Soaring to New Heights: Catching Up with the 30 Rising Stars of 2014

How have you and your business been affected by getting designated? Why does a competition like this matter?

Bayly & Moore: It’s so easy to be task-oriented on what’s in front of you and forget about building a long-term body of work that’s a reflection of who you are and what you’re trying to achieve with your art. To suddenly be in a community of people who are all heading in the same direction is enormously energizing.

Lauren Belknap: An accolade like this positively helped my reputation and confidence, especially with clients. I can now ask for more money and also be more selective with my commissions. In August I traveled to Turkey to shoot a wedding for Callaway Gable. Being a Rising Star certainly made our bride excited to have me there for her day.

Andy Gaines: Ultimately you are always trying to best serve your couples, and awards from within the industry are a nice icing on the cake. The extra kudos associated with an award like this is always good for helping foster client confidence in you and your work, too. Plus I think my parents are almost convinced I’ve finally got a proper job and I’m doing it right.

What’s the most unexpected thing that came from the designation?

Still55: The opportunities to engage with other photographers skyrocketed. We were asked to speak at various conferences, workshops and other small events—although many times I would shake my head in disbelief reminding myself I had a lot to learn and felt better suited to be listening instead of speaking. The direct outreach from photographers was fantastic; they were all so kind and had great questions that I was happy to answer. I certainly didn’t see it coming. 

Lauren Belknap: My family and friends finally understood that my career is serious, and that I actually have something to say and offer in the wedding industry. Another unexpected benefit was drawing inspiration from the other winners—I was inspired to work on my photojournalism skills.

Bayly & Moore: Our house in New Zealand is a bit of a waypoint for wonderful photographer friends whenever they’re in town. Late last year Seattle photographers Ryan and Emily Flynn [2013 Rf 30] came and stayed with us, and as we were waving goodbye to them we suddenly realized why Ryan’s name was familiar: fellow Rising Star. A few months later, Dylan Howell [2014] and Sam Hurd [2013] were in town and came for lunch. Then our wonderful UK mates Emma Case and Pete Smyth [2013] camped out with us for the summer. Suddenly fellow Rising Stars were pretty much everywhere we looked and it became a beautiful touchstone to feel like you were traveling alongside fellow artists.

Tell us about an interesting project or assignment from this past year that helped you grow or evolve your brand.

Andy Gaines: With three other wedding photographers from the UK I’ve helped start an educational photography company called Nine Dots. We put on workshops, and later this year we’re running the Nine Dots Gathering in London, a two-day get-together for over 100 photographers from all over the world. We’ve lined up some amazing speakers and master classes with the likes of Two Mann, Ben and Erin Chrisman, and Benj Haisch! All are coming over to England to help inspire and teach.

Dallas and Sabrina Kolotylo: We love the Pacific Northwest, but we both have a bad case of the travel bug. We started to focus on booking jobs internationally with the goal of simply photographing in new and different locations and help broaden our client base. So far we have shot weddings in some amazing locations including Paris, China, Vietnam, Thailand, Lisbon and Barcelona, not to mention a ton of local destinations within Canada. 

Bayly & Moore: We took a brief break in May to go on a long-overdue personal trip to the Philippines. Sophia never had a chance to know her Filipino mum, so we went on a mission to find her mother’s family in Cebu and discover more about her through meeting a crazy amount of people and going to some wild places where she grew up and lived. Aside from being a roller coaster ride of emotions for us, we found ourselves trying to document our own poignant story and experience, which in turn helped us grow as storytellers for our brides and grooms. We came away with dozens of rolls of film, hundreds of new cousins and uncles and aunties, and a very fresh appreciation for what it means to capture emotions and preserve memories.

What are your plans for this coming year (and beyond)?

Dallas and Sabrina Kolotylo: Because we spent five weeks bouncing around different European countries and had an amazing time there, we have actually decided to make a move! We are planning on spending about a quarter of the year in Europe in 2016, and making a permanent relocation in 2017. Sabrina is actually a Spanish citizen and we found that living, traveling and working in the European Union was not only a blast but also very easy for us.

Erum Rizvi: I have some exciting projects in the pipeline that are taking me into more documentary-style work as I continue to seek out opportunities to merge my love for photography with passion for philanthropy. I’ve applied to be part of Photography Without Borders, and I started a personal project documenting the treatment of animals in weddings, an idea that was sparked when a groom decided against riding an elephant when he visited the vendor. I want to go on assignment and see for myself how these animals (horses, doves, etc.) are treated and trained to deal with their purpose at weddings.

Still55: We have decided to invest our downtime from weddings to creating portraits. We just launched that side of our business this summer, and I really love it. You have so much control and it allows us to get super creative and real with people in ways that all creatives enjoy. It’s also taught me a ton about rethinking my work. The power of connection and expression in a portrait is unreal.

What advice would you give to emerging photographers?

Dallas and Sabrina Kolotylo: We would say the same thing that we once heard Chase Jarvis say: “Don’t try to be better, be different.” Don’t try and follow what’s in vogue now, just do your thing—your thing. Look at the photos you really love, and think about why you love them and keep working on making that better.

Erum Rizvi: Referrals, support and motivation is the key to staying in business. Go find a network in your area (or create one), learn from your peers and have a good referral network. I am a leader for a voluntary community group out here in D.C. called Capital Area Photographers. I organize and host seminars, and we have world-renowned photographers come and speak. This pushes us to rise as a community and it helps create bonds with those creatives. 

Bayly & Moore: The world is chock full of people shooting beautiful and well-executed things, yet there are very few people with a voice and something to say. It turns out that you create out of who you are rather than out of your business plan, so build yourself, feed yourself—absorb books and music and experiences and art of all flavors—and you’ll slowly discover that you’re shooting and creating out of a belief in who you and what you really care about that transcends tricks and gimmicks. 

Andy Gaines: Just follow your nose on the day. If something intrigues you visually and you are drawn to it—be it compositionally, or the light or a certain kind of moment—then just go with it and shoot it, and keep refining it. 

Lauren Belknap: I am looking forward to traveling more and becoming a partner with Callaway Gable. I would offer this advice to anyone getting started: work for an established studio that will let you fly and mentor you! It’s the best way to learn this craft and bring your own creativity to the table.

Still55: When you email editors, be thoughtful about what you write. Introduce yourself, say thank you and recognize the hard work they put in for your benefit. Ask questions about their process and provide yourself as a resource for their needs. It’s not brain surgery, just a matter of being human. Though, if you really want to learn more about getting noticed, I would take notes from what Jennifer Moher says on networking and building community [in Rf’s September 2015 How-To issue]—she’s been ripping this year a new one! 

Related: 

Rangefinder’s 30 Rising Stars for 2014: The List (and Full Online Gallery) Revealed!

9 Ways to Be Part of (and Create) a Photo Community

Rangefinder Reveals the Coveted List and Full Online Gallery of 30 Rising Stars 2015!