Today we’d like to introduce you to Joshua Hohweiler.
Thanks for sharing your story with us Joshua. So, let’s start at the beginning and we can move on from there.
I’ve heard it said that you’re only one decision away from a totally different life. For me, that decision came in the fall of 2012 when I started my first company, Greater Than Gatsby. Prior to that, I was working a typical 9 to 5 desk job, but I would come home every night “data-faced” and unfulfilled. Photography had become my weekend outlet from the monotony of my weekday work-life.
My photography journey started my freshman year in high school when I joined the yearbook staff, and my parents gave me their early 80s Nikon EM. I guess I’m the only part of the millennial generation to ever got to set foot in an actual darkroom. I learned the now useless skills of rolling your own film and processing your own negatives, but I also learned the basics of composition and technique.
Fast forward 15 years and a few of the images I was posting on my social media page began gaining some traction and eventually allowed my photography page to gain a sizeable social media following. I realized that I was being followed by my unique editing style, and out of this realization, Greater Than Gatsby was born. Through our software, we give customers the ability to enhance their personal photo editing style.
Has it been a smooth road?
In early 2013, Gatsby had gained momentum in the industry, and working on the business only in the evenings was no longer cutting it. After months of debate and prayer, my wife and I agreed that we would leave the security of my steady paycheck, and I quit my day job to give my undivided attention to the business.
This decision didn’t come without planning and sacrifice. We had a toddler and, like most college graduates, we had considerable debt. If we were going to do this, we needed to find a way to be debt free. We sold our house, which allowed us to pay off our loans and become debt free. It was terrifying yet freeing at the same time.
We rented a cozy 500 square foot apartment and went to work. The first year was extremely challenging because my ‘office’ was also our living room, dining room, and my son’s playroom. I was working insane hours and it was chaotic with a toddler constantly running through my workspace, but I wouldn’t trade it for anything. In the 18 months that we lived in that apartment, I experienced an immeasurable amount of personal growth.
So let’s switch gears a bit and go into the Greater Than Gatsby story. Tell us more about the business.
We are the leading Photoshop Action & Lightroom Presets developer for a wedding, portrait, child, newborn and editorial photography. Our post-processing tools automate and simplify the editing process inside Photoshop and Lightroom. Professional photographers use our software to add efficiency and consistency to their workflow, while those with less experience use it to make their final images more polished without the necessity of needing to know all the ins and outs of the Photoshop platform.
We were the first company to employ a collaborator strategy where we partnered with top photographers in each of their respective industries. Our first collaboration was in 2014 with child portrait photographer Sandra Bianco of Sandra Bianco Photography, which resulted in our best-selling action collection to date.
Later that year, we partnered with Hunter Leone of Three Nails Photography for his unique & non-traditional wedding editing style. Our third collaboration was with internationally acclaimed fashion photographer, Lara Jade. Most recently, we partnered with the immensely talented Amy McDaniel of Dewdrops Photography to create the ultimate newborn action set.
How do you think the industry will change over the next decade?
We see a lot of exciting things coming in the next decade for the photography industry; a lot of which have already been in the works. Industry leaders in the mobile markets, including but not limited to Apple, Samsung, LG, Motorola and even Google, have been progressing rapidly in mobile camera technology, introducing more sophisticated models each year.
Likewise, Adobe is preparing for the mobile revolution with the launch of Adobe Creative Cloud and the migration of legacy systems to the new product. The entire workflow of photographers will seamlessly integrate their mobile and desktop environments providing an incredible system of efficiency for the modern photographer.
As an army of mobile-based photographers come online in the next few years, the industry will see an exponential expansion. I believe the number of individuals who begin earning an income from photography will increase leading to a revolution in Photo licensing capabilities and opportunities.
Blockchain technology will likely act in concert with this revolution to provide cutting-edge asset management for photographers that put more money in the photographer’s pocket and gives them complete control of their work.
Photographer.org is my newest project that just launched a few months ago and it easily connects consumers to professional photographers in their area for free. I started this project because I saw the need in the industry to advocate for photographers because all the other directories in this space are solely profit driven.
It’s hard for most photographers to generate new clients on minimal ad budgets, spending money and usually getting nothing in return. Eventually, Photographer.org will become the leading Photographer organization in the United States.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.greaterthangatsby.com & www.photographer.org
- Email: info@greaterthangatsby.com
- Instagram: www.instagram.com/gatsbyactions/
- Facebook: www.facebook.com/GreaterThanGatsbyActions/
Image Credit:
Three Nails Photography & Greater Than Gatsby Photography
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