Today we’d like to introduce you to Amel Adrian.
Hi Amel, so excited to have you with us today. What can you tell us about your story?
I started photography when I was around ten years old. I found my mom’s old Konica Minolta and asked her if I could use it, and she said yes. I started going for walks around my neighborhood and photographing landscapes and nature, and eventually that progressed to me photographing my friends. I’d say I was shooting portraits of my friends from the age of 13 – 18, and it was really when I was in college that I started posting my work on Instagram and started getting clients. I spent years building my portfolio before I realized I could capitalize off of my art, and in 2021, I started working with artists in the music industry. While shooting artists, I started building a portfolio that consisted of a lot of bts work and candids, and then this year (2023), I started getting clients who wanted me to shoot their parties and events because they liked my bts/candid style. However, to be fully transparent, I’d still say I’m in a transitionary period trying to figure out which niche of photography I’m most passionate about.
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
I’d say photography was the smoothest road when I was a kid, and it was just a passion. The road got bumpier when I started making money off of it because I had to learn how to run and grow a business with no experience. I got into photography because I love to create, but now doing it as a career definitely has its challenges because 50% (or more) of being a photographer is really about being a businessperson. And although that wasn’t initially my plan, I’m grateful for all that I’ve learned and how far I’ve come when it comes to navigating my photography business.
Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know about your work?
I’m an LA-based photographer. I specialize in film photography and I’m known for my work shooting rappers, influencers, and parties. I’m most proud of the growth I’ve seen in the quality of my work since I started running my business. I’d say what sets me apart from other film photographers is my editing style and how it blends of the vintage film look, and it has a crispness and color scheme that’s reminiscent of digital photography.
We all have a different way of looking at and defining success. How do you define success?
I feel like success is such a subjective and ambiguous topic, but I for me, there are certain people and brands I’ve wanted to work with for quite a while now, and I feel like when those opportunities align, I would definitely equate them to me achieving a certain level of success. But I’d define long-term success as being able to live the quality of life I want to live while solely supporting myself off of my photography. But at the same time, my biggest goal, and what I’m aiming for is to curate a style of photography that is so uniquely my own that when people see a photo I’ve taken they would know I took it. So success can be big, small, in between… I’d say in simplest terms, it’s all about fulfillment.
Pricing:
- Film Photography Packages starting at $300
- Digital Photography Packages starting at $250
- Event Photography Packages starting at $500
Contact Info:
- Website: www.ameladriann.com
- Instagram: instagram.com/ameladriann
Image Credits
Caleb Davis and Angel Moret Ca$h Only and BPace Esme Navarrete Juicy J and Wiz Khalifa Chloe Brown Caleb Davis Neeve “Trynity” Copeland
