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Great news! I just found out that I will be featured on www.photoforthepeople.com in a live interview. All members of the site are encouraged to log in and chat things up.

The interview will take place at 7pm EST time and should go for a couple hours. If you are a photographer of any skill set then be sure to register on the forum and be there! I will be available to answer any questions regarding photography or business.

Hope to see you all there!

Michael and Anna Costa are a husband and wife team based in California. I am lucky enough to call them friends and they have been a great inspiration to me for years. Plus Mike and I have a great time exchanging killer music with one another. I had both the honor and privilege of interviewing them for the website. I know we have a lot of wedding photographers checking in so pay extra close attention to this interview! Be sure to take a look at their website HERE (their Blog is HERE) and I am sure you will see why. So without further ado, here is what they had to say:

Q: Can you tell me a little bit about yourselves?
A: We are Michael + Anna Costa Photographers. We are located in Southern California and shoot mainly in Santa Barbara and Los Angeles with various jaunts around the country/world each year for shoots.

Q: What areas of photography do you specialize in?
A: We are wedding photographers! We have been in business for 4 1/2 years and love what we do. We love the creative control, energy and fun of shooting weddings. Its a VERY rewarding job and it certainly keeps us on our toes. We love a challenge and so this business give us the opportunity to constantly be growing. Not only in our work, but our business as well.

Q: How would you describe your styles?
A: We are fine art photojournalists. We are also hybrid photographers – shooting BOTH digital and film photography. We put a high priority in quality of work and providing our clients with something truly unique. We want them to hang our pictures on their walls not only because its their wedding, but because they consider it a work of art.

Q: So where do you draw your inspiration from?
A: There are so many amazing photographers out there that are truly inspirational. Mostly commercial photographers are who we like to follow the most. However, we’ve found that in this stage of our career we have to really have to look inward for inspirations so as to set ourselves apart artistically. However, on the business side we’ve found inspiration from legendary authors such as Napoleon Hill and Dale Carnegie to great leaders in business such as Robert Kiyosaki or Tim Ferriss. We find countless inspiration from reading books pertaining to our business and find that it may be one of the most important things in separating ourselves from the masses long term. RIF (Reading is Fundamental)

Q: What is it like being a husband and wife team? Any pros and cons?
A: We absolutely love being a husband and wife team. We joke that our marriage has been put on hyper drive a bit since we spend about 3x’s as much time together as most normal couples. The draw backs are that we have to treat each other with more respect and consideration then we might an employee. As a wife, I try to not nag Michael about things – and as a husband Michael tries to be mindful of not hurting my feelings when giving feedback. We’ve worked out many kinks in the beginning and it only helped our relationship become stronger overall. We now really hate spending too much time away from each other, since we aren’t used to it!

Q: Back to you both shooting film. Can you tell me a little bit about that? What you are using? What got you back into it and so on?
A: Film is a really important component to our style and work being set apart from the crowd. There is a texture, feel, depth and look to film that is unique and unlike digital. Our clients don’t necessarily know that we shoot film until we tell them – but they do know that they like whatever it is that we are doing. The more we shoot, the more we want to shoot film. Digital is amazing too, and we shoot that as well. Especially in a digitally saturated market, a bride is used to being offered a ton more photographs than even 5-6 years ago because of the “unlimited” capacities of digital. So its great to use both tools for different uses. Digital is also amazing for low lighting situations and creates amazing shots in its own right!

Q: Has shooting film benefited you from a niche market or workflow point of view?
A: Shooting film has benefited in terms of niche marketing, although most brides don’t know that we shoot film until we tell them. Once they know and are educated about the look of film its much harder for them to choose someone else who doesn’t provide that luxury. As far as workflow, there is an extra step in getting the film processed and scanned so we can add it to the digital files. But its worth it and an extremely simple process. We just mail out the film and it get’s mailed back to us process and scanned onto CD’s. In general, shooting film is about US being stoked about our work . You have to do what you love and are passionate about. If you do that, the work will follow.

Q: Who handles your film processing?
A: Color Services in Santa Barbara does our processing and they are simply amazing. A big component in our business is customer service and they exceed our expectations on a regular basis. They have never let us down in terms of rush orders or quality.

Q: What would you say a typical day in the live of the Costa’s would involve?
A: We are pretty nuts most of the time. We juggle our photo shoots, with everyday office workflow (getting events online, emails, business building tasks), blogging/online presence, managing our forum photoforthepeople.com as well as preparing for speaking presentations that we have a few times a year or more. We outsource most of our photo color corrections for our digital images and all of our Album Designing. We also outsource our print orders which are handled completely by Pictage.

Q: Can you talk to me about some of your favorite images and why they mean so much to you?
A: One of our favorite pictures is of a grandpa at this wedding sucking down his stoggie! We also love this shot of a little red headed ring bearer who was just too unique and adorable looking for words. We shot a wedding in Mexico awhile back that was literally a photographers dream. We have a bunch of photos from that wedding we love. We love NYC and have so many photos from there that we really love. Most of the work that stands out is because our clients allowed us the time to really play. When we are rushed on the wedding day, we will get great shots. But when the client puts a priority on photography and gives us time – that’s when the magic happens!

Q: Can you go through what equipment you are using…
A: We shoot the Contax 645, Canon EOS 1V, Canon 5D and have all the lenses/flashes etc….We are having fun playing with our new pocket wizards!

Q: Do you have anything special in the works or coming up that you would like to talk about?
A: We are working on a tool that we are hoping will automate our workflow and marketing. We are hoping to share it with others as well, so hopefully it will be up and running soon!

