Interested in starting your own entrepreneurial journey in photography but unsure what to expect? Then read up on our interview with Ian Kobylanski, Principal Photographer at Koby Photography, located in Vancouver, BC, Canada.

What's your business, and who are your customers?

I am a lifestyle, and fashion photographer focused on working with brands, individuals, and businesses to capture their unique, bold identities to tell a story and help them stand out.

Tell us about yourself

I started photography in high school with an amazing photography teacher who mentored me after graduation and taught me everything I know. Shooting professionally came in university first as a way for beer money, but it quickly snowballed into becoming my lifelong passion. I used to offer all sorts of photo services early in my career, like weddings and love photography, but it was never something I got excited about. As my style and preferences matured, capturing fashion and lifestyle photography is what gets me excited and makes me look forwards to all my shoots.

What's your biggest accomplishment as a business owner?

My biggest accomplishment as a business owner has been creating a sustainable photography business completely on inbound reach outs. I've had brands I've loved reach out, including White Claw, Gucci, Absolut Vodka, and hundreds more through organic search. Early on, I thought I could never shoot with brands I was familiar with, but now having them come across my work and reach out brought my confidence and drive to pursue photography to a new level.

What's one of the hardest things that come with being a business owner?

The hardest thing that comes with a business owner, especially freelance, is consistency. I've worked in software sales alongside my photography career to offer a consistent income. My photo teacher, who I learnt everything from, worked as a high school teacher but was Vancouver's top concert photographer at night. He taught me to focus on what you love shooting only, and people will pay you money to do so. I am grateful that I'm now at a stage where I plan to move to London, England, in 2023 to pursue fashion photography full-time and have graduated from the need to juggle multiple incomes.

What are the top tips you'd give to anyone looking to start, run and grow a business today?

  1. Do what you love until someone pays you money to do it.
  2. Be nice to everyone. You never know who your gatekeeper will be. In photography, maybe 20% of it is how good your photos are. The other 80% is responsive communication, doing exactly what you say you're going to do, being on time, being delightful, and making a point of contact who's hired you look amazing.
  3. Network with others in your industry. I've always stayed away from connecting with other photographers; there's a lot of ego, pride, and animosity in this space. Not many help each other out, and everyone tries to one-up each other. It made me hate the folks in the industry, but there are amazing people out there if you extend an olive branch, and these are the folks that will help partner with you for success and take on big gigs. You can't always do it alone, and having someone in your corner to support you and knowing your industry made the biggest difference for me.

Where can people find you and your business?

Website: https://www.koby.photography/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/KobyPhotography
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/kobyphotography/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/ian_koby
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/iankobylanski/

If you like what you've read here and have your own story as a solo or small business entrepreneur that you'd like to share, then please answer these interview questions. We'd love to feature your journey on these pages.

Turn your craft into recurring revenue with Subkit. Start your subscription offering in minutes and supercharge it with growth levers. Get early access here.