Today we’d like to introduce you to Nora Benjamin.
Nora, please share your story with us. How did you get to where you are today?
I grew up in Enterprise, Alabama. Never heard of it? Yeah, same with 98% of the population. Growing up in this small town, I did not have access to the technology I do here in Atlanta- simple things fundamental to a photographer’s career such as a laptop and a camera.
Regardless, I was heavily interested in the arts from a very young age. From the time I was small, I was constantly drawing. My mom has saved notebooks from when I was two years old filled with scribbles.
As I progressed throughout schooling, I realized I needed a career in art. I was involved in any and every art class my high school offered and I think this conscious decision to be so involved is what paved the way for me to end up in Atlanta.
One day in my sophomore year of high school, I was 15 years old, a recruiter from Savannah College of Art and Design came to my Intro to Art class. I was amazed and a little bit taken aback. I had never heard the words “sequential art” “printmaking” or seen a grown man wear bright purple high top converse. I was absorbing all this in when he said two words that changed my future “Rising Star.”
He began to explain to my class what Rising Star was. A summer program where you got to take two college classes at any SCAD Campus of your choosing for half the cost in five weeks. It was a tough program and you should only apply if you were serious about having a career in art.
I was serious. And since the program was for Juniors going into their Senior years, I waited a year. But as soon as that application opened, I applied, I got accepted, and I received a scholarship. I went to apply for my classes, giddy with excitement as I counted down the days to my adventure in Atlanta; the big city and noticed to my dismay no illustration classes were offered. My mom gently urged me to take a photography class- Photo 113, an introductory photography class, and I enrolled.
Immediately, I fell in love. I had that feeling of “wow, I can’t believe I didn’t find this sooner I’m going to do this for the rest of my life” in the first week of class. As I toted a tiny Canon Rebel T3i around Atlanta, I fell in love with the city even more. And now, here I am, entering my third year as a SCAD Commercial Photography major and Art Direction minor.
Has it been a smooth road?
That sounds like an easy start and almost finish, doesn’t it? It’s not.
I have a very close-knit family, it’s just my mom, my little sister, and I. Leaving them, a five-hour drive away, has been the hardest decision I’ve ever had to make and for my first quarter at SCAD I felt guilty about it. Sometimes that guilt still lingers, especially when I find out every year that my Fall Quarter starts right before my little sister’s birthday. Every. Year. Talk about guilt.
Now, take that guilt and put it kind of to the side of your mind and add in being in a completely new place, in a major where you feel semi- behind everyone because you’ve never used Photoshop, not even heard of Lightroom, and who even knows what a CF Card is?! I struggled with feeling so behind and I felt insecure about being around people from very different backgrounds from my own. Some of my peers could buy the market’s most expensive cameras without a bat of an eyelash and had the latest MacBook laptop. It was all a bit… intimidating (once again, I grew up in a small, small town in Alabama. Literally. Like my town is a circle of road. Google Boll Weevil Circle if you don’t believe me.)
But despite these initial setbacks and, um, cultural shocks, I pushed myself. I pushed myself to learn more about Adobe Programs (Hello future employers, yes, I am proficient in Photoshop, Lightroom, Indesign, and Premiere. Like the back of my hand.), I’ve learned about all the terminology, and I continue to push myself and work hard and learn even more than I did the day before. Everyday.
Being a woman in this industry, I think now is a massive benefit. Recently, because of the social media campaign #metoo several models have unfortunately come forward with allegations of male photographers inappropriately touching them, making lewd comments, and even assaulting them. Obviously, this can happen with a female photographer as well (unfortunately), however, I think it is less likely because women get it. We all (again, unfortunately) have been made uncomfortable by inappropriate commentary by someone, whether that’s catcalling from a car (Spring Street is the worst for this), someone touching us in a way we do NOT want, or inappropriate comments just, in general. So, I think women photographers are on the come up now, especially with the conduct of certain successful male photographers now out in the open (cough).
I say to any photographer, no matter how you identify or present yourself, conduct yourself in a professional manner. Make sure everyone on set is comfortable and make sure your model is comfortable with the direction of the shoot. I’m not sure why that has become difficult for *certain* people; it’s quite easy and I think being a personable and warm person to work with is always going to put you ahead.
