Brook Pifer – From Personal Project to Client

The Creative Freelancer

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 "Never allow waiting to become a habit. Life is happening now" -52:30 “Quality over quantity”“You’d be doing yourself a disservice to constantly compare yourself to other people” 42:27 “I think its more important to honor your voice as an artist” 43:12 “It is of your best interest to optimize the f**k out of your website.”- 33:42 “I think websites can be a huge waste of time if not done right"34:37 "I think if it’s a crappy photo, no one is going to care how much you polish the turd” 31:50 “One of the mistakes I made earliest in my career was not being consistent with my marketing” 25:30 “Do I have the body of work that supports me reaching out to my dream client?” 22:04 “It’s an investment in yourself as an artist and also an investment in your personal creativity.” “It allowed me to get some of the technical aspects out of the way which would limit what I saw in my head and my heart for this project.” 5:25 “Equal parts instinct and equal parts insight” 12:27