This is some of the best advice I've ever heard, from Art Streiber!

Art Streiber’s advice for emerging photographers

Diego Cuevara, a Miami-based art director, designer, and photographer, recently did a Q&A with Art Streiber for his TheeBlog that covers how Art fell in love with photography, his approach to celebrity portraiture, and collaborating with clients, among other subjects. Clickhere for the full interview, which also includes the following—Art’s advice to aspiring photographers.

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TheeBlog: What would be your advice to all those photographers out there trying to get discovered and featured by big publications or studios?

Art Streiber:

• Immerse yourself in the genre of photography that you’re interested in pursuing.

• Go to bookstores and stare at the photography section.

• Go to the newsstand and open EVERY SINGLE magazine that is of remote interest to you.

• Make a list of your dream clients, your nearly accessible clients and your easily accessible clients.

• Tear the mastheads out of your target magazines and put them on the wall.

• Focus your energy and break up the big tasks into bite-size pieces.

• Do incredible work.

• Make 4×6 or 3×5 prints of that incredible work and put it on the wall so you can see what you’re up to and how your work is developing.

• Keep your website CONSTANTLY updated and fresh.

• Remember that you take yourself to the next level and it’s up to you to figure out what that next level is and how to get there.

• Make sure that you have a strong sense of your own aesthetic.

• Self assign.

• Take advantage of your downtime. It’s a gift.

• Ask for help. Ask for other opinions of your work and then weigh their merit.

• Surround yourself with incredibly supportive and hardworking people and then support them in return.

• Custom Print your digital images the way we used to custom print our negatives in the darkroom. The Canon jpeg algorithms are excellent, but they shouldn’t be the last word on how you present your photograhy to the world.

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TheeBlog: Any tips on what NOT to do?

Art:

• Don’t let your website get old and musty.

• Don’t be a pest to your potential clients.

• Don’t make excuses.

• Don’t beat yourself up for an extended period of time.

• Don’t make the mistake of including an image in your portfolio or on your website that isn’t AMAZING, just because the process of creating that image was exceptionally difficult.

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Shooting in Florida!

I'm not sure how people in sweltering, humid places do it really, all the time.  We are lucky here in Southern California near the beach, because it never really gets too hot or sticky.   I recently spent a few days in Tampa shooting outdoor lifestyle work.  The work itself wasn't toooo labor intensive as most it required very little, if any, extra lighting.  

The issue was the hot, sticky weather.  Don't get me wrong, I had a great time and met some amazing people, but I think I also lost about eight pounds in sweat equity!   By the time you start your early to late days, it's already over 90 with 100% humidity.  Good times.  We spent most of every day outside, going place to place, shooting a wide variety of the neighborhoods lifestyle.  

In the end, I think we got some fun work out of it and I was happy for it.  I can handle most any situation on a shoot, get through it and keep a smile on my face for a few days, but arriving home here in San Diego makes you realize just what a great city we live in.    Thanks to my clients at Newland Communites, the people of Mira Bay and Fishhawk and all the people that did the little things to make the shoot run efficiently and smoothly.   I'd love to come back!