Between Takes with 1413
The two creatives spearheading 1413 Visuals are talking about all things studio life -- work, music, love etc.
Between Takes with 1413
Turning Connections into Friends
We explore the powerful impact of building relationships in the creative industry, from turning social media connections into real-life collaborations to growing your business through networking.
• Meeting social media friends in real life and planning creative collaborations
• The importance of finding and connecting with other creators in your field
• How to break into concert photography with practical first steps
• Building a portfolio by working with local artists and venues
• Why communication skills are just as important as technical abilities
• The value of word-of-mouth referrals in building a sustainable business
• Personal branding considerations - using your name versus creating a business identity
• Taking risks with your photography when you've built trust with clients
• Song recommendations: "Easy Tiger" by Shelby Stone and "Mayonnaise" by The Smashing Pumpkins
Song of the Week Playlist: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/7lDyWnUnAmvuUkf8wj7ilK?si=df11343db17c4df0
Follow us on social media
- Instagram
Josh: https://www.instagram.com/1413_visuals/
Sam: https://www.instagram.com/samantha.with.a.camera/
- Facebook
Josh: https://www.facebook.com/search/top?q=1413%20visuals
Sam: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61551623922249
Watch the Episodes: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCNEbTpI9bZA7POvKaNto2RQ
Welcome back to Between Takes. So what have?
Speaker 2:you been up to Same old, same old. But tomorrow I am meeting up with a photographer social media friend in real life.
Speaker 1:You were excited to tell me that you made a friend well I've have.
Speaker 2:We've been friends for a while on social media and we talk all the time, but she lives in jacksonville and I live here and so we don't get to like see each other a lot. And we finally made a conscious plan to go.
Speaker 1:We're gonna meet up in new burn I knew it because you asked for places to eat in new burn I knew that you uh, still in me. I was like maybe she's got a date in new burn no, that's absolutely insane.
Speaker 2:No, sorry, uh, not going on a date.
Speaker 1:Well, I'm going on a friend date. Yeah, I'm going on a photographer date.
Speaker 2:Um, we're gonna meet. We're gonna go meet. We're going to go to lunch. We're going to like go plant shopping and thrifting oh my gosh.
Speaker 1:She's met her best friend.
Speaker 2:Right and we decided to bring our cameras and stuff and we're going to try to make like some content and yeah, so I'm very excited and by the time this comes out, we'll have already done it.
Speaker 1:I'm excited for you because I've talked with her a little bit about the DM stuff with Studio. But look at you, I know.
Speaker 2:I'm really I'm like super excited. I can tell you don't really get that excited about stuff. We set a time to meet today, so I'm like I gotta after this. After we leave here, I'm going to go find maybe something for an outfit, oh yeah.
Speaker 2:So keep everybody posted on that. But yeah, I just think I'm excited too because I've been making a conscious effort to make social media friends, like with creators or creatives, I don't know. People on the internet say that it is telling if you use the word creatives, like what kind of photographer you are or whatever.
Speaker 2:But I do both and I hate saying photographer, videographer every time I'm talking about myself, so that's why I feel like creative encompasses the fact that I do all kinds of media yeah, no, no, I think you're true and I I don't like the term content creator, even though it's kind of what we do, yeah, but I'm not like. When I hear content creator, I'm thinking like influencer.
Speaker 1:I think, I think of like Mr Beast, yeah, or like a YouTube person, yeah, and I'm not a content creator.
Speaker 2:I'm thinking like influencer, I think I, I think of like mr beast, yeah, or like a youtube person, yeah, I'm not a content creator. I feel I'm a. I feel like when you say creative, then it's the people that are like making the shots and the art and the whatever. I'm not trying to sit in front of the camera and like influence you or sell you stuff. I guess is, but even though that is, what I kind of what.
Speaker 2:I do that some, but it's for other creatives, so maybe I'm doing both, but I'm trying to make I've been trying to make a conscious effort to make more friends on the internet, do that do what I do, and her and I connected over social media quite a while ago and I've always sent stuff back and forth and chatted and kind of bounced off each other and everything. We're finally making plans to go hang out in person and real live and I'm really excited.
Speaker 1:Well, I'm excited for you. Thanks, big news for you.
