Shoot Your Shot!
As entrepreneurs or business owners, there’s an expectation and sometimes entitlement that our opportunities and customers will always come to us.
In many cases, this is the reality.
In the first few months of Covid-19 hitting Grand Rapids, I lost a lot of income from cancellations & postponements. In turn, I had to apply for several grants & financial opportunities, and the nature of going after what I needed and wanted for my business became a regular part of how I conduct myself.
I am not just applying for grants but submitting my work for exhibition, photography, and creative opportunities and reaching out to people and companies I hope to work with.
Shoot Your Shot!
From late 2020 to early 2021, the type of work I wanted to photograph and get paid for became more refined. I have always wanted to tell stories with my work. Whether that is partnering my images with commentary or poetry, creating visuals for a story, or bringing my photo essays to life.
This refinement was a reminder of my why for creating.
My why is a release for myself, sharing my voice & perspective and telling stories. Now I focus more on editorial work.
An example of this was reaching out to photo editors at the magazines and newspapers I wanted to photograph for. Yes, I want to shoot for TIMEMagazine and the New York Times but starting right where I’m at is essential. SoI reached out to local magazines in Grand Rapids and neighboring cities, telling them who I am, what I do & showcasing examples of my work. In the middle of last year, I finally heard back from Grand Rapids Magazine and have been consistently working with them ever since.
Shoot Your Shot!
Sometimes you have to create your opportunities. I am getting the chance to do more editorial work, and I’m able to build up my portfolio with more of the work I want to create and be hired for. This will also enable me to shoot my shot at more national and out-of-state magazines & newspapers I want to work with.
My encouragement and reminder to you, my fellow business owners, creatives, and entrepreneurs, is that sometimes the type of work and opportunities you desire, you need to create them. They won’t always come to you. So shoot your shot!
Alfield Reeves
Originally from Liberia, West Africa, Alfield Reeves is a self-taught freelance editorial and portrait photographer based in Grand Rapids, Michigan. He specializes in creating work that encourages self-reflection and expression, promotes equitable action and showcases the identity and culture of black & brown people. His images are warm, quiet and bold. They bridge traditional divides between photojournalism, portraiture and fashion.
His work is featured in magazines and online platforms like Vogue Greece, Grand Rapids Magazine, Grand Rapids Business Journal, ProPublica, and The Trace to name a few. His work has been part of numerous exhibitions locally and statewide.
Link to his work below: