The Journey Takes Me to the Bronx

As anyone looking to make a career transition knows, it's important to constantly network with professionals to learn as much as possible about the industry.

My friend John introduced me to a Cornell fraternity brother of his named Dan Fried. Dan is a co-owner of H&H Photographers, located in Riverdale in the Bronx, close to 260th street. Dan graciously agreed to meet with me to talk about breaking into the photography world.

Today, for the first time in my life, I rode an MTA express bus (BxM2) which took about one hour to get from 34th street all the way up to Riverdale. Given there were only 3 of us on the bus, it was actually a quiet and efficient ride.

When I walked in the door of H&H, I was surprised to see just how big the office/studio was. There was a receptionist and other employees mingling about in different offices and rooms which contained customer service areas, framing displays, large sample photographs from weddings and other occasions, and a few photography studios. This is not a one computer, one printer business run out of a cramped New York City apartment!

It's a fascinating story to learn of how H&H came to be. In short, in the 1940's, Dan's father and a friend of his were fresh out of the service and seized an opportunity to capitalize on the baby boom and marriages by becoming wedding photographers.

Early in his career, Dan had worked in the movie industry out in California and only recently came back to New York a few years ago to run the business. Dan does not consider himself a "professional photographer," but he does shoot when necessary, knows as much about the equipment and process as any Pro, and has a passion which keeps him happily engaged in his work on a daily basis.

Dan has photographers he uses for his business, but he made it very clear that the business of photography goes beyond image capture. A successful photography business relies on great salesmanship, great customer service and relationships, and nowadays, what you actually do to "exploit," market, or sell your images.

In the digital age, access to professional equipment and top training can be attained by almost anyone on a modest budget. As such, the supply of capable photographers has gone up, while the demand has remained constant. This obviously makes the industry extremely competitive, where price, product, process, and time are the key differentiators.

I asked Dan what advice he had for someone looking to get started in a career in photography. He shared many ideas, with these three standing out:

"Establish a good digital workflow and become proficient in organizing, managing, and detailing your images, e.g. pay attention to your metadata."

"Acquire and promote your digital darkroom expertise. You can differentiate yourself by what you can create with your own or someone else's images."

"Get a few jobs so that you can show winning shots. Equally important, KNOW which ARE your winning shots and be prepared to tell people what makes them your best."

I also asked Dan how he made decisions about hiring photographers. He said it's not about your training or resume per se. He wants to know where you shot, what your experience is, and whether or not you've got the courage and tenacity to run a "difficult" wedding or two on any given day.

My journey up to the Bronx was well worth the $10 express bus fare. I'm very grateful Dan took an hour out of his busy day to share his thoughts with me. And I encourage anyone else looking to enter the field of photography to reach out to others in all facets of the industry to learn more and to help shape your own journey.