Speaker 2:I think, making friends on, especially because, like we talked about last week how important marketing yourself on the like, on social media, can be, and I think the best way to like propel yourself forward and even move forward is to find and interact and engage with other creatives it's the best way to grow, it's best way to learn.
Speaker 1:it's like, um, like with musicians, you, you I'll just equate it to something that, like you know, growing up playing instruments and stuff, you find other musicians, and if you find people that play different music than you and that are even better than you, it forces you to grow and learn. And I think that can be applied with photo video, audio, all that stuff. And I think that's a really important thing, because I think a lot of people get in their head and they only do stuff by themselves. They don't think about a bigger community. When we had that class here, I'm like oh, this is a thing like the photo video creative community. Like what you're talking is like the gospel.
Speaker 1:Like go out there, find people in real life. There's nothing with you know chatting over Instagram messaging and stuff, but taking it real life, I think, is the next step and get your name out there and there's just so many like benefits to doing that.
Speaker 2:Yeah, and I think people kind of get stuck.
Speaker 2:They're like okay, I want to do concert photography, videography, I'm going to follow all my favorite musicians and all the musicians around here and I'm going to like their stuff and do whatever.
Speaker 2:Yes, follow those people, keep track of what they're doing, because I've even gotten gigs from interacting with musicians on social media I have.
Speaker 2:But as far as pushing the reach of your content, if you're making content that is geared towards your art and your work and how you're creating stuff and how you're doing the work and how you've got to where you are and how life is and what you're doing, then you really actually need to be following and engaging with people who are doing not necessarily the same exact thing as you, but in the same vague industry, so that you're engaging with people who are doing not necessarily the same exact thing as you, but in the same vague industry, so that you're engaging with people who would see your content and understand the value in it and be able to further whatever conversation you're starting through the content. I mean, we talked about this last week as well, where I didn't have any friends that were doing what I was doing, and the internet is where I have found so many people here, locally and even all over the place, like I have friends or I'm like whenever I am in a different state.
Speaker 2:I'm like reach I can reach out and be like you want to get a cup of coffee or like I'm finally in this area or you know, same for them or they. If they were ever in North Carolina, they can message me and stuff. And yeah, I think that's been my favorite thing about social media and stuff is finding people everywhere that are doing what I'm doing and enjoy what I enjoy. On the note of social media, still going on that, I had someone reach out to me recently. She is an aspiring concert photographer. It was a really nice paragraph she sent. You know she'd seen my page and she liked my photos whenever and she was asking me where to start.
Speaker 2:She wanted to be doing like what I'm doing and she's like how do I even like step out of my house and like do that? And so I was curious. I'll tell you what I told her. But I was also curious, Like if someone sent a message like that to you, like what would you?
Speaker 1:say to them Okay, all right, I like this.
Speaker 2:I told her I'm not sure exactly where she lives, but I was like in big cities you're kind of gifted with a lot easier opportunity to kind of get in with some sort of publication and get into those bigger shows and stuff. I was like I am in a town with I've got local music venues, but they're very small and they're playing local artists and stuff. And I was like I just was reaching out to those artists and was like, do you mind if I take some photos at your show for free and I'll give you anything that turns out? And obviously they're saying yes, you know, to that. And I was going and I basically, over and over, was just practicing what worked and what didn't, why it didn't work, and in anything that did show up or turn out, I was giving to them and they were using and crediting to me.
Speaker 2:And I did and I was building up, doing that to build a portfolio. And I basically did that until I was comfortable and confident in my skill, that I knew I was doing and was consistently producing quality product. And then bands were actually reaching out to me and asking me to do work. That's when I started charging and I was like and I, you know, told her I'm self-taught, so I was like I did that trial and error and then I was YouTubing everything and and doing my own research and I put that all together. It just built and it took time, but I just kept doing it. But I basically just started with anybody who would let me get in front of them with a camera and let it turn into what it is. But what would she? What would you?
Speaker 1:I mean I would say something along the same lines um, you know how I am about like getting out messing up and learning. Mean I would say something along the same lines. You know how I am about like getting out messing up and learning from it. I would say, are we talking about?
