What prompted you to start your business?
I started my first photographic job in high school shooting portraits of graduating seniors. As a junior at Boston University, I got a summer internship with NewWorld Outlook Magazine in New York City as a staff photographer and writer. At one point, I went on a weeklong assignment to cover the economic situation in South America. The magazine was excited about the images and I soon became the parent company’s principle photographer. I did everything from shooting corporate events to ad campaign shoots. After the internship, I continued to work with the company as a freelance reporter and photographer while I started in a position with a local newspaper. Eventually, as I grew out of the newspaper business and as my freelance contracts grew, I was able pursue my passion for photography full time and begin the photography business.
For most successful entrepreneurs, there is no typical day so give us a sample of your schedule from start to finish.
It is true that everyday is different, especially if there is a photo shoot. Preparations for large production shoots can take up to a month to organize,including finding the location, booking talent, crew, and any special equipment needs and set design for the shoot. A typical shoot day always starts early, usually rising around 6AM, getting to the shoot early to make sure the location is prepped and equipment is set up properly. Depending on the shoot, we begin with hair and make up for the talent, then begin shooting as soon as possible and go through the entire day, breaking briefly for lunch. It is always amazing to me how fast the day goes during a shoot. We usually wrap up around 6pm, and if it is a multi-day shoot, we begin it all again in the morning. Part of the difficulty of being on your own as a photographer is the chaos of your schedule. You may have long shoot days filled with all the excitement and stress that comes with it, and then the next week you’re back at your desk working on marketing and sales.
What are your “can’t live without” apps on your desktop/cell phone?
For any photographer, Adobe Photoshop CS5 is the most needed application,along with Aperture 3.0 for organizing and sometimes editing images. I also likethe iPad app called Portfolio that lets you import images from Dropbox directly into the iPad so you can show off your images.
What are your tricks for time management?
I will schedule tasks around times I know when I work best. I tend to work better in the afternoon or evenings, so I will save more challenging tasks for later in the day and the more mundane tasks for the morning.
Best advice received when you started your career?
My husband, Tom Zampini, who is also an entrepreneur of a lighting company called i2Systems, Inc, told me once that I needed to love the process and not just the end result. I use that advice both in my photographic work as well as the business side of things.
Given the current economic climate, how has your strategy for building awareness of your work changed for the short-term and long-term?
I am currently reaching out to new avenues in photography, and looking to diversify my portfolio as well as align myself with a videographer and CGI artist to provide more options for my clients.
What’s been your proudest achievement as such an immensely accomplished Entrepreneur?
Pulling off successful images, thanks to all the key players involved including all the crew, talent, artists, and creative directors that help bring the production together.
What are some of the ways that you achieve balance in your life?
Having a studio and working away from home, helps keep the work separate from home life. It can be easy to be obsessed with work when you work on your own, so I try to let go of it in the evenings and weekends. I also race sailboats, which helps because you can’t think of anything else in that moment but the race!
Your top 3 book recommendations for our readers (and why?)
“Secrets of Self-Employment” by Sarah and Paul Edwards.
For photographers, the book “Light, Science, Magic: An introduction to Photographic Lighting,” for learning the technical aspects of shooting products and understanding studio lighting as well as “Adobe Photoshop CS5 for Photographers.”
If you had an exceptional month and earned double of your average month, what (if anything) would you spend it on?
More equipment and more cameras! Photographers can’t help but buy the latest and greatest.
What are some of your most rewarding charitable involvements and why?
I love using photography for organizations that I feel are making a difference in the world. Also, I try to use my personal work to show the viewer a different perspective and to hopefully open their eyes to people and places that they would not have understood before.
Who has been the most influential person to you as you’ve advanced in yourcareer?
I would have to say my husband, Tom Zampini, who is a very successful entrepreneur and owner of a family owned business, i2Systems. As a photographer/artist with an academic family, I really had no knowledge of business starting out. He really taught me everything on the business side, from managing accounts to sales and negotiations.
What’s your advice to my someone interested in entrepreneurship ?
You have to be completely sure that you can handle the ups and downs, the uncertainties, and the very long hours that come with starting a business. Most young artists don’t realize how competitive and strenuous the business aspects can be. Especially in this economy, starting a business is brutal hard work, but it can be worth it to the right person.
To learn more about Cassandra’s work, visit her website by clicking the link below:
