In this episode, we sit down with Cam Kirk, the renowned photographer who documented the rise of Atlanta’s music scene. Cam shares his journey and offers invaluable advice to new photographers, emphasizing the importance of mastering your camera early on and understanding lighting—highlighting strobe lighting as the best for photography.
Cam dives into the three camera settings crucial for achieving the best image quality and discusses the art of properly framing people in photos. We explore whether technology might replace photographers and why Cam prioritized building relationships over money at the start of his career.
Cam also reveals how he used his own money to put artists on billboards, elevating his brand, and shares the story of Nike being the first brand to pay him $20k for a shoot. He warns photographers about “work for hire” contracts and asserts that photographers own every picture they take, including the right to sue companies for using their images on merchandise.
Cam has created a label to sign upcoming photographers, signing seven photographers and giving them $20k each. Over the past seven years, Cam Kirk Studios has served over 30,000 appointments. He reflects on touring with artists early in his career for only hundreds of dollars and how he helped Metro Boomin blow up by using the same formula that rappers use to achieve success.
Join us for an enlightening discussion packed with insights and experiences from one of the industry’s top photographers.
#EarnYourLeisure #CamKirk #Photography #AtlantaMusicScene #MasterYourCamera #StrobeLighting #CameraSettings #FrameYourPhotos #PhotographyTechnology #BuildingRelationships #NikeShoot #WorkForHire #PhotographyOwnership #PhotographersRights #PhotographyLabel #CamKirkStudios #MetroBoomin #PhotographySuccess
0:00 Intro
1:30 How to Master your Craft & Scale as a Photographer
8:20 Tips for Taking Better Pictures & Lighting
13:40 The Importance of ISO
17:17 Target Positioning in Photos
21:45 The Business End of Being a Photographer
28:57 Process of Booking Photoshoots
38:40 Leveraging Relationships to get Clients
41:13 How Photographers are Paid
45:37 Owner Rights in Photography
55:17 Process of Creating a Photography Label
1:05:04 Passion Projects Over Passion
1:08:04 Plans for Photography Book
1:09:33 Outro
I need to sit down with my manz and pick his brain. I’m hella stuck right now, making my shit a legit business
He’s probably using Profoto, while us mortals are using Westcott or Godox