Q: Do you have any workshops or speaking engagements coming up?
A: We are speaking at the WPPI 2010 Business Institute. We are excited for that! We love speaking in Vegas!

Q: Would you like to give some props to your sponsors?
A: Of course! We LOVE Fuji Film, Queensberry Albums and Pictage!

Thank you very much for taking the time out of your busy day to speak with us. Keep up the great work guys!

I first met Kenny when attending Mike Colón and Bob Davis’ Master Your Craft seminar down in New York City. He was very personable and ridiculously nice. On top of that, he had these amazing shirts for sale that I had to get ;P

After that, I seen Kenny everywhere I looked, every photo blog, every magazine I seen somehow up had Kenny in it! Absolutely amazing.

In a few short years, Kenny has made his way through the ranks and gotten his name out there in the industry like I have never seen before! His drive and determination has made him one of my biggest inspirations to date.

Kenny took some time out of his busy schedule to answer some questions for us.

		What’s one word that describes yourself? Kenny Kim: Personable What’s your businesses primary area of photography? KK: Lifestyle Wedding Photography When did you start Kenny Kim Photography? KK: This is my 3rd year going in full-time. 2006.
> What first sparked your interest in photography? KK: Shooting for collegiate sports helped me learn the techniques. I’ve been fascinated with people since I was little. I have shoe boxes full of bad photos. What made you decide to pursue a career in photography? KK: Earlier in my career, a mother of the bride came up to me, gave me a hug, and told me that I was their family’s best photographer. She said that but didn’t see a single image I shot. That’s when I knew I could make it in this business. How would you best describe yourself and your photographic style? KK: I’m fun, engaging and personable. I approach each wedding as if it was my own family’s wedding. I look for candid and natural moments. What do you feel separates yourself from other photographers in your same profession? KK: I make an effort to build relationships with all my clients. Better I get to know them, better results I get. What other photographer or photographers have been a big inspiration to you? KK: I have so many wonderful colleagues that I need to thank. Particularly – Mike Colón, David Jay, Bob Davis, Becker – They helped me to get jump start in my career in the beginning. There are many others that I love to name but the list will go on and on. What else motivates and inspires you? KK: I get energized by people and the dynamics that each couple brings. What does a typical day of yours involve? KK: Weekdays are typical. I travel a lot, but when I am at home, I get up (slowly), get some coffee and usually start out browsing the web, catch up on my email and do some editing. I try to meet with people during the day but if not, then I’m doing various things related to my business. How often do you travel for assignments? KK: I think I spent more time on the road last year then I did at home. Eek! Do you have anyone else working for you? Do you outsource your work? If so then what do you primarily outsource? KK: I outsource all my album work. I have two wonderful designers working for me. I have a degree in graphic design but I learned a lesson that just because I can do it doesn’t mean I have to do it. So I also outsource all my graphic design materials to my good friend who is also an excellent designer. As for second shooters, I get lot of inquires of people interested in second shooting with me so I usually utilize them to come help me out at weddings. I make sure they have fun and capture great images! What was the coolest assignment/location that you have ever shot and why? KK: I love destination weddings. Having said that, my answer to the question would be the “next wedding” I shoot will be my coolest one. I really want to have that mentality and approach to each client I shoot for so that they will get the best of my work. What is your absolute favorite photo that you have ever taken and why? KK: I hate those “favorite questions” but this one I took back in 2006 still brings a smile to my face. I was with the groomsmen taking some shots of them getting ready. The ring bearer was one of the groomsmen’s sons. He needed some help with tying his shoes. His father saw he was having hard time, laughed and bent down to tie the laces for him. I love the relationship between them and the ring bearer’s boxers. It was a genuine moment that I was fortunate to capture. What advice can you offer other pros out there to take their business to the next level? KK: #1 – Make your business about serving your clients. Have fun. #2 Don’t ever forget rule #1. When did you start doing conferences, workshops and/or speaking engagements? KK: I have not done any workshops or conferences of my own. I’ve mainly just helped other photographers with their own workshops. (Mike Colón, David Jay, Bob Davis, Jeff & Julia Woods). I’ve been learning a lot from them and look forward to having one of my in the future. Not sure when that will be but once I learn how to fish well, then I’ll know when it’s time to teach others how to fish. Where can we see you speaking next? KK: I will be at WPPI in Vegas. You can find me speaking at the Pictage booth on Feb 17th from 12pm to 1pm. If you do not care to hear me speak, then come hear Robert Evans who will be with me. He’s pretty famous! Where can we see some more of your work? KK: www.KennyKim.com is my web site. You can also find me on Facebook and check out some of my work there! What advice can you offer in regards to being published, appearing in advertisements and getting sponsorships? KK: Build relationships with your vendors and editors! What camera equipment are you currently shooting with? KK: Canon Mark 1D III & 5D. What’s your lens of choice? KK: Canon 24-70mm f/2.8L What item can’t you leave the house without? KK: My iPhone What equipment can’t you wait for to come out and why? KK: Canon 14-300mm f/1.2L! If they ever come out with it, I’ll sell all my other lenses! Are you sponsored by any companies? KK: Boda Bag, GoBee Bags, and few others which I can’t mention right now. Do you have any plugs that you would like to make? KK: Please help support Thirst Relief International (www.thirstrelief.org). It’s a great charity you can help support them by visiting THIS SITE. I donate 10% of all sales to the Thirst Relief International.

Thank you Kenny for taking the time out for the interview and also for also being a great friend and huge inspiration!

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