Speaker 2:if they came to me and they were wanting to do concert stuff, no, I mean, I'm saying I feel like if people were reaching out to you it would be. Honestly, it could be anything. You do everything. But even if they were just asking you, like, how to even get started in like the videography space, like what, okay, okay, here's my answer.
Speaker 1:So this is what it comes down to. If you have a phone, you have a camera that's capable of shooting really good video and really good photo. To a certain extent, I know that will start. That could start world war three in the comment section, but whatever. But you get what I'm saying. There's like this old man saying it's like the best camera there is is the one you have yeah, which to an extent I totally agree yeah, yeah, but okay, so you have that gift at the start.
Speaker 1:If you got a phone, that's an iphone above an eight, you have a decent camera right and you can manipulate the settings exactly. And then there's there's apps like the black magic app and they're all kind of stuff, but that's like even more in the weeds than I need to get actually so if you've got a phone, you've got a camera that you that's capable of producing images that are pleasing, all right.
Speaker 1:So here's the part that I think separates the people that will get out there and do it. You have to get out of your comfort zone and I'll use like just video in general. If you want to figure out how to make money doing video stuff, take your phone, your camera, whatever, and go to a local business and say, hey, I'm learning video, I'm doing all this stuff. I would like to make a video for your business and I'll do it for free. You could have whatever very, very similar to like what you were doing.
Speaker 2:Yeah.
Speaker 1:And there's not really any business owner that I know. That would be like you know, maybe they're busy or something that day, but most of the time they're like, yeah, well, we got to lose.
Speaker 2:Yeah.
Speaker 1:And that forces you to have to communicate with people and that's what a lot I feel like a lot of younger people are a little intimidated by is getting out and talking and getting and not just being your youtube, youtube university, awesome, awesome tool. I wish I had it when I was like learning stuff. It was very primitive, there was like just a few channels. That was kind of like towards yeah it was always about filmmakers, but yeah but that like, use your resources.
Speaker 1:The kind of a hot take is uh, is people going to film school and stuff for doing this stuff? And it's like there's the people that are like, yeah, that's the way to go, you know, go to college.
Speaker 2:And there's some people that are like nah I think it depends on to like the industry that you want to get in. If you want to make and even this isn't black and white, but generally if you want to make movies, yeah, the film school route would probably be for you, or even like with you you didn't do film school but you started out with broadcasting and you got a degree before you did that.
Speaker 1:Yeah, but it's not in broadcasting, it's a business degree. Yeah.
Speaker 2:But did your job require a degree of some sort?
Speaker 1:it. It required the. It was such a low level of position that it was like it'd be great if you had something yeah, okay just, it was like one of those things, just to prove that you stuck with school for two years and you yeah the the position I was at at the station. People assumed that I went to school for it and I didn't. I worked my way up so there is things.
Speaker 1:Now that's not movie and like by no means is a local NBC affiliate broad or you know film land, but you learned a lot doing that.
Speaker 2:Absolutely yes.
Speaker 1:Yes, but you know, what I also did is I learned how to communicate with a lot of people doing that.
Speaker 2:Yeah, and.
Speaker 1:I honestly believe that like getting out and practicing your craft is like 60 percent of it. 40 percent is communication with other people, who you're shooting, the people you're shooting for, etc.
Speaker 2:I would argue that how good your work is isn't as important as your networking skills. You could say that in any aspect of the industry, but I feel like for mine especially in like the music stuff I get hired so much more, not because I have the absolute best work in eastern North Carolina. I do think I'm good at what I do it's the first and only time you're ever gonna hear me say that I do think that I am good at it.
Speaker 2:I don't think I'm the best like I don't think I'm producing the best work out of everyone, but I get so I get told so much that it's the relationship that I form with the all the different musicians and even the venues and stuff um on social media and out of social media that keeps people coming back and working with me. Um, and yeah, it helps that I am producing quality work, but the reason I'm maintaining clients is because of how I value those relationships you, you, you become and I use this term their guy yeah, absolutely your girl.
Speaker 1:Yes, you become exactly like, like, oh, I've got my person yes that's and that really is they'll. They'll pick somebody, they'll pick you time over time after time, because they're comfortable working with you. Yes, that's huge.
