Explore Russ Mezikofsky's journey in the Photography Industry

When I think of rootless I think of having a drive, a passion and being true to yourself and your growth process. So, it’s a journey. – Russ Mezikofsky

I was brought up by two parents who had main careers. My mum was an educator and my dad was a cosmetic chemist. Both of them used to work a lot. After work, they had their passions too. My mum ran a theatre company and my dad was a fine artist. My mum used to direct a lot of plays and strangely enough, a lot of what I watched her do was instilled in me from a young age. Even though you may learn the foundations in theory, you can’t say you’ve really grasped it until you’ve actually lived through the process and challenged yourself daily. So, I saw what my parents did and wondered how to take it to the next level. Everybody has roots instilled in them when they’re younger. – Russ Mezikofsky

When I was 5 years old, all I wanted to do was sit down in front of the TV, especially Saturday morning. However, my parents weren’t fans of letting kids watch too much TV and I was encouraged to draw. So, every Saturday morning, I would get up and start drawing bird heads, cartoons, smurfs, etc., things that I was interested in. Later on, during my school years, I wasn’t the best student but I loved art. I wasn’t a science or math guy and when I was 13 I had to go to summer school. My mum told me that even though my grades weren’t great, she wanted me to better myself. So, I took a photography class. Thirty five years later, I still love it. – Russ Mezikofsky

It’s a strange thing, as an artist, you have to realize that it’s a business and you have to run it as a business. One of the hardest parts as an artist is finding a way to make money. You can create, do things you want to do but sometimes it doesn’t generate enough money to make a living out of it. I moved to L.A to work in the film industry. I worked on a few films but money was not great. So, I ended up moving back to Boston and getting educated. I got a degree in Photography from Salem State College and I realized that’s what I need to get back into. At that time I was just 25 years old. I wasn’t going to be coming to Boston as a 25 year old and making films, it wasn’t realistic. Photography was my thing. I remember those days really well and I would say to the younger artists that you need to work really hard. If you get into it for the money, money will come, but do and create what you want to do. If you’re not making money, you did something wrong. You have to realize what do you need to do, what’s your audience, what do you need to change in order to make it a profitable business? – Russ Mezikofsky

From the beginning and every single day that you’re creating, it’s about challenging yourself and constantly proving your capabilities to your clients, even if you’re a pro. You may have the best shoot or created the best piece of work of art yesterday but today is a new day and you have to keep it up to show people that your portfolio is constantly growing. There are great filmmakers, artists who may have created something awesome and made money but they still need the second and third part of what they’re creating to be just as good or even better. Don’t get discouraged. – Russ Mezikofsky

There are certain things I wish I knew. I hate to say it but you need to go through it, no one’s going to tell you that you’re not going to have it easy. People tell different things but you have to live it and experience that kind of “torture” life in which you learn from your mistakes. I don’t know if there’s anything anyone could have told me. I have listened to a lot of YouTube videos these days. So, I would tell my younger self to always be positive, that I’m going to have bad days but tomorrow is a new day to start over. Don’t think of yourself as an end point, keep on going. – Russ Mezikofsky

There’s two things. Firstly, I would strongly suggest, do whatever you need to service photography, go and shoot as much as you possibly can. Get educated. I don’t mean to go and take a class, just study something. I always tell models to study poses, to do research before a shoot. You don’t need to take a class in modelling to learn how to be a model. When it comes to photography, research equipment, learn about what you can do to better yourself. Nowadays, your education is on your fingertips, you can use your phones or computers. You can watch endless YouTube videos to educate yourself and learn how to do better things . Secondly, there’s photography but here is lighting too. There are a lot of photographers out there with good equipment but use them in a minimalistic way. You can shoot outdoors and use the natural light. However, a client may hire you and you’ll need to learn how to light someone indoors too. So, you need to learn about different equipment you need and make sure you give the best of yourself. – Russ Mezikofsky

