Brenda Funk: An Interview

What is your training background?
I got a 35mm Olympus from Santa when I was about nine or ten years old and never put it down. I took formal classes at both The Corcoran School in Washington, DC and at Montgomery College in Rockville, MD. While "photographer" was never my official position at my various jobs after college, it inevitably became part of my position once they realized I was a good shooter. I worked for the Girl Scout Council of the Nation's Capital and took photos for all of their publications. Then, I worked for Fannie Mae and was the staff photographer for their internal publications and then their website.

How would you describe your style?
My style is more photo-journalistic than staged. I frame my shots in a very, what I would say "modern" way. For instance, I might crop part of a child's head out of the frame. When prospective clients ask about hiring me, I make sure they first take a look at my on-line galleries to ensure that my style is what they are looking for.

How to your clients find you? (As in advertising, etc.)
Like many artists, I am not necessarily a good businessperson -- meaning I don't like to talk money. I have a website, but most of my clients hear about me through word-of-mouth. I do plan to promote my business more in the future, especially for weddings, and will create more business cards and place them at local wedding venues, on websites, etc.

What's your favorite pose for children? What's your favorite shot at weddings?
My favorite photos of both children and couples are not posed. I love when I can get an awesome, natural expression on people when they have no idea the camera is on them.

How do you handle fussy children during a shoot?
The key to dealing with fussy children is to try to schedule the shoot when the child is typically in a good mood. I talk with my clients about this prior to the shoot. A lot of times after a youngster's morning nap is a great time for a photo shoot. I've learned if I set my camera to high-speed multiple frames per second, my chances of getting a good expression on a child increases.

If you could give aspiring photographers one tip, what would it be?
Photography is all about LIGHT. So I would say to anyone wanting to take better photos is to pay attention to the light throughout the day (and year) in whatever location you plan to shoot.

Be sure to check out more of Brenda's work on her website www.brendafunk.com.

Brenda's self-portrait