MEET: Abi Bansal

I have always been a creative person since I was a child, always drawing, painting or making something but I fell into the Theatre, trained in Drama and became a Dance Teacher before finding my way to what I do now. From a childhood spent making and doing with my Mother, to studying Textiles at A’ level, I very well may have gone on to Art school. Instead, I began my small fashion label in 2007, selling my handmade clothes on Etsy and through local boutiques. I built up a loyal following and customer base through my blog and showing my progress on the Photo-sharing web community, Flickr. It was through this site that I first became interested in the beautiful work of amateur and professional Photographers and began to throw myself into styling and photographing my creations.

 

I had always been interested in Photography and had shot a lot of film but, around this time, invested in my first digital SLR which opened things up for me, creatively. Out of a desire to do something other than sewing, I embarked on a 365 "Portrait a day" project. The commitment to setting up, taking and editing a photograph every day for an entire year was enormous, but somehow I did it. By the time the year was up I found that I was completely hooked on photography and inspired to take better, more creative pictures. 

 

 

I love simplicity, which translates from my personal tastes through fashion and homeware. I am inspired by the beauty of the everyday, whether it’s the mess on a chopping board or my Cat's paws on a cosy eiderdown. Textures and muted colours always draw me in; I love "quiet" images which speak volumes. My work is characterised by sharp focus, a shallow depth of field and a feminine or soft subject matter. I favour minimal editing, preferring to compose the image as I see it. Documenting everyday life will never get old for me and I like my subjects to look as real as possible. I generally shoot in natural light, although I have found myself working in the studio more and more which has added another dimension to my work. On the flip side, I also love stark imagery, inspired by high fashion and live performance photographs and do quite a lot of street photography. I try to make my images speak by conveying the mood, as well as capturing the subject. Having said this, I also love the challenge of meeting a specific client brief, especially if their aesthetic wildly differs from my own! I suppose I just like making things look as naturally beautiful as possible, whatever that might be. 

 

 

I am self-taught, aside from some training in pattern cutting; everything I do has been learnt or developed on the job. Professionally, I have worked in the commercial retail sector as a Stylist and Visual Merchandiser for several high street and independent labels and have experience of marketing my own work. I have shot and developed a brand identity for several businesses as well as set up and produced my own work to sell through my online shop. Writing is always something that has come naturally and I started scriptwriting and experimenting with comedy whilst at University, moving on to completing a novel in 2010 when I discovered I wasn't funny! Since 2010, I started doing some modelling work for Photographers and began to pick up a lot of my own clients through that. I have been lucky knowing some amazing performers and bands that have very kindly let me photograph them and my portfolio has expanded from there.

 

 

I love Photography for its accessibility. Although I love everything else that I do, it usually involves me setting up or preparing some form of workspace or sitting at my desk. Photography allows me a lot of freedom and I love that it is entirely dictated by your surroundings and subjects. Since I moved to Bristol, I found that space and time restrictions meant that sewing had to take a backseat; I now only take on custom commissions and design work. Photography has taken me to some great places and I love creating concepts and messing about with props. I also enjoy those moments when I don't have writers block and I am sitting quietly and writing; I suppose I like the variety of what I do.

 

 

Having worked for a selection of businesses, as well as being a one-woman-workforce, I know that how we market ourselves does not change in principle, regardless of how much money you have to throw at it. Larger businesses may have enormous advertising budgets but there are ways of getting the word out for free, if you know where to look. These are competitive times and the customer is King, we are bombarded with glossy images 24/7 so it's important to make your branding and company tone of voice as professional as possible. Every element of how we portray ourselves to potential customers needs to be considered, the most beautiful handmade item in the world can be let down by poorly lit flash photography on the kitchen table, but with a little imagination and some creativity, can look like it belongs in a high end department store. 

 

Handmade should not mean cheap or an excuse for things to look a bit "homemade". Ensuring they fetch the high prices they deserve is as much about showing them off in the right way as it is making something beautiful in the first place. A lot of my clients really struggle with writing about themselves, as a customer, I like to know the story behind the product or the artist who created it so I think a well written bio or "about" section is key. There are so many elements to running a successful small business and I can help ensure that nothing is missed. Very often, there might simply be an area of your business that needs some attention - Some people want a whole revamp which will include photos, copy and a logo but my most recent client just needed a crash course in Twitter Marketing for example.

 

 

Absolutely, without having a handmade business I would never have needed to photograph my work. With so many beautiful, stylish products on Etsy, it really made me think hard about how important well-presented products are. The standard is definitely much higher than when I first started selling online because great cameras are so much more affordable. Online there is no boutique to browse, you cannot handle the item or see it in situ, so the photographs are doubly important in conveying that feel to the customer. I am aware that as a Stylist I view things with a creative and commercial eye, I think that in running our own businesses we need to have an element of both in order to make them successful. I have made many mistakes and learnt along the way what does and does not work but primarily, I am also a customer. It’s amazing how many people forget to apply the things they demand from the online experience to their own endeavours. 

 

If you are unsure of where to start, look at brands which speak to you, keep a scrapbook of ideas and a theme will soon emerge. I find the website Pinterest invaluable if clients find it hard to communicate what they wish to convey. It’s also a great place for me to store and browse ideas or inspirational images. I am also an obsessive reader of magazines, "Oh Comely" ,"Frankie", "Lula" and anything styled by Donna Hay, these greatly influence everything I do and continue to push me. I also get a lot of (unrelated) inspiration from cookery books and am currently working on shooting one with a friend of mine who is a chef.

 

 

I have been taking photos of my cat Sixx since the first day she arrived. This is purely because she is, quite literally, a captive audience and usually doing something cute. I often take a test shot of her when sorting out my kit and therefore have loads of pictures of her. More generally, I am drawn to interiors, beautiful light, textures and candid portraits. I also love to photograph dancers and musicians. When I am on the go, I find myself using my iPhone to snap things that inspire me, this is usually photos of my feet or table tops!

 

 

I Love the freedom of working for myself and the exciting people I have been fortunate to work with over the years. I love working with artists, helping them to realise their potential and learning a little bit about them as people; I have made some amazing friends doing what I do. I also enjoy the process of creating something for somebody which is so closely linked to themselves. Taking an idea and translating a brief into a finished product which I know someone will love, is a really great feeling. 

 

My biggest frustrations is not enough hours in the day, not enough pairs of hands and too little time being distracted by beautiful things online. I am also a great list maker and find I spend a lot of time making grand plans for the future. Another pitfall is that ideas often come to me at the worst time, like in the middle of night and I have always preferred to edit photographs in front of East Enders, which is not strictly "office hours".

 

 

I have worked freelance in some capacity for over 5 years, so I have learnt to manage my time more effectively. I have found that I need a dedicated space for my work, one that I can shut the door on after a day at the PC, even if I then move to the sofa and take my laptop, that signifies the end of the working day for me. If I am freelancing, I sometimes run errands in the middle of the day, where I would usually take a lunch break, otherwise a big project will play on my mind. My housemate is very good as she calls me out when she gets home. I have to tear myself away sometimes and be careful to only use the internet in the evenings for "down time" or non-work related things, (though a lot of my Music Journalism still happens in the evenings), otherwise I can work up until 10pm! I also find it important to get out of the house; I often go and write in a coffee shop just for a change of scenery. I also make sure I schedule as many face to face meetings as possible, although a lot of what I do is online, I think it is great to meet clients in person.

 

 

I hope to expand my photography portfolio and work towards more varied commercial briefs as my client base grows. I think it is true of any creative person that they grow tired of their portfolio so the urge to keep updating mine is strong. I would like to do more unusual concepts to test my styling abilities and perhaps reconnect with my theatrical background. I also hope to branch out and do more event photography. This year sees a couple of weddings and a lot of travel in my diary! I completed a novel last year but really would love to work on a craft book or something more image-based. Ultimately, I want to be self-employed and doing something creative and be happy!

 

In addition to my website, www.abibansal.com, I use social media like Facebook, my blog and promote via word of mouth. I tweet from my personal account @mizzban, although a lot of people have a separate work account I find having a more relaxed, personal voice has actually got me more work. I am aware that a lot of people find me through Flickr and that my early photos still show up on public searches. I don't mind this, although I have to say, my photography has improved a lot since then! I just make sure that everything links to my current portfolio, which I update regularly.