Speaker 2:Yes, everybody wants that, even like the smaller musicians. They're trying to grow and stuff. If they can have just a person that they consistently go to and like they're comfortable with and just like we do, we want to be working with the same people that we enjoy working with, it goes both ways with it goes both ways. Also, on top of that, I feel like the quickest way I have gained new clients and grown beyond where, just you know, greenville, north Carolina, is word of mouth from the musicians.
Speaker 1:Absolutely.
Speaker 2:I get and even venues. I've had people from venues recommending me to musicians playing at their venues. Like my relationships with actual human beings and them telling people about me and to reach out to me and ask me to work with them. That has gotten me so much work.
Speaker 1:And that's not just the music thing, that's everything. That word of mouth for what we do is huge locally. If you want to work locally. Almost all my clients are word of mouth.
Speaker 2:Yeah, I have gotten clients from social media. I would say that my biggest clients have come from social media. The work that's like keeping my lights on is word of mouth work, so, like the consistent work that I'm getting over and over has is always from word of mouth, I would say that maintain building and maintaining relationships with clients is more important than if you're the best in the area.
Speaker 1:All right, I got a question for you. Going back to, let's say, somebody's listening, that is, that beginning photographer, videographer that wants to get into the music scene. After they send a message to whoever it is that they whatever, band artist, whatever and they say, yes, I'm playing at the buck Friday night, whatever, what's the next move for that person to do? Like okay, I'll tell you what I would do like if I I would get there a little early before they start. I would find the band members introduce myself and you know, like hey, I'm, is it? Find out the boundaries of. Like hey, the way I shoot is I like this, I like staying over here, whatever, what do you do?
Speaker 2:I wouldn't even wait until day of. I would reach out to them on social media before and talk to them before and kind of tell them what I was trying to do and, you know, get in what they could expect. And then day of yes, I would get there a little bit early, introduce myself. I definitely started out a little more timid, so all my shots are kind of from the outer edge and stuff.
Speaker 1:The safe area yeah.
Speaker 2:When I was building portfolio and doing stuff for free and everything, I really stayed in the safe zone and I would hang around. I was taking pictures of anything and everything, just playing with what I could do. Now that I know what I like my photos to look like and what my style is and everything, if I'm working with a band for the first time, I still get there early enough to introduce myself and kind of chat with them. And then I ask them if I'm working with a band for the first time, I still get there early enough to introduce myself and kind of chat with them and then I ask them if they're comfortable with me being on stage because I like to take pictures from on the stage.
Speaker 1:That's what makes your photos look like your photos. Yeah, you form it as a question like, hey, it's cool when you know they're going to say yes and you know for them to get the sam looking pictures, you've got to be that, you got to be on the stage.
Speaker 2:Yeah, yeah yeah, and then I spend a lot of time when I am on stage.
Speaker 2:I spend a lot of time around the drummers because most of the time on the smaller stages, that's like the best place to be as far as seeing everything, and so I'll usually mention something to the drummer specifically asking about like if there's any places they wouldn't want me to be, to be in their way and stuff, and I I've done this long enough that I know where I shouldn't be. It's very easy for me to keep track of chords and where things are going. I've I've become pretty familiar with how the equipment kind of works.
Speaker 1:Have you ever trip on?
Speaker 2:No, it is a fear I did recently. I don't know if you saw I'm trying to get even more adventurous with what I'm doing, especially with bands that I kind of know their routine.
Speaker 1:Yeah, yeah.
Speaker 2:And I work with a band who, on one of the songs, if they can, the bass player and the guitar player will jump off of something together.
Speaker 1:Nice.
Speaker 2:And I was shooting a show where I was familiar with the venue and them, and so I was like, okay, I want to put my fisheye on, I want to lay on my back on the stage and then jump over the camera.
Speaker 1:Perfect shot yeah.
Speaker 2:And I knew I was like, because I knew we were in a place where they were going to have a place to actually jump, because there's like a platform for the drums, yeah, and I did do it. I don't know if you saw it on social media.
Speaker 1:Insert the shot here.
Speaker 2:Okay.
Speaker 1:Here we'll hold it together. Yeah, set it right there.
Speaker 2:There it is. You actually did a good job. Thanks, wow, and I actually am really proud of that photo. It didn't get as much love on social media as what I was hoping it was in. I put it in like a carousel so people don't care or realize I wish I don't. I think it would have been cooler too if, like I had set up my osmo and gotten a video of me laying down Good content and them jumping over me, but I forgot yeah.
