Today we’d like to introduce you to Erin Dobosiewicz.
Erin, please share your story with us. How did you get to where you are today?
A love of photography started at a young age for me. From Polaroids to family photo albums, I was always pretty much an image collector. But I didn’t know that my true passion would be behind the camera until my sophomore year of college when film was still a thing. Hours in the darkroom, and the ability to speak a whole new type of language had me hooked.
Since then, I’ve gotten married, had a kid and started a small business (but not without bumps, tears, celebrations, growth and a lot of learning in-between). My core belief towards growing has been to start slow and if you’re not happy with where you are, strive to do better.
We’re always bombarded by how great it is to pursue your passion, etc – but we’ve spoken with enough people to know that it’s not always easy. Overall, would you say things have been easy for you?
The biggest struggle I’ve faced in growing a client base is trying to build my brand slowly. Friends and family ask where they got their pictures taken and finally, the word starts getting out there. That means going the extra mile and making a personal connection with the people who invest in my services.
The wonderful feels are when you’re called back to take newborn photos of your wedding client’s children or the first things you see when you arrive at their home are prints of pictures that you took.
I would have to say the second most challenging thing about making your own visions a reality are the obligations you have to your family and to make financial ends meet until things take off. Chasing passions may not exactly pay off within the first year and sometimes that means investing your time and efforts away from the ones you love. It can cause some frustrating laundry to pile up as well!
We’d love to hear more about your business.
Lifestyle Photography is my niche. It’s a style of capturing people in a moment that tells a story, not necessarily their smile.
CINDER AND VIN… was thought up one morning while I struggled to will myself back to sleep. Somewhere between solid REM and a willowy sunrise, several words popped into my mind.
{CINDER}… is something that’s ‘solid’ and and ‘still sparking even though it is mostly burned’. It’s a special something that has energy enough to ignite that which surrounds it and then take it from static to a flame when stoked. Blow on that cinder and watch it be fierce.
{and VIN}… short for vinegar. Spicy and full of moxie. A word that can describe me pretty much to a T. But also a preservative, keeping and improving things that without it, might decay. A sometimes very good analogy to an image as time’s images preserves a moment, a feeling or important event.
{CINDER and VIN}… is a growing business made up of several amazing photographers, and post-production staff that takes curate and hand back memories to be enjoyed and shared for years to come.
What were you like growing up?
Watching my five-year-old daughter, Margot, on a daily basis puts a lot into perspective for me as far as my childhood is concerned.
She has a strong, fierce, personality that matches exactly the name of my business Cinder and Vinegar. As I continue to be a spunky, outgoing, outspoken girl I find myself trying to listen more and proceed with caution. It’s something you need to strive for if you want to grow yourself and your business in the right direction.
Contact Info:
- Website: cinderandvin.com
- Phone: 630-334-9189
- Email: cinderandvin@gmail.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/cinderandvin/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/cinderandvin/
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