We are very honored to feature Ben Chrisman, of Chrisman Studios, who was named by American Photo Magazine as one of the top 10 wedding photographers in the world. Needless to say, we are proud to not only feature him on our blog but to count him as a happy Fundy Software user.
Here is the interview:
How did you get started in photography?
Like so many photographers, I started as the high school yearbook photographer. In my senior year, the yearbook staff asked why I wanted to be a photographer so they could put it in the book next to the people who were voted best dressed, most likely to succeed, etc. I was quoted as saying the incredibly dorky answer of, “Because I want to be close to the action.” Not much has changed since then.
Who have been your influences in photography?
I’ve always looked to photojournalists as my main inspiration. I’ve never wanted to be anything other than a documentary photographer, so being a wedding photographer is a perfect extension of that for me now. Specifically, I love the work of James Nachtwey, David Alan Harvey, Alex Webb and Joachim Ladefoged.
How would you define your style of photography?
I definitely try to bring an artistic look to the documentary mindset.
What is one thing that has helped you grow your business?
Looking back on the last few years, I think being overly generous to my clients has been the biggest help. It takes a lot more work to be nice to people all the time, but I can’t think of a single thing that has made a bigger impact than that.
What is one thing that has helped you grow as an artist?
Fear. I am terrified before each wedding that I won’t live up to people’s expectations.
What is one failure that helped you grow as a business person/artist?
As a business person, I really neglected to take the time to learn the money and tax aspects of what we do. I had no idea that most of my life would be spent behind a desk and not a camera, and I really wish I had taken more business classes in college. As an artist, I don’t mind failing, as long as I “fail forward” as my friend Dave Cheung says. If you screw up and learn from it, then it’s not such a bad thing.
What is one piece of advice that you would give to a person that is in the first few years of their photography business?
Do not be lazy. I remember my grandmother calling me lazy when I was a little boy, and that really bothered me. So when I finally decided I wanted to be a photographer, I took my grandmother’s words and used them as motivation to work very hard and stay focused.
To see more of Ben Chrisman’s work visit his site. He’s a destination wedding photographer located in California. He also serves as a San Francisco Wedding Photographer and a Los Angeles Wedding Photographer.
