April 10, 2017

Meet Kerem Hanci of Kerem Hanci Photography in Los Angeles

Local Stories

Today we’d like to introduce you to Kerem Hanci.

Kerem, please share your story with us. How did you get to where you are today?
The photography bug found me when I was very young. I was “borrowing” my father’s old Zenit camera, which I took away from him many years ago, leaving him a Minolta SLR.

I worked as the assistant of Gürcan Bilgiç, the reporter of my favorite soccer team (Fenerbahçe) back in Istanbul and he thought me a great deal about photography. During my college years in the south of France, another photojournalist, Laurent Béziers shared a wealth of knowledge with me about both photography and dark room.

After I came to US, I worked in corporate environments and in retail management, in 2006, I listened to the voice of reason (my wife) and decided to follow my heart and make a career out of the thing I was most passionate about: Photography.

I also did a couple of workshops with Bobbi Lane, from whom I learned the proper techniques of portrait lighting, then I took all the photography classes I could at Santa Monica College.

Since 2008, I have been a full-time photographer working in a variety of industries and specializing on weddings and portraits. I founded two companies: Kerem Hanci Photography and Shoot The Head Photography. I was hiring second photographers for wedding shoots and building a healthy network of photographers, but the results were not consistent and I was not getting to have other professionals to submit themselves to my style when they were shooting with me. So, I decided to train my wife Jennifer Fontaine who is a filmmaker. She already had a “great eye” and all I had to do was to give her my technical expertise and knowledge. She is now a fantastic photographer who is not a copycat of me but who has enrichened the Kerem Hanci Photography brand.

Overall, has it been relatively smooth? If not, what were some of the struggles along the way?
It has not been a smooth road at all. But I loved every second of this ride, including the bumpy roads! I launched into a freelance career at the beginning of an economic crisis in historic size that was dubbed “The Great Recession, I’m sure you heard about it: D

So, it was shaky in the beginning but I stuck to my course and did what I needed to do. My wife and I had difficult times but we survived the storm. I even ventured into a side business of studio rental in 2013 with Blue Buddha Studios, but decided it was not for me and I closed it in 2015.

Being a freelance artist has a ton of advantages. I can make my own schedule, I can spend time with my daughter, I can have control over all aspect of my work. It also has its challenges as I am responsible for bringing more work all the time, there is no off button really. It’s hard work, a lot of it. But I absolutely love what I do and seeing the smiles on my client’s’ faces are an added bonus to the job well done.

Please tell us about Kerem Hanci Photography.
Kerem Hanci Photography is offering a boutiques experience for clients in need of photographic services.

While we do not discriminate between jobs and we are working within very different industries, we are specialized in weddings and family portraits (Maternity, newborn, toddles, graduations etc.).

One of the things I am most proud of is the fact that Kerem Hanci Photography has so many clients that we “grow” with. We usually start with an engagement session, sometimes with a “proposal shoot”, And we document every milestone of the couple as they grow into a family. This not only create a trusting professional rapport, but also turns into great friendships we cherish.

The most compliments we get is the incredible harmony Jennifer and I have when we are shooting together. While our clients are very happy with the results, their guests and family members also enjoy watching us work because both Jen and I absolutely love what we do.

What sets us apart from others is I genuinely try very hard to work with everyone’s wishes and budgets. If there is a will, we can find a way… My motto is “The answer is yes, what is your question?”

If you had to go back in time and start over, would you have done anything differently?
I would have listened to my wife and started the company earlier and I would have been a bit bolder. Other than that, I am very happy with our past and looking forward to the future.

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