How do you balance the art and the business? Photographer Porsha Antalan went from pursuing a nursing degree to a BFA in photography. This is her journey.
One of the things a lot of people don’t talk a lot about is what happens when you turn a creative pursuit into a business. The answer: You also have to deal with business stuff. Admin, accounting, sales, marketing, taxes. . . .
Not everybody wants that.
There is nothing wrong with choosing the craft simply for what it is—an artistic pursuit. And then there are times when you play a balancing act in-between.
Porsha Antalan owns Brwn Stock Imaging, a stock website that focuses on featuring people of color. Porsha is also one of the amazing contributors to Shutterstock. And yes, Porsha still has a day job. It may sound like a lot, but not if you’re anchored in passion and you have full understanding of what you value the most.
How do all of these come together?
We chatted with Create Fund winner Porsha Antalan to learn more about what led her to photography, what she loves and doesn’t love about it, and how the Create Fund has impacted her.
Shutterstock: Hi, Porsha. So, can you tell me your photography story? When did it start? What sparked the love for photography? And why did you stick with it?
Porsha Antalan: I feel like my photography story started like a lot of photographers: childhood. I loved taking photos growing up. I can’t remember a time in my childhood when I didn’t have a camera in my hand.
At the time, I had no concept of photography as a career; I simply wanted to capture moments as memories. It wasn’t until I got to college and came across a fellow classmate’s photography on their Facebook page that I even considered that photography could be a thing for me.
I went to college with the intent to be a nursing major, but I saw my classmate’s work and was so impressed and inspired. It was the first time that I ever considered creating images instead of just capturing them.
That Christmas, I asked my parents for a DSLR and, the following year, I changed my major from nursing to a BFA in photography.
SSTK: Is this your full-time job? And if not, do you have plans of making this a full-time thing?
Antalan: So, I would say yes and no. I am incredibly lucky to have a full-time job where I create learning content for an HR management company. A lot of projects consist of me filming videos and taking photos, so I get to do what I love every day.
When I am not working my day job, I am a freelance photographer, where I get to dabble in many different types of photography and create images that are more authentic to me and the type of artist I am.
SSTK: I love your take on lifestyle portraiture—can you tell me more about that? How did you find your distinct style?
Antalan: I would say my style of photography is minimalistic lifestyle with a commercial edge. In my images, the subject is always the star.
I started as a fashion/beauty photographer, so I feel like no matter what I shoot, whether it’s lifestyle, weddings, or branding portraits, I am always shooting in a way where the subject is selling the photo.
My aim with my lifestyle images is to sell a story. Why is this person laughing? Why are these people hugging? My subjects will always stand out in the image and my hope is that they evoke an emotion.
License these images via Porsha Antalan x2 x3 x4 x5.
SSTK: What do you love the most about taking portraits?
Antalan: Capturing photos that evoke a distinct feeling or tells an engaging story. Being able to pick up a camera and create an image from your mind that did not previously exist. It feels magical.
SSTK: What are the things you wish someone had told you about getting into the business of photography?
Antalan: That the business of photography may be more business than photography. I am being completely honest when I say I am not a fan of the business side. A lot of the business side consists of administration, consultations, and marketing.
If I could just simply focus on creating the images that I love, I would be the happiest photographer in the world.
SSTK: Let’s talk about stock. How long have you been doing it and how did you get into it?
Antalan: This is a fun story! So, like I said, I’m an avid reader. I love reading just as much as I love photography. In 2017, I was having a conversation with one of my favorite authors and she mentioned how hard it was to find images of Black people/couples (she’s a romance author). This was something that I had heard before throughout the Black romance community.
After our conversation, I decided to create my own stock website that was solely focused on providing images of people of color, specifically Black people. I ended up debuting Brwn Stock Imaging on my birthday in 2017 and I’ve been creating stock images ever since.
SSTK: To wrap, how has The Create Fund impacted you as a photographer?
Antalan: It has allowed me to create the type of images that I love to create. A lot of the time, you’re hired to create other people’s vision. The Create Fund allowed me to just focus on creating images that genuinely reflected the type of images I love to see.
License this cover image via Porsha Antalan.
This post was originally published onOctober 24, 2024
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