Today we’d like to introduce you to Sam Fink.
Hi Sam, please kick things off for us with an introduction to yourself and your story.
My journey as a dance photographer all began with my love of dance and performance. I grew up dancing recreationally at the YMCA, and as I got more serious, I transferred to a studio to dance competitively.
I ended up studying dance in college and got my BFA in dance and over my summer vacations would train with dance companies across the country through summer intensive programs. After graduating, I moved to Chicago to pursue a career in concert dance. My focus throughout those years was always performing on stage.
I performed throughout Chicago with various small companies and projects, with opportunities to perform in Italy, Toronto, New York City, and across the Midwest. I was able to meet and connect with so many incredible and talented dancers throughout my early career as a dancer.
On the flip side, photography had always been something I was interested in. Starting in my teenage years, I had a point-and-shoot camera and slowly started upgrading my gear over the years, the more involved I got in photography. It had been a hobby of mine throughout college, where I would get my dancer friends together for creative dance shoots and I would practice shooting movement and headshots. It wasn’t until I had lived in Chicago for several years that I started actively pursuing photography. I launched my official Lumosco Photo website in late 2019 and the business began to blossom from there.
When I first started my business, I offered packages for an array of photo types, from couples, engagements, and small families, to creative portraiture, dance, and event photography. I was a photographer for Sofar Sounds in Chicago and it really helped me hone my skills of capturing events, movement, low light, and being in the moment.
I have since refined my business to primarily serve dancers and creatives. My goal with Lumosco is to create a safe space for dancers to move and create and to capture their true, authentic personalities. When dancers hire me to photograph them, we dive deep into their goals, intentions, style of dance, personality, and overall what they would like out of their experience with working together.
As a dancer myself, I am able to provide direction and guidance that other photographers without a background in dance could provide, giving dancers an elevated experience and final product of photos to showcase their growth and this particular moment in their dance journey.
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
I believe that no journey is ever a perfectly smooth one. There have certainly been obstacles, struggles, and setbacks, but at the end of the day, they have all been learning lessons and have ultimately made my business and myself stronger.
One of the biggest challenges for me was realizing that I had to niche my photography in order to grow. I wanted to shoot everything and anything because I genuinely love the experience of working with and connecting with all types of people.
But after reflecting on it, I realized that if I primarily serve dancers, I am able to hone the craft of capturing the best moments, can guide people better, and overall can best serve the dance community when I am focused on that specific area.
Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
Lumosco is currently a photography business solely run by me, Sam Fink, that serves and captures dancers, movers, and creatives throughout their journey. For dancers, there are many moments where you have to be in front of the camera–audition dance shots, headshots, company photoshoots, professional photos to promote a show, a workshop, ongoing classes, social media, and simply to celebrate big moments in your career and journey.
Dancers are their own brand, and when you see yourself as a small business that you need to promote in order to be hired or have people continue to show up to classes, it’s beyond important to have good photos that best represent that brand (YOU!).
I specialize in dance and movement because as a dancer myself, I had never fully felt comfortable in front of the camera. I never had great experiences: I didn’t feel comfortable or ever feel like I could fully be myself with a camera in my face. I felt like I was either being given too much direction or not enough. It was stressful. Turns out, I ended up loving being behind the camera instead.
I began to realize that what I was wanting when I was being photographed was to be uplifted, encouraged, and given the space to simply be myself. From that moment, I decided it was my job as a photographer to ensure that every single person who gets in front of my camera feels empowered and encouraged to show up exactly as they are.
The crisis has affected us all in different ways. How has it affected you and any important lessons or epiphanies you can share with us?
I’ve learned that keeping an open mind and being willing to pivot is crucial to running a business. If you stay rigid in your mindset, it is more likely that things will topple over when things get difficult. I have also learned that it’s important to ensure that you have a solid foundation within your business and that having a support system to encourage you is key.
Contact Info:
- Email: lumoscophoto@gmail.com
- Website: www.lumoscophoto.com
- Instagram: www.instagram.com/lumosco
- Facebook: www.facebook.com/lumosco
- Other: www.pinterest.com/lumoscophoto
Image Credits
JKG Photography and Emily Johnson, Sam Fink of Lumosco Photo
