The Savvy Photographer: Rialee photography

welcome Ria Czichotzki from Rialee Photography!

Tell us about your style of photography?

Well, my tagline is modern.simple.fresh, and I think those three words pretty succinctly describe my sytle. Many people comment that they really love the "clean and crisp" feeling of my images as well. I also like to think of my photography as emotional, as in I love it when I can capture a "moment" of a child or a relationship that will speak to my clients.

What inspires you as a photographer?

That list is so long!

I am inspired by light... really great warm glowy light that just makes me want to go grab my camera and "capture" it.

I am inspired by catalogs like anthropologie,

fossil, and mini-boden.

I am inspired by other photographers like Tara Whitney and Sheye Rosemeyer whose words

and images always give me goosebumps.

I am inspired by other women

who go for their dreams and succeed.

Most of all, I am inspired by children.

I am simply drawn to them everywhere I see them. When I get the chance to photograph them, I always feel honored to have the chance to get to tell a little bit of their individual story.

How long have been a photographer?

I'd like to think I have been a photographer my whole life. On a little bulletin board in my office hangs a photo of me when I was three years old taking photos with a little plastic camera that my mom had bought me at a garage sale. I vividly remember being nine years old and setting my dolls up on the front steps of my house with a blanket as a backdrop and photographing them. And of course, when I had "real" babies, my passion for photography blossomed exponentially.

As for how long I've been getting paid to take other people's photos? Two-and-a-half years.

When you're not photographing, where can we find you?

This time of year, you can usually find me at the hockey rink. Our three youngest children all play hockey and I love to watch them!

Any books that inspired you {or helped you} in your business?

Not really any books, but I really loved reading articles in theProfessional Photographer about starting a business, blogging, branding and marketing.

Best marketing idea?

Probably word of mouth... happy customers will gladly rave about you. That is the best advertising you can get!

Tell us about the studio?

The studio is located in an historic old building in downtown Fargo, ND. It is a second floor loft studio with huge windows that provide goregeous natural light. The style of my studio is very in-line with my photography style... it has a modern/industrial design with a lot of white and accents of green for that fresh feel.

Do you feel having a studio has made your business grow?Definitely. Being located in an area where it is cold and snowy foratleast five months out of the year can really cut back on availablelocations for photoshoots. While I still love shooting on location, the studio has provided a necessary indoor area for those cold months, and also for newborn and baby sessions.

Many people actually ask to have sessions in the studio, even when the weather is nice because they love the

modern look of the images.

Any regrets having a studio?

None. Having a very busy family at home, it has been essential to my sanity to have a place to go to "work", and then be able to leave work there and come home and just be a mom and wife. I have a very perfectionist personality and it is hard for me to sit down and relax when I know there is work to be done. For the first year of my business I worked out of my home and I think my kids' memory of me from that year is me at my computer around the clock. It has been the best decision I have made for my business and my family.

Why do you feel you are so successful?

Well of course I don't know that I'll ever think of myself as successful because there will always be something more I want to acheive. (It's that perfectionist in me I guess.) But I think parts of my success can be attributed to hard work. There are so many start-up photographers who ask me what I wish I knew when I started... and my answer is always...I wish I knew how much WORK it is. There is so much more to it than just taking pictures. The business side of it, tax payments, sole-proprietor vs. s.corp, setting up a website, even photoshop was all foreign to me. The second thing that I think has made my business a success is that I really strive to create relationships with my clients. I take time to get to know them and really end up counting them as friends. I provide them with a very emotional experience that results in images that they fall in love with. I have always believed that how I make my clients feel is just as important as the images I create.

What's your weakness in this business?
Definetely returning phone calls and e-mails. For some reason, I just hate doing it and always procrastinate as long as I can.

Do you twitter? Facebook?

I haven't gotten into twitter, but I do have a Facebook page for my photography business, as well as for my photographerMAMA workshops.

WHAT'S YOUR?
Ideal getaway?

Somewhere by myself... I love to just getaway without any distractions or outside influences. I think it's essential to remembering who I am outside of my career and my family.

Favorite thing in your closet?

Everything in my closet is black... very boring!

Are you a Nikon or Canon girl? Which model do you use?

Canon. I use the Canon 5D MarkII

Favorite lens?

50mm 1.2 ... drool.

Any children? How many?

yes... FOUR!!

As a parent, what do you wish you had more time for?Volunteering at school and helping with homework.

If you weren't a photographer, what would you be?

Something with interior and/or home design.

Tell us your proudest moment of your career~