Today we’d like to introduce you to Tamara Kozareva.
Hi Tamara, so excited to have you with us today. What can you tell us about your story?
I always enjoyed photography but never had the guts to pursue it as a career. It seemed like not a worthy monetary pursuit. When I was young, getting a STEM degree won over following my passion. However, I am doing it now, so what has changed? I think it comes down to the fact that the time was finally right for me to do it. A little over a year ago, I created an Instagram and started sharing my work there, slowly growing my brand. I began offering my services to friends and family, not for money but for the experience. It felt like I needed to do a lot of catch up. Before the pandemic, I finally got to the point where people started reaching out to me, asking about my services!
After my first payed gig, I teared up as it felt so surreal. When you are a one-person brand, it is easy to devalue yourself and let all the insecurities get to you. This is something I still struggle with every day, but now I channel it into motivation to get better at my craft. As of today, things had slowed down a little as photography is such a personal experience and it is difficult for people to connect with you when your face is covered, thus I slowed down on taking new clients. However, as it gets safer to do so I am slowly building myself to where I was before the pandemic. I am excited to start at full swing where I left of when it is safe to do so.
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
When I started my Instagram as the main platform to grow my photography, I didn’t know anything about marketing myself or how to attract clients. I naively thoughts that if I work hard and post consistently, it will just happen. It didn’t until I began networking in the area. Learning from amazing photographers and trying to implement their advice helped me tremendously. I didn’t expect this community to be so supportive of newcomers. The other struggle that comes to mind is to combine your passion with a daytime job. Luckily for me, I have a loving and supporting husband who is there for me while I follow my dream.
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
I do portrait photography, specializing in lifestyle and fashion photoshoots. I think I am primarily known for my portrait work. Every photoshoot I do I try to build a genuine connection with a model, so we have enough mutual trust to make every photo shoot feel fun. Funny enough, I am proud of my people skills. I wouldn’t be as successful right now if not for that. I think photoshoots that are fun and easygoing bring people back to work with me again. In photography, the style of each photographer is what sets them apart from each other, everybody brings something to their work with colors they choose, poses they prefer, locations they favor and I am not an exception. I believe my overall style sets me apart.
What quality or characteristic do you feel is most important to your success?
Consistency, attention to detail and patience. I have to be consistent with my style and upload on social media. As a photographer, attention to detail is a big one for me, you have to make sure that the picture you are about to take looks exactly as you plan before you hit the trigger button. It is important to not have any distracting elements to not ruin the mood of the picture. And last but not least, I just need to have patience. In my experience, if you work hard and have patience, everything will eventually fall into place.
Pricing:
- Family Photoshoot $75/hr
- Modeling Photoshoot $50/hr
Contact Info:
- Email: photography@tomakozareva.com
- Website: https://tomakozareva.wixsite.com/mysite
- Instagram: @toma_kozareva