Speaker 1:You definitely can't pull something like that off the first time you meet a band.
Speaker 2:No, no, no, no but that's the cool thing about again maintaining relationships and like continuing to work with bands. It goes back to networking is important. Maintaining relationships is important. Communicating with your clients is important, or like with whoever is going on and like what they're comfortable with, what they allow. I think that's just as important as like honing your skill.
Speaker 1:Absolutely.
Speaker 2:Speaking of things that are important. I've been thinking about this a lot lately and I feel like you're the perfect person to ask, because you worked as your own business for years, as just your name. It wasn't until last year I was here and witnessed the whole process of you coming up with 1413 visuals into this 1413 studio and I.
Speaker 2:So I when I started I started it was like kind of just my name but I've been Samantha with a camera for years. My social media handle is Samantha with a camera. It's been that for years. And then I last year around some time I was like I'm going to rebrand. I think it was the beginning of last year. I was like I'm doing a rebrand and I did Dixie Struck Media. I made kind of a logo. I really didn't put any real like real true effort into like making a logo for it or whatever. I felt like it was hard to. I had already become kind of known as from my handle Samantha with a camera, and so I felt like it would hurt me to change everything to the media name. But I've been thinking lately like how important is it to have like a brand and not just like your name?
Speaker 1:okay, okay, so so this is my take on it. Okay, I and there's probably people that would disagree with me, and maybe they have really good reasons that why I'm wrong, but this is nobody cares. Okay, thinking I'll shut up. Yeah, um, the reason I went from going off my name to a thing is that I was doing so many things that a lot of things that I did required more people than just me.
Speaker 2:Okay.
Speaker 1:And like live streaming. You helped me run a live camera, like you know. I want people to think of everything I do as a brand and not just Josh Potter. I don't think there's anything wrong with doing your name. If I didn't own a studio, if I didn't do live streaming, if I only did corporate stuff and I wanted to sell me, I would still just Josh Potter videographer, josh Potter productions, whatever. But I wanted to get away from that because I wanted to make this into a business that can grow and isn't solely reliant on me. That make sense. Yeah, where I feel like what you're doing is killer handle, and I like it.
Speaker 2:It rolls off the tongue really nice, yeah, I think it's cool. And then, like it rolls off the tongue really nice, yeah, I think it's cool.
Speaker 1:and then like, yeah, and I'll use my name, but as far as when I'm sending quotes, invoices I think once, if you get, ever get to the point, if you want to get to this point where you're trying to do full, the full production, where you have a crew, that's when I'm like, okay, I want to get it away from just my name yeah and by crew I'm talking about like maybe one extra person or anything from that, but that's kind of my take on it.
Speaker 1:I mean, it made sense because I had so many things going on that, like you know, if I had a studio, what would I call it? Josh Potter Studios? That sounds so douchey.
Speaker 2:I get that. That makes sense to me, I guess, when I'm thinking about a brand like should I have something but I can be my brand.
Speaker 1:Yeah, yeah, especially for the. I feel like how you shoot is totally okay. Yeah, you know.
Speaker 2:Yeah, and I've, kind of I've, basically, even though I made the Dixie Struck Media named after my grandma and not after anything Southern related. Where's your?
Speaker 1:flag southern related. My grandma's name is Dixie.
Speaker 2:I did it for a little bit and I was like I just don't think it takes a lot of work to change completely change something you've been known as for a while to a new thing.
Speaker 2:I would be afraid that so many people know your handle now that it wouldn't be worth it I mean yeah that, that's just my yeah, yeah and yeah, that makes me feel better about it, because I was like maybe I need to like just put in some effort into using that as well, and I think the only time I really get self-conscious about it is when it comes time to send documentation to someone and I'm like, okay, do I put samantha with a camera on this, or do I just put my name? Or like, do I only use dixie struck media for?
Speaker 1:that can get paperwork? Yeah, that could get confusing did you do an llc or anything with dixie? Nothing, just you're. You're going off of, like your social yeah, okay yeah, I mean, that's what I did and I feel like that's the way to go yeah, and you did that for years before you became like you.
