Today we’d like to introduce you to Yabsera Demissie.
Yabsera, before we jump into specific questions about the business, why don’t you give us some details about you and your story.
It all started with me being the tall friend with longer arms that takes bomb selfies. I was also the one that was told I had a nice eye when capturing pictures on my iPhone. One day around Christmas time, I began to self-reflect on my past year and told myself that I wanted to have another hobby besides running and playing basketball. I then decided to dig in my savings and invest in a camera. I told myself that if I was going to invest this much money into something, I had to stick with it. From then on, I began to do more research on taking pictures and becoming an office “photographer”. Little did I know how much there was to it, so I was a bit overwhelmed. I started to research things like aperture, ISO, shutter speed, etc. I had no idea how many settings this camera had. It did not stop there. There was also Lightroom, Photoshop and learning where I can hold my pictures, creating an Instagram page to promote myself.
I didn’t know much would go into all of this, but you know what I did? I started writing things in my journal and creating deadlines for myself to ensure that I was holding myself accountable! As all of this was happening, I began to work with those close to me to use them as models to help build my page and portfolio. I have the greatest friends ever lol + they were able to have some bomb Instagram pictures. Between August and December, I took a little break because of some things happening personally but, during my holiday break, I got myself together and remembered why I originally started this hobby of mine. I wanted to help others finding the light as I was finding mine. I did not want to give this up at all, so I picked myself up and got right back into it. I am not going to lie, I have been struggling a bit when it comes to finding clients, but I will not lose hope and continue to network while getting better with the camera! I know that I have so much to offer, and I won’t stop until. Wait, no, I won’t stop at all! I will be great and I will continue to work to better myself and support other creatives trying to do the same.
Has it been a smooth road?
Like everything in life, there are going to be bumps along the smooth road. My #1 struggle has been putting in work during my “after work” hours. Sometimes, we focus so much on our 9-5 day job and become lazy when we get off to work on our other goals outside of work. Once I started to realize my potential, I began to become more disciplined to stop with the excuses I made for myself. The first thing I did was to physically write down my goals and the things I wanted to accomplish (Ex: Watching Photoshop tutorial 1x per week, increase engagement on my photography page to gain more followers, create a booking price sheet by 3/12/20, have my logo created by 3/1/20. Every year, we all make excuses as to why we did not do what we said we’d do but 2020? It’s an #IMFOREALTHISTIME Season! What would happen if, for the rest of the year, you stopped making excuses?
Tell us more about the business.
I work in Higher Education full time, but during the last year, I’ve been focusing a lot on myself and finding my passions outside of my 9-5. I am an aspiring photographer looking to help people find the light in themselves through pictures. Everyone has a beauty inside of them, but sometimes we all have a hard time finding it. All my life, I have worked and continue to work to be the light to others as I find the light in myself. Over this past year, I have found joy in being with my camera and finding that light, so I hope that others can see how much I want to grow in this area. Give me some time, and I will be up there with big dogs! I love collaboration and realized how important it was, so I incorporate it into my work and with other creatives.
How do you think the industry will change over the next decade?
If I had to start all over, I would have started getting into photography back when I was in college. I was a very involved student and had a great network. I feel like that could have helped me get connected with other creatives and easier access to students and people looking to take pictures, especially graduation pictures! But I am thankful for the way things in my life have worked out, so I’ve built the mindset to be grateful for the way things turned out. I am still young and have so much time to learn. I will say this at age 50 too lol because learning never stops! Hopefully, I will be more established then, though. There is so much to learn in just one year, so I am so excited to see how great I am by the time I hit 30. No one will be able to tell me anything! I have faith that I will continue to make this hobby a big part of my life and continue to have the support that I do. Supporting goes both ways, so I plan to do the same for others.
Pricing:
- Special Events: $150
- Portraits: $60
Contact Info:
- Phone: 9042072799
- Email: yhdemissie@gmail.com
- Instagram: @demi_visualz
- Facebook: DemiVisualz
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