Posey Photography: A story of entrepreneurship by accident
Xiao Min, who works in a government agency, has always had a habit of recording everything with a camera. Before getting married, she and her husband would take photos of wherever they went and post them on their photo wall. Three years ago, she became pregnant. When she was 8 months old, she found Posey and took a set of photos of her baby belly as her first gift to her baby. Yesterday, she found Posey again, hoping to take a set of photos as a commemoration of her 30th birthday.
Percy, whose real name is Han Bing. Although she is the boss of Posey Photography, she is a versatile female photographer. From makeup, to styling, to photography, she can complete the entire shooting process by herself. Among the three to four hundred photography studios in Nanjing, Po Xi is somewhat famous. From being a corporate white-collar worker to starting his own business, from being camera-illiterate to becoming a photographer, Posey has his own way of success.
I became a photographer by accident
When I met Posey, her quietness and approachability were the first impression she left on the reporter. Her long black hair was casually pulled into a bun at the back, and she was dressed simply, a shirt and jeans. Percy explained shyly: "I don't care about anything when I'm at work, so I dress more casually." ?Colleagues call her a ?hard-working photographer.
There is also a story about the origin of Percy's name. Han Bing’s online name was originally Bohemia. Bohemia refers to a bohemian nation living in Czechoslovakia who live by singing and dancing. Han Bing likes an unfettered life and is a bit neurotic and romantic. Later, my friends used to call me "Posey" and I changed it to "Posey".
Speaking of photography, Posey still feels that it is purely accidental. To this day, she often talks to many of her friends: Why did she accidentally become a photographer? Po Xi was born in Northeast China and went to university in Shandong to study painting. In 1996, he applied to a foreign-funded company in Nanjing to do market training. Although it is not related to the original major, I finally have a stable and decent job.
Four or five years passed uneventfully like this. Later, the company wanted to move to Shanghai, but Percy preferred Nanjing, so he resigned. In October 2002, she opened her own small store under Lady Plaza, with a relatively large area of ??about 60 square meters. Since the area was relatively large, she wanted to carve out a place for photography and take pictures of all the styles I usually like so that more people would like it. However, I knew nothing about photography at the time and didn’t even know where the shutter was. So I used the Internet to organize activities, hoping to find a good partner there. After the film came out, it was not ideal.
A week before the opening, Posey went to see a graphic design teacher from her former Nanjing Normal University. Digital development at that time was not high, and the only camera available was the Canon G2. The teacher taught her the simplest way to use it. Unexpectedly, the first test shoot was a success, which gave her decisive courage. Later, there was "My First Shooting" in Posey's photography diary. During that shooting, she made sample photos for her shop. From then on, Posey began her photography journey.
One month after opening, I received an order of 600 yuan.
However, for the next month, there was almost no customer. At that time, there were many photo studios in Nanjing. Posey only did photography based on his own hobbies and interests. As for how big he wanted to be in the future, his mind was blank. But Percy firmly believes that hard work will pay off. So, she started going to photographic equipment and printing shops to get familiar with all kinds of consumables, and communicated with every customer who came to the store for consultation to understand what they wanted.
Finally, Posey took the first order. The customer was a primary school teacher. Due to her overweight figure, she had never had self-confidence and was afraid to enter the studio for filming. But when she accidentally walked into Posey's store and saw the works on the wall, she was moved.
Percy still remembers her words: "Just practice with me." ?That time, Posey had his first income? 600 yuan.
From receiving the first customer who never dared to enter the studio to take pictures, to the second customer who wanted to take pictures that were different from other studios? Posey began to have his own customer base. For every customer, from makeup to photography to post-production graphics to film production, Posi does it himself. She joked: "Doing photography is not only mental work, but also physical work!" ?At that time, Percy worked until two or three in the morning almost every day before resting.
A friend’s second-hand lamp also became a prop
The original studio was located in a yard at the foot of Purple Mountain. The studio couldn't be simpler, a second-hand lamp that a friend didn't want, and a Canon G2. ?The air at the foot of the mountain is very good. Sometimes I take customers up the mountain to take pictures. I am very tired, but also happy. ?Percy was very cheerful. Later, the studio moved to the International Youth Hotel, which had a European-like courtyard and large sycamore trees, so I rented a room for filming. Later, the studio moved to an office building on the 15th floor. The area was not large, but it was replaced with a truly professional camera Canon 300D of my own. But that studio is not her ideal yet. She often keeps fantasizing in the empty studio. It would be nice to have a studio, and she can create more backgrounds and themes by herself. So last year, she moved the studio to the Creative East 8th District on Guanghua East Street, and the staff expanded from the original one to five. In addition to herself, there are three photographers and a post-production staff.
She will create a set of personal photos worth 10,000 yuan
In reality, Posy also has her own contradictions. ?Nearly all the customers I photograph every day are ordinary customers in daily life. They are ordinary and have no photography experience. They are more nervous and overwhelmed in front of the camera. It is rare to have a few good shots. Whenever a group of photos is taken, After finishing, I feel like I have left the examination room. I often comfort myself that they are not professional models. You can’t ask them like this, but you must try your best to take good pictures of them. Everyone has different potentials. If you take good pictures, it’s me. responsibility! ?
Almost every photographer has dreamed of shooting fashion photography, but the current Chinese fashion photography industry can only support a few fashion photographers. Therefore, Posy put on makeup, took photos, and designed every day, filling his time to the fullest. She once thought about giving up one of them and focusing on the other two, but she was always conflicted. How can photography and modeling be separated and separated? Therefore, when he could rest, Percy would relax as much as possible, leave the city, and experience life.
Posey has always insisted on photographing only one customer a day. Perhaps it is this spirit of excellence that attracts customers. Today, Posey's studio has orders almost every day, 365 days a year. Of course, her prices are higher than those of ordinary studios. Generally, wedding photography packages cost six to seven thousand yuan, and personal portraits cost around two to three thousand yuan.
Posey revealed that currently Nanjing has the most high-end wedding photography, but there is no top-end personal portrait. This year, she will create a set of personal photos worth more than 10,000 yuan. Of course, it’s not that the more expensive the better, it’s about actually having good works. To this end, they will extend the front line from pre-planning to shooting, from the original one day to more than three days, to ensure high-quality photos. Posey isn't worried about the prospects. She said that there are actually many rich people in Nanjing, but they don’t know how to spend the money or where to spend it.
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