Hi I'm Tamara Lackey and on this episode of
redefine show for Adorama TV, I speak with friend,
fellow Nikon ambassador and fashion photographer Dixie Dixon.
We talk about how she broke into this rather competitive industry
and the amount work she puts into getting more work, the details of which might surprise
you.
Take a look. Adorama TV presents reDefine show
with Tamara Lackey. I am sitting here with the fabulous Dixie Dixon,
my fellow Nikon ambassador and fashion photographer extraordinaire.
Thank you so much for sitting down with me. Thanks for having me.
You are very good in the fashion field. Why did you choose that? Where did
that come from for you?
You know I think I love fashion and advertising.
It's a field where you can really bring
a brands vision to life, so I like to sort of get to know the brand almost like I
would a person,
So I like to get to know the style and the attitude that goes into that brand like
the different colours, the fonts they use,
all these things are making that personality, that brand and so when they hire you to
do the shoot, that's what I really like to communicate my images is bringing out
that
lifestyle, cause they're not just selling beautiful clothes on beautiful people, they're
selling the whole lifestyle
that goes along with it, it's like idealistic in it's fantasy
and I think that's what I love creating, it's like that fantasy in the images.
The fantasy of combining the personality, the brand through
through the models and showcasing that. Oh I like that,
I like that very much and you got into this early on,
and you knew pretty quickly that you wanted to,
cause it's funny cause I talk to a lot of people who love photography but waffle for a very
long time
about whether they take that jump.
What would you say to people who are in that stage in terms of waffling?
Like what for you was like I'm just going to do this? Like what stood out to you as like
this is the part of it that I love. I think that
you know when you're first starting out you're shooting everything, you're shooting to
figure out what you love to shoot.
So I shot weddings, I shot portraits, I shot little league photography
Did you shoot little league? I did, when i started shooting actually, yeah
and so I think through that and then I started studying abroad with the fashion photographer
and that's when i fell in love with the fashion commercial side, but it takes a lot to break into that
industry,
So really I think the one thing that has helped me
is to focus, so even though when I was starting out I was shooting everything, I
was shooting everything to pay the bills.
I was just putting on my website the fashion advertising style work.
So people started associating my brand with that kind of imagery, so people
it's the Law of Attraction, people start hiring you
to shoot what you love, so that's kind of how I think I
ended up getting into that industry. Yeah and I think that's fantastic advice, I tell people all the time
curate with intention. Yes.
Shoot what ever you love. Just go out, then don't not take an opportunity that you
want to do.
But be really focused on that messaging. I love that.
So what would you say are some of your biggest challenges
right now, whether it's technically or from a business perspective or just
something that you struggle with? I think
that in this industry you have to have a real thick skin
and especially with getting into the clients you want to shoot for, your dream clients,
it's hard to get meetings with those people cause as a commercial
advertising fashion sort of genre you have to try to make meetings with people
that you want to shoot for because if you can get that in person meeting
they will be much more likely to hire you to shoot, so that
goes on with cold calling sometimes. Oh so you do, you cold call? Sometimes,
yeah. And when you say cold call, you mean
open-book, I want to talk to these people. Yeah.
And so tell me like, give me just
very briefly what that would be like for you like?
So like tiny role play, "Hello Fashion Weekly".
I would say "Hey i'm Dixie Dixon, I'm going to be in town such-and-such dates, I
would love to
just run by my portfolio and meet with you guys for 15 minutes."
And then you're hoping for a voicemail, because it's very awkward when you get them on the phone, so
like I don't know you, why is she calling me?
That sort of thing, so i'm hoping for a voicemail and I follow up with
an email. Excellent. And then hopefully they'll get back to me which apparently a
good rate is getting like one out of twenty.
One out of twenty that's what you're shooting for. That just minuscule amount of significant
rejection. Total. Interesting, so it's a numbers game?
It is, it is, I mean but really and truly the personal contacts that you have
like when someone refers you, those are the best, usually the best gigs.
Of course cause it's that warm and yeah. And the more jobs you do, the more that happens,
So it's just a building block. I'm so glad you say that though, I really am so glad you say that
because I think that
many people will look at someone who is successful in that field
and working and full time and getting distinction, as
somebody who wouldn't do that, like
the phone is just ringing to you and the books, but
that's a major fallacy and that's one thing I hear over and over again talking
to people
at the top of their game everywhere, is
they have to hustle, they are working hard, they are reaching out,
they are cold calling. Absolutely, and even though you may get an
agent you still have to hustle. Like a lot of people think there's like a
misconception
with when you have an agent that they're going to just book you jobs and you can just sit back.
That is the perception yes. That's not true at all. And why is that not true?
Because no-one can sell yourself better than you.
When you arrive in person they see who they're gonna hire,
It's a lot better. Yeah excellent, thank you so much for sharing that.
Thank you, where can people go to find out more about you? Dixie Dixie, you can go to
DixieDixon.com
Pretty simple. And then social media? Yeah, Instagram I am Dixie Dixon, Facebook
Dixie Dixon. It's all under Dixie Dixon. Just keep going that way through.
Alright good, and then we're going to jump in to watch you shoot right now. Ok sounds good. Alright, Thank You.
This is Tamara Lackey, be sure to check out Adorama's
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