Shoot! The Day Group Leader: Erica Freudenstein

O boy, our countdown to Shoot! The Day is getting shorter and shorter. Time for another inquisition, this time with the leader of our Business Group, Erica Freudenstein. Erica is New York based, and knows from corporate photography; her clients include AT&T, Charles Schwab, G.E., Deloitte & Touche, Foot Locker, McDonald’s, Paine Webber and SAP America.

Whoa, that was a mouthful. Hear more from Erica below.

You have a lot of really varied, interesting work; it seems as though
you’re able to balance both editorial and advertising photography. How
do you make it all work, is there one that you prefer?

I like both. With editorial, I enjoy walking into an
unknown situation and creating something out of nothing. Depending
on the magazine, I can really push the envelope to find the single
image that will tell the story.

With advertising, the projects are longer, and I enjoy being immersed in
the branding process. My goal is the same, finding images which in
this case, tell the client’s story in a compelling, and hopefully
innovative way.

Do you make it a point to go out and create stock, or do you just use
outtakes from other work? If yes, what’s your process for that?

I will sometimes make a point to go out and shoot specifically for
stock, and often my personal work may be used for stock. With
outtakes, I am very careful about protecting my clients, and my
subjects. However, if I have something that will work, I will make it available to be licensed. I also will make portraits of notable people
and celebrities available for news stock use.

outtake, Forbes


What’s the most interesting commercial project you’ve worked on recently?

Most recently, working for General Electric, I liked the confines of
keeping everything bright and open. It was a challenge sometimes, as we were
working with less than perfect locations, but it suited my style and it
was a great group of people.

How did you get started as a photographer?

Well, when I was a child, I stole my brother’s camera. He wasn’t interested in it. I started getting my
first editorial assignment while I was still a student at the
University of the Arts in Philadelphia. The first magazines I worked for included Philadelphia Magazine, Regardis, and Glamour.