. After meeting her at this year’s PhotoPlus Expo, we linked up and expanded on a few points mentioned during the conference and dug deep… like really deep. Brook was gracious enough to spend an hour with us answering specific questions regarding the execution of her projects and what happens step by step to get it out the door, physically in print or digitally sharing it online. We talk the importance of chemistry and vision on set, capturing moments as you see them happening and finally selecting specific images that best represent the project. Below are some time stamps and show notes regarding some of the topics covered as well as some truth bombs Brook dropped throughout the episode. This is a must listen to for anyone who is “stuck” and no creating work they love on their own. Please take a minute to share with a colleague or your friends on Twitter. Thanks for tuning in. Feel free to comment below and share your thoughts on what personal project you are inspired to do next! Brook Pifer Interview Timestamps 3:02- Shooting Lady Tramps “Re picture grant”4:39- Tricky part of personal work 7:36- Deciding on budgets for personal projects 11:27- Found moments vs creative moments 14:03- Shooting project with client in mind 17:20- From shoot to editing and sequencing 19:20- Importance of a photo editor/consultant 25:03- Packaging a project into a promo 27:40- Response to Promo 29:00- Building the list 33:10- What things scream “This person doesn’t have their shit together” 34:54- What was marketing like before an agent 36:15- What is something you wish you would’ve done sooner? 38:10- Setting up a personal project 41:15- Did you go to school for this? 44:00- Why did you start shooting motion? 49:20 – Lighting round questions Show Notes + Links Brook Pifer WebsiteBrook Pifer InstagramSquad ProjectLady Tramps Truth Bombs