What do you do? What do you specialize in?
As I’ve said before, I am a Commercial Photographer. If you were as confused as I initially was when I heard those words together, let me break it down for you: think Fashion, Advertising, and Product. Obviously, these categories have smaller sub-categories (i.e. fashion could be broken down to more beauty based, etc.) but I would argue those are the main three in the Commercial Photography world.
I specialize in a more Fashion influenced- Fine Art genre, meaning I like to put my own avant-garde twist on fashion shoots. I file these under my ‘Personal’ work on my website (nbenja20.myportfolio.com). I think my series ‘Shameful Lust’ encompasses what I do perfectly. It has a meaning to me that I think is universal, no matter your background and the series hints at a narrative, something I like to do within my work, but also focuses on the makeup of the model. I often like to manipulate something within this personal work, and I am obsessed with eyes, so here I photoshopped my model’s eyes to be more snake like- this is in reference to Hell. I often draw inspiration from religion (did I mention that whole small town Alabama thing?). I enjoy studying other culture’s versions of Heaven and Hell and I think the juxtaposition between the two, even worldwide, influences a lot of my personal work.
Outside of my personal projects, I enjoy shooting Fashion. I have a growing appreciation for Fine Art Fashion- the garments you look at from the runway and think- Who the hell would wear that out? Those are always the most fun to shoot.
I am proud of my growing recognition in my department and across other departments at my school. This past year was a big year for me, despite only being in my second year at SCAD, I had people reach out from several different departments asking specifically to work with me because they like what I do, which was really rewarding- it felt like I was finally reaping the rewards from the hard work I put forth my first year. I also expanded and began doing freelance work, which felt exactly like what I needed to do. I’ve made a lot of connections this past year which makes me even more excited to see what this upcoming year holds for me (and my portfolio).
Who do you look up to? How have they inspired you?
My mom is definitely the most inspiring woman in my life, without question. My dad died when my mom was only 30, making her a widowed mother to a 6-year-old (me) and a 2-year-old (my little sister) at a very young age in a really weird place. Remember how I said I grew up in Enterprise, Alabama? My family isn’t actually from there. No, my family is from somewhere even smaller *gasp.* Have you heard of Pawtucket, Rhode Island?
Despite being in a weird place, with two snotty nosed kids, in a place where my mom definitely got side glances for her really northern accent (think the show “The Nanny” circa 1995), she kept working hard so my sister and I wouldn’t feel left out. She became a 2 in 1 parent, the sternness of a father and the loving care of a mother. She has always put my sister and my needs before her own, even complete strangers at that. My mom does these things without question, despite not feeling like she has this help 90% of the time.
That’s the thing I admire most about her. My mom has never been bitter. A lot of people look at our situation growing up and only see the bad, but my mom adamantly taught us to not see the bad, but the good. She never has once complained about the cards she was dealt with in this game of life despite there being a lot of not-so-great cards. I admire her for continuing to live and not letting negativity stop her from seeing the good in people and in life and being that good in life for other people. I hope it’s a trait I carry into my own life in Atlanta because I know that would make her really proud.
She has taught me everything- from the fundamentals like driving, to the harder things to learn-like not caring what people think. My mom has had to deal with a lot from some people in my small town. Because it’s been so long since my dad has passed away and because she still looks young (we often all three get mistaken for sisters) people only see a single mother that had kids really young, (going back to living in a small town in the South), not the truth that she was widowed at only 30 and took matters into her own hands and raised my sister and me to be the best we can be and made sure we had every opportunity any other kid had. Despite the gossip and the meaningless rumors, my mom still puts herself out there and still does good for people that maybe haven’t always done good by her. And for that, she will always be my inspiration on how I should live my own life.
Pricing:
- 1 hour of Headshots- $100 Any time over is an additional- $60 (unless we have discussed otherwise)
- Fashion Shoots- $300, this includes full studio set, lighting, and skin retouching
- Product/ Advertising Shoots- $150, this includes full studio set, lighting, product retouching, and any graphics if need be
Contact Info:
- Website: https://nbenja20.myportfolio.com
- Email: norabenjaminphotos@gmail.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/nxraphotos/
Image Credit:
Nora Benjamin Photos
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