Lewis Kemper
Jessica Rix interviews a professional photographer
November 7, 2008 | by brett | Permalink
My name is Jessica Rix. I am a senior at Peoria High School and completed my Pursue the Passion Interview with an awesome professional photographer named Lewis Kemper. She also invited me to attend a special speaking engagement in Scottsdale, Arizona on February 28th, 2009. The link to the group hosting the event is http://www.digmeeting.com/
My interview:
1. How would you describe your job? I am a self employed photographer and photography educator
2. What kind of environment do you experience within your company and your job? I am a sole proprietor so mostly I work alone
3. What other departments depend on you to do their work and who do you depend on? This is not really applicable to my work situation. As a sole proprietor I am the book keeper, the production, IT, shipping, design and marketing departments
4. What are you most proud about your work? While I love the creative aspect of making images I think I am most proud of teaching and helping others fulfill their creative desires.
5. What educational background do you need for your job? I don’t think you need any more than experience to do my job but I do have a Bachelors of Fine Art from the George Washington University where I studies photography.
6. Have you ever worked for National Geographic? I have had image published in some National Geographic books and magazines but I have never had an assignment from them.
7. When did you realize that you wanted to become a professional photographer? In high school.
8. How long did it take to become a professional and to be known by so many people? It took about 6 years before I got my first big break that lead to a lot of recognition and that was when I first began writing for Outdoor Photographer magazine.
9. Do you have to supply your own equipment or do other supply it for you? I supply my own equipment, although in the last 5 years I have been sponsored by Canon and they assist me in getting new gear
10. How many times a year do you travel? Between photographing and teaching I am gone 4-5 months a year. So I would say at least 2 trips from 3-10 days a months.
11. What really inspires you to take photographs? My love for the outdoors and nature.
12. What type of photography do you prefer to take? I prefer landscape and wildlife photography.
13. Do other people pay for your traveling? Yes, 90% of the time.
14. What kind of skills do you need to become a photographer? You need to work hard, be persistent, be creative and be good at self promotion
15. Do you need a lot of dedication and inspiration to become successful at becoming a photographer? Yes! You will get a lot of rejections and you just have to keep working and trying your best to pursue your goals. You really need to love what you do to become successful.
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THERE ARE 2 RESPONSES TO THIS INTERVIEW
brett Says:
November 7th, 2008
Very nice interview Jessica! This is exactly what I envisioned when I created the Pursue the Passion program. I’m really glad you made the connection with Lewis…she seems like a great connection to have.
Steve Says:
November 10th, 2008
Jessica, the best thing about you conducting your PTP interview is that you are making contacts that will be useful to you the rest of your life. You are building bridges and learning. In addition to what you are learning through the answers to your questions, your rolodex (old term for contact listings) will expand. It’s not what you know, it’s who you know. Keep up the good work. The photographs were unbelievable. Thanks for adding them.
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