Meet A Pro: Kelsey Fain on Shooting Food and Fashion in the Big Apple

Kelsey Fain was only 13 years old when she decided she would one day leave her hometown in rural Pennsylvania and move to New York City to become a fashion and commercial photographer. After graduating from Drexel University with a B.S. in Photography, that is exactly what she did.

She spent her first years in NYC assisting a number of notable fashion, fine art, event, and commercial photographers. Then, in the summer of 2010, Fain was offered a coveted position with Leica Camera. During her time with Leica, she continued to develop her craft while having a unique opportunity to work with top photographers from all over the world.

Today she’s successful freelancer specializing in fashion, commercial, and food photography. Her go to outfit: Canon EOS 5D Mark III with 24-70mm f.2.8L lens. Her impressive client base includes Campari Liqueur, Century 21 Department Stores, and Name Activewear, and her images have appeared in top magazines including HUF, Raine, and Time Out New York.

While Kelsey Fain has always been highly creative and imaginative, she never thought of herself as an artist, so applying to traditional art schools didn’t make much sense to her. She was drawn to Drexel, not only for its excellent media arts program but also because it’s renowned for turning out great engineers and architects. At that time, digital photography was just emerging as a serious alternative to film, and it wasn’t yet widely used by professional photographers. As a result, Fain spent two years in the darkroom learning classic 35mm and large-format photography techniques. “I’ve always greatly valued that time and having the opportunity to really learn and experience the roots of photography,” notes Fain. “My professors all had their own unique approaches to the photographic process, ranging from documentary, to fine art and commercial. It was this well-rounded curriculum as well as some really tough personalities that prepared me for the real world.” Indeed, during her junior year, instead of taking classes she assisted full-time for a leading commercial photographer in the area.

One of the most important lessons Fain learned while assisting accomplished photographers such as Jonathan Pushnik and Laura Barisonzi is that much of what photographers do involves maintaining a good relationship with a multitude of different personalities – and making sure that everyone is having a good time. Of course, she learned a great deal of practical and technical skills, too, but what she found most valuable was learning who she wanted to be as a photographer, and, more important, what her role would be as a person in the industry. Some of the photographers she worked for could be very cruel and unjustly demanding. The ones she really grew to respect were tough minded, but always level headed. “If I made a mistake, they’d pull me aside and we’d discuss a resolution privately rather than embarrassing anyone on the set. In short, the greatest lesson I learned was that there are two ways to make it in this industry – one, be a bully;  two, be genuinely kind to people and work hard at your craft.”

When Fain applied for the job at Leica, she was only 24 and was working 3 different jobs just to stay afloat. Initially the position was to be the east coast specialist for the S-System, Leica’s formidable medium-format digital competitor to Hasselblad, Mamiya, et al. She was responsible for aiding sales and marketing efforts, technical support, and acting as a liaison between top-tier photographers, high-end enthusiasts, commercial studios, dealers, and rental houses. “Leica took a big chance on me and I will always look back at my experience there with extreme fondness and gratitude,” says Fain. “I literally went overnight from being the lowest person on the totem pole to being invited to the studio of Annie Leibovitz.”

While she wasn’t actually shooting for Leica, it was her job to know the ins and outs of the Leica S-System, so she set up test shoots from time to time, and was able to practice and learn new skills. She was also meeting with and attending Leica sponsored lectures given by some of the world’s most famous photojournalists, fashion and portrait photographers—Mary Ellen Mark, Mark Seliger, Cindy Sherman, Mark Mann, etc. And because she was fully engaged in their unique styles and approaches she would pick up priceless tidbits from each of them. At the same time she was learning invaluable lessons about the business of photography. Not all photographers have experience with the inner workings of corporate settings, and gaining this knowledge has helped her navigate productive, mutually beneficial relationships with her most prestigious clients.

Kelsey Fain’s strategy for growing her business is simple and straightforward: “I take risks, I put myself out there a lot. and I’m learning to put myself out there even more.” Fortunately, most of her client base has come through word of mouth and professional references. And she knows that maintaining strong relationships is crucial to growing any enterprise in this fiercely competitive industry.

Other guiding principles on her short list: Always try to make connections for other people—they’ll not only thank you, they’ll reciprocate. Stick to your guns when it comes to valuing and pricing your work. You may get turned down a lot but you’ll get respect. And always remember that photographers have a lot to offer in helping their clients’ companies grow and increase their revenue. Being a commercial photographer is not a hobby but a business, and the entire industry is hurt when we reduce our rates to unlivable wages.

How does Fain see her current mission as a professional fashion, food, and commercial photographer? Like all photographers she has days when she questions her work and wonders about her position within the industry. Some days she even questions if she really wants to continue being a photographer at all! “It’s a grueling business sometimes,” she wryly observes, “and beyond that, it’s extremely hard on your body. You’re often on your feet for 8 or more hours at a time, usually standing on concrete, and schlepping really heavy equipment. It can be draining, and with the world valuing professional photography less, and putting more demand on photographers when they are hired, I sometimes wonder if it’s realistic that I’ll be able to physically and mentally maintain this career.”

But at the end of the day, Kelsey Fain realizes that for her, it’s more than just a career— it’s who she is! And that’s why she doesn’t see herself quitting the profession anytime soon.

Aside from being a photographer, Fain is also a Certified Health Coach and an advocate for women’s health rights. “Given our present political climate I am finding myself drawn more and more to these areas,” she asserts. “And going forward I see photography as a tool to aid in my passionate advocacy, and I’m open to any different pathways this may take me down.”

Over the next few years, Kelsey Fain hopes to attract more clients that align with her ethics and her vision. And as much as she loves the art of fashion photography, she greatly enjoys working in the food space, so lately she’s been pitching her work to incentivize more food-related projects. “I’ve found that when I work with clients I’m truly in alignment with, I do my best work, and together we achieve outstanding results,” she explains. She also plans to explore an entirely new area – film documentary.

“There’s a documentary idea that’s been calling me louder and louder” she confides, “and I am just beginning this process- something that’s entirely new for me!” It will be her first documentary and she admits being “a bit terrified,” but she also know it’s something she just has to do. Fortunately she has built up an impressive reservoir of resources she can tap into and she’ll be reaching out to the right partners that can help her bring this project to fruition. If her present work is any indication it’s sure to be masterfully executed and visually stunning.

See more of Kelsey Fain’s work:

https://www.kelseyfainphoto.com/

https://www.instagram.com/kelseyfain/