We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Whitney Pope, Kim Anderson. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Whitney Pope, below.
Whitney Pope,, appreciate you making time for us and sharing your wisdom with the community. So many of us go through similar pain points throughout our journeys and so hearing about how others overcame obstacles can be helpful. One of those struggles is keeping creativity alive despite all the stresses, challenges and problems we might be dealing with. How do you keep your creativity alive?
While we have no shortage of ideas between the two of us, collaboration is what really keeps our creativity alive and thriving! We are both naturally creative people, but we each have our own strengths, and we creatively complement each other. We share a similar artistic vision, and we use our individual strengths to make that shared vision a reality. Kim excels in the realm of set design, where she puts her creativity to use crafting exceptionally detailed studio sets (often on a shoestring budget). Whitney’s strengths lie in her technical skills with lighting, photography, and Photoshop. Together, we are able to create something truly magical and unique.
But it isn’t just internal collaboration that keeps our creative fires burning! We also love working with other creative people, whether they are clients with their own ideas they want to bring to life or local artists with outside-the-box concepts (such as our frequent collaboration with Davenport-based body painter Corey Ruby). And the phenomenal talent of the hair & makeup artists on our team really takes our work to the next level. We love to push the envelope and try new things we otherwise wouldn’t have the opportunity to do. Creativity doesn’t thrive in a vacuum; sometimes it takes a village!
Thanks for sharing that. So, before we get any further into our conversation, can you tell our readers a bit about yourself and what you’re working on?
We are a photography studio specializing in themed sets with a focus on vintage and horror. We pride ourselves on the level of detail and dedication that we put into our work. It’s not just about capturing beautiful photos, but about allowing our clients to see themselves in ways they never thought possible. Whether it’s seeing their own image and name on a customized vintage sci-fi movie poster or becoming the star of their own 1940s film noir movie, we offer our clients a creative escape from the mundane realities of everyday life. And what makes this truly special is being able to offer this experience to everyday people. You don’t need to be rich or famous to feel like a star! We believe that glamour and fantasy should be accessible to everyone.
Our work isn’t limited to the studio, however! We also love working with other small businesses to do special events. In early January, we are heading to Milwaukee to team up with the alternative/goth shop Omen, where we will be shooting in their incredible dressing room. That event is already sold out, but we hope to do more events like it in the future!
If you had to pick three qualities that are most important to develop, which three would you say matter most?
As we said before, we are both creative people with a shared artistic vision, and our varying individual strengths complement one another in a perfect marriage of skills. Whitney has been shooting portraits for over 15 years, and she has always had a natural “eye” for photography. Her proclivity for editing in Photoshop (and her stubborn refusal to use AI) also gives our work a creative edge. Kim also has an artistic background, including a degree in art, but her talent for set design stems from her background working for Ralph Lauren designing store window displays in the 90s. The experience taught her the art of “smoke and mirrors,” and how to craft stunning visual displays on a strict budget. Kim also uses her past experience as a burlesque dancer to pose clients in flattering ways.
Our partnership is what has really had the most impact on our journey though. It goes beyond just complementary skills, but personality traits as well. Whitney, while creative and passionate, struggles with ADHD and the chaos that comes with it, and she has more of a Type B personality. Kim, on the other hand, is Type A, and her rational and logical way of thinking and general organizational skills are essential to offset Whitney. We like to say that we are like a yin-yang: two opposite forces that are able to achieve balance together.
For those who are early in their photography journey, the best advice we can give is to reach out to other artists in our local creative community! There are many knowledgeable and talented photographers in our community who can offer valuable mentorship and training. When we first started out, Jenna Wardlow of Jenna Sue Photography was an excellent mentor for us! She gave us lots of valuable advice and even led us to opportunities that helped get our business off the ground. We try to follow her example, and we firmly believe in community over competition!
Tell us what your ideal client would be like?
We have two very different types of ideal clients. The first would be fellow creatives and performers. We love it when a client comes to us with a specific vision in mind, and we find it creatively invigorating to work with them to bring their vision to life. But our other ideal clients are actually first-timers! Photoshoots can be scary, but one of our strengths is being able to make our clients feel comfortable and have fun with the experience. In fact, most of our clients enjoy it so much that they come back to work with us again and again! We have so many repeat clients that we actually started a loyalty rewards program. We enjoy working with people of all ages, body types, genders, and levels of experience. So whether you are a first-timer in need of a confidence boost or an experienced model looking for showstopping new content, we’d love to work with you! Visit www.photographybyfocalpoints.com for details on packages and pricing.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.photographybyfocalpoints.com
- Instagram: www.instagram.com/photographybyfocalpoints
- Facebook: www.facebook.com/photographybyfocalpoints
Image Credits
All photos by Photography by Focal Points Model credits: Image 1 (Dark Sirens, with body paint by Corey Ruby): Laura DuBois Cummins Image 2 (Outer Space): Cassie Moore Image 3 (Film Noir Alley): Tony & Elizabeth McKinney Image 4 (The Crypt): Jennifer & Marrio Image 5 (The Garden of Good & Evil): Joe & Natalie Gajewski Image 6 (Stage): Jaleisa Shantel Image 7 (Flowers): Allison Bell Image 8 (Tribute to “Hilda” pinup by Duane Bryers): Kellie May