It’s true that if you have a beautiful person in front of the camera, it’s easy to take a beautiful picture. A lot of people come into my studio and instantly I instantly wonder what their real smile is. You can look into their eyes and understand whether this person trusts you or feels uncomfortable, you can read a person’s eyes. It’s not so much about the picture-taking process as it is about the whole experience. It doesn’t matter if you’re doing a fashion shoot or something else. If you’re having fun, experiencing a great time, it shows in their smile, eyes and movement. If the person feels comfortable and is having a good time, you’re going to have beautiful images nonetheless. This is an outcome some photographers don’t realize. It’s about capturing the moment and people see that. – Russ Mezikofsky

I would say that 90% of my shoots are about doing research and communicating personally with the person I’m working with. It’s about expectations, both of you researching and having an understanding about what you both want to achieve. It might be an artistic shoot which is more elaborate or it might be a basic shoot, a girl in a bikini at the beach. It’s all about what you’re trying to get across. You may photograph someone wearing a beautiful gown walking on the street. Sometimes you take inspiration from the best models and show it to the person you’re taking pictures of. Obviously, you won’t do it exactly like that because it’s not the same person, but you can use it as inspiration. It’s about communication, knowing and understanding what you both want to achieve in the shoot. It’s a lot of prep work beforehand and when you’re there it’s easy because you know what you want to accomplish. – Russ Mezikofsky

That’s a hard thing. You’ll learn and sometimes you’ll fail. My mum is one of my best and worst critics. She always tells me when she likes my work and when she doesn’t. When it comes to credibility, it comes down a lot to who you’re shooting with, the images you’re putting out there. When I was younger, I had a great experience when I did a shoot with a Playboy playmate. Someone called me and told me that the industry and society would niche me if I continued doing more of the same and I stopped doing that immediately. When I went to photography school, I wanted to do high fashion in New York. It took a lot of years but I eventually ended up doing it. The thing is, people want to trust and know who they’re working with, the images you’re putting, and the people you’ve worked with. I like to work with well-known celebrities and athletes. I was also a teacher of photography for many years and I would tell my students that they didn’t have to be the biggest and best, they just had to be happy. If you want to do family portraits, high school yearbook pictures, that’s nothing wrong with that. Just keep in mind that whatever you do, you’re going to be niched in that environment. So, whatever you want to do, give it your all. I remember my photography teacher telling me to find my niche and do that. However, in today’s world that has changed. People end up doing whatever earns them money. No matter what the case is, you have to become the best. – Russ Mezikofsky

I would recommend to explore a bunch of things, don’t get too crazy, and know your limits. I’m not known for being a wedding photographer. I do it and I get paid to do it but that’s now what I’m known for. People would constantly ask me what I loved to shoot most. I would answer: “Whatever is beautiful to me”. Beautiful can be a person, food, nature, landscaping. There are a lot of things that exemplify beauty to a person. – Russ Mezikofsky

There are many ways you can do it. I would recommend you to talk to people, whether you’re an event or food photographer, etc. reach out to 50 different people every day. Eventually, one or two of those people are going to say yes. Offer to do shoots for free. I’ve done that a lot. It’s about building your brand and getting it bigger. When you have these opportunities, branding is not just your file image, it’s also the behind the scenes, the social media, being on many platforms. Make sure people understand that you don’t have an ego. I recommend everyone out there, leave that ego at the door. You’re not the biggest and best. Even if you are, you shouldn’t be saying that. Make sure that when you’re branding yourself you’re growing and target the people you want to work with. You won’t get a chance to work with everyone you’re targeting but at least one person is going to say yes. – Russ Mezikofsky

I tell kids of all ages, especially to those in Arts that they’re very fortunate to live in a world where age doesn’t matter. Someone can take a picture, post it on eBay to get it sold and people could love that. The person behind the picture can be a 40 years old man or woman or a ten year old. It doesn’t matter what age you are, it’s the product you’re uploading that matters, what you’re creating. A lot of people today, especially people my age, want to see the younger generation succeed. I know I won’t be doing this forever, I love helping people grow and watch them succeed. – Russ Mezikofsky

