Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Molly Piszczek. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.
Molly, we’re so excited for our community to get to know you and learn from your journey and the wisdom you’ve acquired over time. Let’s kick things off with a discussion on self-confidence and self-esteem. How did you develop yours?
Building confidence is something I’m constantly working on. Though I was a shy kid, I never thought about myself as lacking confidence; I loved playing sports, being goofy with friends, making home videos, and even got excited about giving presentations in class. But being a young person is hard. You attend brand new schools every few years, struggle to make friends–while also trying to get good grades–and for me, play club volleyball multiple times a week. As early as sixth grade, I generally felt socially anxious and like I didn’t really know what to say in groups of new people. Usually, it was easier to say no to new experiences than risk saying something awkward.
When photography came around, I found it easy but also uniquely personal. I could take a picture of something in a way that nobody could replicate, because I had the camera and the vision. For me, photographing people was more exciting than photographing any other subject, because there was a dynamic interaction that could occur behind-the-scenes to bring about something instantaneous. But you can’t be a portrait photographer if you’re too timid to ask to take someone’s photo. You also can’t be one if you’re not prepared to direct them. Any regular person doesn’t just know how to pose, especially not with a camera in their face; and even if they are told exactly what to do, nobody can expect them to be comfortable with a stranger right away. It was clear that my job was more than clicking some buttons; more importantly, it was to put myself outside of my comfort zone so that the person I was photographing could feel within the comfort zone of their own. That’s something I’ve since carried to a lot of areas of my life, too; I’ve come to the understanding with myself that if I want to experience or accomplish something, I need to be okay with it being intimidating at first, and then still doing it anyway. Then I can look back and say, “Wow I did that—I wonder what else I can do”. Turns out everyone will say awkward things at some points, and we’re all just trying to figure life out.
Thanks, so before we move on maybe you can share a bit more about yourself?
In 2012 my mom bought a DSLR based on what the Geek Squad at Best Buy recommended for taking semi-decent photos of her kids (my sister and me) playing sports. A year later, I got a purple point-and-shoot for Christmas and absolutely loved it. As time went on, my mom used her camera less and less and I wanted to use it more and more. I knew nothing about manually adjusting camera settings and though my mom barely did either, she tried to teach me what she learned online. There soon came a point when I needed to just start shooting, and it was mind-blowing to me the way that I could make such higher quality photographs than what I was getting on my point-and-shoot. Then, when I got my first smartphone, I also got my first platform for sharing my work. Posting on Instagram opened up a world of networking; I connected with other friends who liked photography and had a whole other breadth of knowledge to absorb; I received praise from peers about my art; and I got asked by friends and teammates to take photos of them. Those people might’ve posted my photos, and soon enough, strangers started to ask me to take their photos too. To be clear, this was by no means a fast process, and I wasn’t being paid much at all. But this practice allowed me to gradually develop a shooting and editing style, and figure out how in the world to work a camera in different scenarios. Collaborating with other budding photographers, I also learned about the crucial differences in lenses and that in this business, you need to invest a lot to make a lot (whether that’s time researching online, location scouting, practicing, or spending money).
Photographing high school senior photos made the most sense when I was in high school and early college, but then that turned into university grad photos and engagement sessions. Now, I’ve been photographing weddings for a few years and have even stepped into some brand photography (though I still love doing senior sessions, too). I’m on Instagram every day looking at other photographers’ work and fighting imposter syndrome, but I keep reminding myself that everyone is at a different level and has a different style, and if I ever feel like I’m not up to the standard I want to be, that’s all the more reason to practice and experiment more. Photography has allowed me to connect with so many new people and gain so much insight into what business management is all about, from pricing, to branding, to client communication, to SEO, to all the legal stuff in between. My favorite part is knowing that others can put their trust in me to capture a timeless memento of their lives. With the accessibility of technology nowadays, it sometimes seems that photographers are about to be obsolete, but people will always crave direction and artistry from a human interaction, I think. As an artist and business owner, I’m exhilarated for the future and all of the new people I’ll get to work with.
Looking back, what do you think were the three qualities, skills, or areas of knowledge that were most impactful in your journey? What advice do you have for folks who are early in their journey in terms of how they can best develop or improve on these?
You always have the option to do free work, but you don’t need to make yourself work cheaply forever. Doing free work when you’re at the early stages of a new skill is a great way to make connections and get work in your portfolio without any stakes attached. If I’m venturing into a new type of photography, I’m not going to charge a client the industry standard, because I don’t yet have the confidence to produce an industry result. But, once you do start having confidence in your work, don’t downplay the worth of what you can provide. Low prices can make people think that your work is also cheaply done; there’s definitely a lot of psychology that goes into running a business.
If you’ve proven to yourself you’re in something for the long haul, consider investing in higher quality gear and education. There have been too many times when I’ve opted for a cheaper piece of equipment, but then six months later, I already want to upgrade. Definitely don’t be hasty with big purchases, but do make goals for yourself and think strategically about what will help you stay there long-term.
Finally, something that I’ve more recently come to terms with is that the worst a person can say is “no”. I’ve wasted so much time waiting for opportunities to come to me when I could have been the one reaching out to others. I’ve started reaching out to other photographers, models, MUAs (make-up artists), florists, and brands on social media to see if they’d like to do a shoot together. I don’t often get a response back, but the times when I’ve piqued someone’s interest, great things have happened. It might feel scary to put yourself out there, but if someone doesn’t want to work with you or go forward with your idea, the worst they can say is no (but they might say yes).
As we end our chat, is there a book you can leave people with that’s been meaningful to you and your development?
A passage that I come back to a lot is from a book called “The Death of The Artist” by William Deresiewicz. He states “Art is hard. It never just comes to you. The idea of effortless inspiration is another romantic myth. For amateurs, making art may be a form of recreation, but no one, amateur or professional, who has tried to do it with any degree of seriousness is under the illusion that it’s easy. ‘A writer,’ said Thomas Mann, ‘is someone for whom writing is more difficult than it is for other people.’ More difficult, because there is more for you to do, more that you know how to do, and because you hold yourself to higher standards. It would be very easy for me to draw you a picture, because I don’t know how to draw. It also wouldn’t be any good, and I wouldn’t expect you to pay me for it.”
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.piszportraits.com
- Instagram: @piszportraits
- Linkedin: Molly Piszczek Photography
Image Credits
Two photos of me with a camera in frame: Kathrine Birch
Other Photos: Molly Piszczek
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