Re Hernandez

Professional Photographer:

Artists, Glamour and Design Re Hernandez – Studio 519

Years in Business: 7 years of industry experience; 4 in Graphic Design and Photography

by Elizabeth Perez

Ready for a world of beautiful models, exotic locations, and a lucrative income?

Your first step: focus on patience. The life of a designer & photographer involves marketing, scheduling, directing, building or painting sets, and—not to be forgotten—taking pictures.

For Re Hernandez, it is an art form that delivers in terms of creativity and control. With over 7 years of industry experience, the last 4 of which have been as a Graphic Designer and Glamour photographer, Re advises others entering this field, "Get your name attached to a style. Clients compensate me for a style, not because I own a camera. My camera plays a minor role in what I do. I direct. I put my style in a scene." As a photographer, Re "had to be in the right place at the right time to capture an image." Re wanted to create images, not just capture them, which meant she needed control to pick locations, select talent, set up lighting, and, if necessary, re-shoot until she put her touch on what clients wanted.

Work Environment

Re's studio in the north suburb of Chicago, reflects her preferred work environment. She likes to work in open, clean, white studios because they are easier to light, and she can rearrange her gear as needed. In addition, she enjoys shooting on location and often takes advantage of the different scenes and settings the Midwest has to offer. Putting in an average of 72 hours per week, Re says, "Every day is work." she is doing one of three things each day: shooting, working on post-production or marketing herself to find her next shoot. "My life consists of marketing. That's what it's about." she asserts the unbelievable competition in her field, remarking that "No one wants to be your friend. No one will share secrets or tell you how they do it." At the start of your career, depending on your locale, expect to work for close to nothing in order to break in to a market.

Finding and working with clients

Re strives to understand the competition whenever she approaches a new project or client. Most of the time "you're taking a job from somebody else, so you must have a way to approach the client without offending them about the work they've had done so far." she looks for areas to complement and build on, demonstrating her professionalism and desire to be a team player. In some cases, she may decide to continue in the client's current direction but present a path for taking the client's work "to a new level" or for producing results more quickly, efficiently and under budget. Interpreting the client's needs remains Re's toughest challenge. In this industry, "You have to stand out somehow. Impress the client with technical merit, stylistic merit, or shock them. Break a rule or taboo. Make them remember you." She's built her portfolio based on these rules, and her list of clients includes Crazy Howard McGee (WGCI- Radio Personality), Cover Girl, L’Oreal, Bornababe, Cathy St. George (Playboy)—to name a few. For Re, her best days are sometimes the ones that start out the worst. "If I'm burned out or don't have an idea or am not on-point that day, and I still have the ability to make it happen on the set," that's when "the camera moves for you." That's when you know you've made it".

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