Speaker 2:Basically, you weren't just you, you were kind of like a company, yeah, and I was doing more stuff.
Speaker 1:That, like the whole reason you become an llc is. That takes liability off of you. That way, if some, if I got sued or something, they're not going to take josh potter stuff, they'll take the companies but, when you're doing stuff that you in my again. Okay, where's the camera? I'd look at again. This is a disclaimer. I really don't know what I'm talking about, but I'm gonna act like I do this is what you how you handled it in your personal experience yeah, yeah is that I?
Speaker 1:I just operated under me yeah until I was doing gigs that there was something could bad, could happen. And if I did, you know I don't want them to take my family's money away yeah or my family I'm talking about, like me, tracy and the boys and Nora yeah but um, but yeah, that's why I did that yeah, that makes sense.
Speaker 2:That like makes me feel better. But I was kind of like I was like, because this is something I've been thinking about, I was like I wonder if, if other people think like wonder if they should have a whole brand name, or if they like just their name works, and I I think it's personal preference, or like what you're doing, where you wanted to go, from you doing work to basically uh creating like a company or a team Us, yeah, under all the one umbrella.
Speaker 1:Yeah, because if I show up and they're expecting Josh Potter Media, if you show up, then yeah.
Speaker 2:I can just stick with what I'm doing here.
Speaker 1:I wouldn't mess. I personally would not mess with your branding, because you're already kind of I don't want to say a rarity, but you're a female videographer. That's something that you don't see every day, but you don't see it as often. There's less of us, yeah, less of you and then so, like Samantha female, I wouldn't mess with it. People know you.
Speaker 2:Yeah, it's starting to become. Yeah, because even like people have come up to me at shows and be like is your name.
Speaker 1:Samantha and I'm like yes.
Speaker 2:And then they're like are you like Samantha with the camera?
Speaker 1:And I'm like I've seen. I love your work, I've seen it.
Speaker 2:And like that's really cool. And so, yeah, I do Not that I'm like famous and getting recognized, but like people, I have already built something. I've started to build something under that. You should be able to say that with confidence. You have done it. People seeing you be say it with your full chest.
Speaker 1:Yeah, I just think I need to make like a, some sort of cooler like logo. Yeah, you could always be making new logos and maybe it's the logo aspect that's like, okay, you need a better name.
Speaker 2:I don't know, but I just I kind of like what I'm doing. I wouldn't mess with it and yeah, so they're like decision made. We're the anxiety about that is going to be. We're going to be done with it.
Speaker 1:Checking off your anxiety, check that off. Yeah. Song of the week. Song of the week. All right, sam Me first, you first.
Speaker 2:Okay, it's International Women's Month, so we're talking about women, or at least I am. My song of the week is Easy Tiger by Shelby Stone. Shelby Stone is a growing artist. I saw her for the first time in Oklahoma. She's so good. Her voice is so cool. It's very rock and roll. It's in the it's. I'm gonna put it in the playlist, but it's also the song that's on my pinned post on my instagram. My like um branding photos that I feel like so awesome in her song is the song for that, because the song is so those are good photos, thank you what's your?
Speaker 1:last song of the week and I feel like're going to pick on me because the way I'm going to say this is mayonnaise.
Speaker 2:How else do you say mayonnaise?
Speaker 1:Mayonnaise.
Speaker 2:No, that's wrong. And now I'm going to input the basement yard clip of him saying mayonnaise and that sounds stupid. Why would you say mayonnaise? Wait, you say mayonnaise. No, I say mayonnaise.
Speaker 1:Yeah, mayonnaise is the right way, the normal way. Anyway, it's by the Smashing Pumpkins. It's a very cool song. It's on the playlist, right?
Speaker 2:It's called Mayonnaise. Yeah, oh, okay. I was like, why did we talk about mayonnaise for so long?
Speaker 1:That's the name of the song. But anyway, there's your song of the week. It's been a great episode. We will see you next week.
Speaker 2:No, we won't. We'll see you the week after that, because we're an every other week podcast. Idiot Doesn't even know when our podcast comes out, he doesn't. He just waits until I text him like can we record this day?
Speaker 1:You're 100% correct.
Speaker 2:You know what it's working better for us than the last time we were doing this podcast.