---

Guest post by: Sue Stockdale Become an Author

Tweet

---

---

1.What is your business?
Photography; editorial portraiture, photojournalism and creative images for annual reports, prospectus, websites, brochures and exhibitions. My partner in business and pleasure is John O’Grady! We set up Corbin O’Grady Studios in 1984 and we are professional photographers specialising in making people look good.

2. What prompted you to start up in business?
In 1980, whilst still a 3rd year photography student at the Polytechnic of Central London, I entered a Sunday Times/ Nikon competition “Young Photojournalist of the Year”; my “Girls in Sport” series caught the judges’ eyes and I was given an “honourable mention”. A whole page of published pictures in a national magazine was exactly what I needed to launch my career at the highest level, it was a steep learning curve but I soaked up every minute , working along side the great photographers, art directors and designers of the day was a huge honour and unique experience. This lucky break reinforced my belief in myself and my talents, I knew I could do it. I became a regular freelancer with the Sunday Times magazine for the next 15 years, shooting portraits for human interest stories.


3. What was the market situation when you started up?
In 1981 the market for editorial photography was alive and kicking; colour supplements were commissioning original features and sending photographers and journalists all over the world. I wanted some of this action but it was a very competitive market and as a 22 year old woman in a male dominated world I had to be better than good, I had to be excellent and willing to work at the drop of a hat. I had a long an fruitful relationship with The Observer Magazine and travelled to some fantastic locations, every job was different and I began to develop my intuitive style.

In the mid 1980’s the market opened up as businesses recognised the power of strong imagery in their annual reports and other literature, we set up Corbin O’Grady Studio in Waterloo and began working with the top graphic design consultancies, in a city that’s well know for cutting edge design, on annual reports for the Blue Chip companies.... It was a period of rapid growth and our wide ranging skills in photography were in demand, so much so that we would often take all of the images in an annual report; portrait, abstract, landscape, product. It was a very competitive time and we had to work hard and respond quickly to the evolving market.


4. Do you have a vision for your business and if so, what is it?

To observe and interpret the world and to create images that move and inspire.
More personally; to initiate an archive of images of 21st century women- “Women 1st”

5. What was the biggest obstacle you had to overcome and how did you do it?
Rejection was the biggest obstacle, I soon realised that I had to believe in my own abilities and not to take rejection (by art directors or designers) personally.

6. How did you find the finance to get started?
My Dad set me up with my first Nikon kit in 1981 - since then we’ve always reinvested in our business. In 1988, when we launched our new studio, a DTI grant helped to pay for our corporate identity design.


7. What are your personal qualities that have that have helped you to succeed in business? Determination, creative energy, physical strength, passion for photography, communication skills, self belief.

8. How do you keep going when things get tough?
Take a walk in nature...we moved to Somerset at the end of the 90’s.
Take in the details, soak up the beauty...remind myself that photography is my destiny!


9. How do you measure success?
Seeing our pictures published and exhibited, our images are out there in the world communicating a positive message.

Work from my archival exhibition of “Visible Girls” a study of Girls in Subculture, forming a major part of the syllabus for photography students at a London University.

Testimonials from clients are always a good sign!


10. If you had one piece of advice for a woman starting out in business, what would it be?
Nurture the creative aspects of your business, be honest with your clients and they will respect you.

Related Articles

  Shoot! Five tips for working with newspaper photographers
  Awards – an invaluable weapon in any PR armoury
  Photographer Platon - Candor with Anthony Hopkins
  Using Awards For Better Publicity
  It’s Never Too Late To Succeed In Life
  Commissioning Photography for PR
  Awards Are A Great Marketing Tool
  Attack Yourself
  ARE YOU SURE YOU KNOW WHO YOUR IDEAL CUSTOMER IS?
  Won an Award Lately? Here's Nine Awards For Small Businesses
  When words are not enough
  Superstar CEOs Suck
  Simple Pictures Are Best
  Seven Reasons Why Ethics Helps Your Business Succeed-And Five Easy Action Steps
  How to Present Formal Recognition That Makes Their Day!
  Simon Pure are the Toast of Surrey
  The Well-Worn Path to Success
  Bragging about the Negatives and Speaking of Positive Sales Motivation
  An Exponential Approach to Success
  Home-Based Business Success Recipe

Related Forum Posts

Re: Hello, I'm a newbie too
Hello, I'm a newbie too
Re: Do you think you can win?
Re: Need Beta Testers for My Ebook Feedback and Testimonials
Entrepreneur Competition

Share this article. Fund someone's dream.

Newsletter

Get advice & tips from famous business
owners, new articles by entrepreneur
experts, my latest website updates, &
special sneak peaks at what's to come!

Name:
Email:

Popular Articles

Target Audience – One of the Four P’s

What to Give the Exec Who Has Everything

Five Tips to Set and Achieve Your Writing Goals

Suggestions

Email us your ideas on how to make our
website more valuable! Thank you Sharon
from Toronto Salsa Lessons / Classes for
your suggestions to make the newsletter
look like the website and profile younger
entrepreneurs like Jennifer Lopez.