The Basics: Who, What, Where
My name is Rich and I’m a photographer based in NYC. I’m a Queens native and grew up in the area. I now have the pleasure of shooting all over New York for clients that range from Bravo and KPMG, to actors, entertainers, artists, and various retail/e-commerce companies. I left my dead end job in 2013 to become a full time photographer. There was no safety net and it was a make it or break it time of my life. I was getting married at the end of the year and needed a fresh start doing something that I loved instead of being strapped to desk at a job I didn’t like. My passion is photography.
Favorite Subjects
I shoot a wide range of subjects but my favorite things to shoot are portraits and lifestyle photos. I really like capturing peoples’ faces with my camera and experimenting with the light around them to bring the viewer closer to the subject’s persona or attitude in the moment.
Essential Gear
I shoot with a Canon 70D for now with a variety of lenses. My go-to portrait lens is a Canon 100mm L macro. Soon I will be upgrading to either a Canon 5D Mark III or Canon 7D Mark II.
Advice for Photographers
My best advice for anyone wanting to shoot for a living – especially portraits (double especially for corporate portraits) is that you need to be calm, open, friendly, and be a people person. A photographer’s job is to make people comfortable enough to open up to the camera and let their inner self shine through. A photographer’s personality is as big of a tool as his eye. No one wants to work with a diva.
Words to Live By
“Make it happen.” – You can solve any dilemma by force of will, intuition, positive thinking, and know-how. The other thing I like to say is that just because someone drives a Ferrari, it doesn’t make them a great driver. The same goes for camera gear. If you buy the most expensive gear thinking you’ll take the most amazing photos then you’ve missed the point of being a photographer. Know your fundamentals first.
See more of Rich’s work:
