Today we’d like to introduce you to Rich Levine.
Hi Rich, it’s an honor to have you on the platform. Thanks for taking the time to share your story with us – to start maybe you can share some of your backstory with our readers?
I was born in Brooklyn, NY and raised outside the city. My father was a pro photographer for a while and he got
me into photography at a young age. I would go out and shoot landscape photos. I experimented with long exposures. I was like anyone else, just enjoying the camera. I never thought it would be a career.
After moving to North Carolina 32 years ago, I went through different jobs
to pay the bills, but photography was always with me. In 2011 I got my first good digital camera and started
photographing people and events. Over the years I was asked to photograph parties, weddings, etc.
In 2016 I shot my first concert. I enjoyed it, but thought it was a one shot deal. I crossed it off my list and kept photographing other things I enjoyed. I started going to more shows and decided to bring my camera gear. After a year or so bands were asking me to photograph their sets. By 2019 I was photographing bands every week. I think I shot 83 bands that year, along with 3 music festivals. In 2021 I had enough business to launch my own company and I started making a living in Real Estate Photography while continuing to photograph concerts and other events.
That continues to this day and I love every minute of it.
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
Definitely not a smooth road. There were more than a few times where I thought I would have to shut down my company
and go back to working for someone else.
For a few years I found myself chasing opportunities to keep the business going. Starting the company during the COVID-19 pandemic was tough, but once we came out of that, the opportunities came back.
It was a long road to getting regular work, but real estate, concerts and festivals slowly got back to pre-Covid levels and
my calendar started filling up again. I’m always thankful for the work I get and I think about the future a lot. I’m sure there will be more ups and downs, but I’ve learned a lot from the obstacles and the successes.
Running a business is a lot of work. It is just shooting photos and editing. There are bills to pay, equipment upgrades, taxes, travel, spreadsheets. But it’s all part of the work. It can be difficult to keep up with all of it sometimes.
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your business?
I have two companies. The first is Bramblebrook Images which covers the bulk of my photography. My main source of income
is Real Estate photography and I keep that work under Bramblebrook Images. It has been a wonderful part of my life. I photograph over 200 houses and properties every year and I never take it for granted that I get to help people sell their
homes.
My other company is Bramblebrook Media. This company handles all my other photography jobs: Weddings and other events, concerts, festivals, model photography.
Most people who follow my work know me for my concert and event photography. I still photograph roughly 75 concerts, a half dozen festivals and a few weddings every year.
People who hire me know how committed I am to what I do and that I bring a professional attitude to every shoot.
I’m dedicated to doing my best and capturing images people will be proud to post and print.
I treat every photo shoot as a new adventure and an opportunity to not only provide a quality product, but also an opportunity
to learn and also have fun with my clients. If everyone enjoys the process, it makes the sessions more relaxed and fun.
Are there any books, apps, podcasts or blogs that help you do your best?
I spend 30 minutes on YouTube every day. There is always something new to learn about photography, whether it’s
my cameras, my drones, lighting. YouTube provides plenty of content for me to watch and get other professional’s
perspectives.
I read books by photographers to find out how they got started, what training they had, and look at their best work.
It gives me ideas of which direction I would like to go in the future.
I’ve spent years working with Lightroom and Photoshop and they have been immeasurably useful to me. Both are
constantly adding new features that make processing my work more enjoyable.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://bramblebrookimages.com/
- Instagram: bramblebrook_media
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100042599477056