It comes out to two very simple things. Stick to this forever, be positive and be passionate. That’s the key. A lot of people say that when I do events, I’m always smiling and they ask me why. I say it’s because I’m happy, I love what I’m doing. Love what you’re doing and it will show in your brand, in the part you’re outputting. If you’re happy, people will notice that. – Russ Mezikofsky

So, I’ll tell you a story that happened recently. I got a letter on the mail from my mum. She may write to me once a year. She told me how disappointed she was with all the work I’m doing. It just isn’t her taste. I think, when you’re younger, it affects you a lot more. People may say that they don’t think you’re doing great, that your picture stinks, that the work you’re doing lately is horrible, that your photos are too sexy, etc. You’re going to get criticized by everybody. It’s the hardest thing in the world to block it out and say to yourself “I know what I’m doing and I love what I’m doing”. People are going to judge everything you do. If you have ten negative comments but one positive one, you should focus on the last one and love it. If you need validation from people, you have to find several packs and stick with them. As you get older, you’re going to surround yourself with people that appreciate you, that know you’re working hard. I don’t agree with my mum on everything. However, I know there’s a lot of things I do that she really likes. The people you’re friends with are a huge aspect of your life. Find the people that are going to lift you up, that are always going to have your back and be there to support you no matter what. You’re going to need them sometimes, when you have bad days. Social media has turned things into a downturn and the younger generations complain so much about likes and comments. That doesn’t matter. In the end, it matters whether you got paid and if you learned something through the process and had a good time, whether you felt good about what you created. That’s what’s important. – Russ Mezikofsky

So, I don’t want to discourage younger generations but it took me years to achieve success. It was hard, especially in the beginning, when I look back after I graduated I had I wanted to work with so many photographers and I had to go door to door, call them just to meet up and show them my portfolio. Nowadays, you can just email it to them. Back then I couldn’t even get my best friend to model for me. Nowadays, people keep emailing me about wanting to work with me. I talked with a few photographer friends and we agreed that you can work for free forever but if you want to build a career, a brand and grow, it’s not just about doing things that will make you happy but to make a living out of it. How’s your brand going? I look at simple things like business card. My first business card had a frog in the front. My second one had a girl on a bikini on it, this was many years ago. That speaks to who you are. Something as small as a brand business card is going to decide the clients you’re going to look for. A frog in the front is not a good idea, a girl in the bikini is not the right image. In my current business card I famous people I got photographed. I’ve kept it for three years. Maybe I’ll update it soon. – Russ Mezikofsky

You don’t make mistakes, you make judgment calls that weren’t the best. Some of the mistakes I made, ended up being great things for me. Five to ten years ago, I loved photographing tattooed women. I didn’t make any money. There’s no money in that business but people took notice and I created sets in my house. I kept wondering how I could take my art and bring it to a new level. My wife can tell you how aggravated I’ve always been when it comes to my art. I had an art vision a while ago. I wanted to create a forest in the dining room of my old house. I went to the florist and cut down trees. We had big thick trees growing from the floor to the ceiling and it was a gorgeous environment. Interestingly, the person I had been wanting to work with for so long wanted to collaborate. It’s a lot of work but it depends on which level you want to take it. I’ll say it over and over, there’s nothing wrong if you want to be a photographer who shoots babies or families. You just have to figure out how to take it to a new level? I always tell other artists that the greatest thing is having a network who is positive and supporting. Photographers are going to be complimenting back eventually. Don’t have a big ego, become friends with people who’re doing creative work, especially at a younger age. – Russ Mezikofsky

If the photographer doesn’t want to collaborate, it’s their problem, not yours. I do collaborations all the time. I met a photographer two weeks ago. She’s just starting out so I invited her to come to my set yesterday and be a behind the scenes photographer. She sent me an email recently saying how grateful she was about the opportunity. She said she had had the time of her life and would never forget it. I’d implore about having more female photographers out there. If you’re an older photographer, help younger ones, give them a chance. They won’t steal your work, there are plenty of possibilities out there available. Support the younger photographers. – Russ Mezikofsky

