Rising Stars: Meet Brandon Fox of Ventura

Today we’d like to introduce you to Brandon Fox.

Hi Brandon, can you start by introducing yourself? We’d love to learn more about how you got to where you are today?
Around the time I was in junior high, I found I had a knack for computers and technology. For the most part, I was self-taught through fixing the computers in my house, for family/friends, at my father’s office, and so on. On the creative side of things, I began to dabble in the art of photography after I inherited my late Aunt Karen’s DSLR in 2011. More or less, I was immediately smitten with the art form. Here and there, I’d take a shot of a sunset or a flower, but nothing that was really worth a second glance. It wasn’t until 2022, upon purchasing my new camera, where I began to do it professionally. (I’ve kept my aunt’s as a memento of course.)

To start, I began getting involved in my community via volunteering at events by offering to photograph them. As well as offering to do family shoots for friends. While often at a discount (or even as a sponsor), I got hired for races, parades, fundraisers, and so on. Little by little through word-of-mouth, reviews, and repeat business, my clientele gradually expanded. Today, I’m one of the fastest event photographers in Ventura County, often offering 24-hour (or even same day) turnarounds. On the side, I love to travel and photograph landscapes as well, or anything else that catches my eye. The best part of photography, in my opinion, is actively looking for shot opportunities wherever you are, leaving no stone unturned. Some call it “having the eye.”

We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
Photography, like many others, is a saturated industry. The struggle is being new among so many others who have been in the business for much longer than I. Larger clientele, many more reviews…you get the picture. (No pun intended.) Nevertheless, through various avenues, I learned through experience that no matter what, there will always be work out there, even for beginners. (E.G. my first wedding was for a couple who couldn’t afford the veteran photographers, hence why they chose me. It ended up being win-win where they got great photos for a bargain and I was able to add my first wedding to my portfolio.) But standing out often takes more than simply knowing how to take pictures well. You need to find your hook. In other words, what makes you unique where you can demonstrate “this is why you should hire me, among all of the others bidding for your money.” Pretty images are nice, and while one’s unique style can very much so be a solid hook, it’s not always enough to stand out as a selling point on its own. One of my hooks is that (even for weddings), clients will often get back your photos within 24 hours. Everyone has that story of a wedding they attended that took weeks, if not months to get their pictures back. So it can be a big selling point for some clients to be able to enjoy them while the event is still hot off the press and fresh in their minds.

Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know about your work?
I primarily do portraits, events, and sports. But out of the three, events are my most common form of photoshoots. For events, I focus on capturing every angle (wide shots, close shots, the decor, posed, candid, and so on) to capture the event in its entirety. I also believe in a fast delivery so that they can enjoy the photos before the excitement of the event dies down. For portrait sessions, I specialize in utilizing natural light and vibrant colors to paint a dreamlike scene, and give family photos a magical sense of wonder that they’ll cherish for a lifetime. I try to avoid the typical “pick a random park at any time of the day that works for you and I’ll meet you there” scenario; it’s been done a million and a half times and doesn’t make family photos have that extra something. If done incorrectly without proper planning, not doing your homework on locations/diffusing light sources can make a client’s photos look like a cell phone picture. Which would be fine…if they weren’t paying you a premium to take them. But one thing that sets me apart from others is continuously honing my unique style and getting the best possible light. You find your style, perfect it, stand out above the crowd, and when a potential client sees your work, they’ll say “I want to hire them.” And the best part is, you won’t have to lift a finger or spend a dime. Ultimately, the bottom line with that is: it’s important to remember that photography is a visual medium. You can write paragraphs about why you think you’re the best and why you should get hired. But showing your work, not explaining it, is what sells. In summary, I would say I’m proud of the fact that I started from scratch and to this day, have built it up all on my own. Success is a journey, not a destination, as they say. And every new friend/encounter I’ve had along the way always feels more endearing and fulfilling than the last.

Are there any important lessons you’ve learned that you can share with us?
Don’t let rejection bring you down. I’ve gotten more noes than I can count, but it only makes the yeses that much more satisfying. And that there are no shortcuts. In the digital age, we crave instant gratification more than ever. Too many courses attempt to sell you on the promise that, if you pay them x amount of dollars, you’ll have people lining up around the block to hire you to the point where you can quit your day job. (I’m hardly mincing words on this.) Don’t fall for it. You still need to put in the work; a piece of paper saying you completed a course is no substitute for that. That doesn’t mean all courses are bogus, but with so many out there, you must be selective and do your homework first on deciding if it will actually benefit your profession. You probably won’t make much, if any profit at all in the first two years with startup costs and a small clientele. You’re going to feel frustrated some days; you may go weeks without taking a day off (I’ve been there.) But if you keep at it, and continuously expand your circle, one day you’ll wake up and realize you’ve become the go-to person for whatever your craft may be in your community. And it’ll all fall into place. It goes by faster than you think. I’ll leave this with some wise words from business mentors of mine: if you aren’t networking, you aren’t working.

Pricing:

• $125/hr

Contact Info:

• Website: https://brandonfoxphotos.com
• Instagram: brandonfoxphotos

Image Credits
Personal headshot taken by Vanie Poyey.
All other images taken by Brandon Fox.