Today we’d like to introduce you to Bryan Sirotkin.
Hi Bryan , so excited to have you with us today. What can you tell us about your story?
I started photographing when I was in elementary school, chasing my family dog around with my little Mickey Mouse 110 camera. I would tell her to turn her head and in my best stereotypical fashion photographers voice I would tell her “Oh wonderful darling, now turn your head to the left. Beautiful, Beautiful, now to the right”. When my grandfather noticed that I was looking at and finding the beauty of the world around us on drives or at lunch, he decided to upgrade me to his old Nikon Nikkormat FT2 camera. I did a lot of self learning in middle school before finally getting to take classes in high school, before choosing to pursue my degree in college. I took it a step further and got a certificate from Washington School of Photography in Bethesda, MD.
I started my business in 2003 as Bryan Sirotkin Photography, but after finding people couldn’t spell my name, simplified it to B.S. Photography and we’ve been going since then. My current studio is located in Columbia, MD although I do end up traveling all over.
I specialize in photographing animals of all shapes and sizes, working my hardest to capture their unique personalities in our small studio. I photograph everything from traditional pets like dogs and cats, to more unique exotics such as toucans, hedgehogs, and chickens. I also try and get out to photograph wildlife, birds and insects in nature as much as my schedule allows.
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
It’s not always been a smooth road. I started the business and built up the studio from scratch, relying mostly on our own sales to make equipment upgrades to stay as current as possible, and pet sitting through college and Washington School of Photography to cover some other of life’s expenses. Economic slowdowns like the 2008 recession, 2020’s pandemic shuttering our doors for over a year due to local regulations, and the resulting economic turmoil have all caused hardships and made me change some things in the studio. The largest being my need to move the studio out of my second story walk up studio in Laurel in 2021 and finding a more accessible first floor studio space in Columbia, where I am currently photographing out of.
Photographically animals always present challenges to photograph. From the cats who want to hide behind the backdrop or under chairs, to the senior dogs who can no longer hear or see and can’t respond to our toys or the owner calling their names. And then try telling a chicken how to turn it’s head or a turtle to lift it’s head up a little more towards the camera. I always try to make the best of it, and adapt to make the animal comfortable, and take time while being patient enough for them to feel comfortable to do what I need them to.
Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
I photograph the personality of animals on a clean background to make sure their personality and beauty pop. I shoot in studio most of the time, opting for a black or white background and minimal distraction outside of them wearing an outfit or having a simple toy in the frame with them. I like making them the focus of the image while eliminating the fluff. My big thing is the emotion shown in the animals eyes, most of the time looking directly into the lens and therefore out of the print and into the room where they are hung so you can connect with them in the image. Though if you ask the animals they seem to say I’m the nice guy who makes them comfortable and gives treats and lots of pets.
What matters most to you?
What matters most to me is getting the animals photographed. It’s seems simple, but there have been too many of my own animals, let alone client’s pets, that we thought we’d have more time to get the photos done of and we missed our chance. I want people to have professional photos of thier animals so they have a nice memory of them to look back on when their animals get older, or have passed on so they can remember them fondly. It’s far easier to go back and make a print from a photograph we’ve taken, than it is to create one from thin air after it’s too late.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://BSPhotography.net