I used to be very protective about my work. People usually use watermarks. There is no right or wrong answer when it comes to protecting your work. I would advise to try and separate yourself. Try to do something other people aren’t doing. As a photographer, you’re going to get inspiration from somebody. When it comes to protecting yourself, protect your image, protect the person that you are, your reputation, protect your brand. You may be very experienced, can do have one “bad” piece of work and people will judge you just on that. They’ll forget the good pieces of work and focus only on the bad one. Protect your brand! – Russ Mezikofsky

Every once in while I think about what I’m doing, what I want to do and how do I take it on a new level. Every year I think about who I would love to photograph this year. Do that. It may be someone you have no chance photographing but write that name down and do whatever you can. What people don’t know is that you can’t write to that person directly. Write to their agent, reach out to their PR team. Social media is great. You can send messages on Instagram. I’ve gotten a ton of work doing that. A dear friend of mine used to be a news anchor in Boston and she didn’t know me or my work at all. At a younger age I often asked myself about who I wanted to photograph and she was one of those people and she said yes. She was a celebrity. When I was younger, I used to look up to news anchor, Patriot cheerleaders, my friends, and regular people. I know that I can photograph anybody. So, how am I going to be able to do that, how do I get in touch? Someone may say they want to photograph Tom Brady. He’d be great to photograph but why do you want to personally photograph him? What do certain people mean to you? They may be your idol. There’s always a lot of people out there that are amazing, do amazing things. You may want to photograph a general doctor you saw in the news or a person you think has an amazing face. I have been confused when I have had to photograph someone affiliated with something that has not been in my interests. I’ve wondered if I should research the person, their images, what kind of person they are. To me that person may be unknown but to someone else I’m sure they’re incredible. I’ve photographed hockey players even though I’m not a hockey fan. – Russ Mezikofsky

One comes to my mind right away. So, photography and films are brother and sister. A good friend of mine was working a project he wanted to ring me on as director. We worked on it for weeks, every day, two to three hours at night. Yesterday we finished the project and it made me feel so proud I started writing messages on Instagram. Looking back, that’s what I wanted to do 20 years ago. It took me 20 years to do what I did yesterday. I talked with a lot of people this morning and I said that I feel like this is a start. It’s not just about film, it’s people I want to photograph. I love meeting new people. It’s like high school all over again. You meet people you can build relationships for life and have a journey with them, you need those friends that are going to be positive. You keep that niche of people, and continue that journey. – Russ Mezikofsky

That’s a tough one. I would say that it’s okay to work for free, especially when you’re younger and living with your parents. Work for free as much as you can, get that experience. Money is not that important when you’re a teen or in your twenties. It’s important when you have a family. Money shouldn’t be the most important thing, the nirvana of everything in your life. You need it to survive but give it time. One of the greatest things I did was finding organizations I loved working with. Reach out to people or organizations that inspire you, work for free and you’re going to meet different people that are going to hire you. Working for free is actually a really great thing to do. – Russ Mezikofsky

It’s not easy. It’s one of the biggest struggles for me right now. I have three kids, two of them are teenagers. I’d love for them to be interested, come on sets or photoshoots but they’re not. I’d love to share my excitement and passion with them. However, they have different interests. My daughters loves YouTubers. Those people have no idea but they’re making my daughter happy and by doing that, they make me happy too. Once again, social media might increase your brand. – Russ Mezikofsky

I would absolutely change things if I had the chance. I don’t know how but I would do it differently. For most part I’m really happy with what I’ve built. I joke with a lot of people that if I died today, I’d be a happy man. You’re going to make mistakes and you’re going to learn from them. It is easy being the Monday morning quarterback but happiness is key. Do what makes you happy. – Russ Mezikofsky

Go to a museum, go to places you love, go for a walk, go see something that is beautiful, the ocean. Go somewhere to clear your mind and take the negativity that people may put in your life. I deal with a lot of kids regularly and a lot of they have rough lives. Think about how are you going to change the life so you can get the life you want? You may be going through a really hard time right now as a photographer, an artist or human being. That can be your day but that doesn’t have to be your life. – Russ Mezikofsky