To that end, I'd like to introduce you to Mike Ritter, of Ritterbin Photography, the current president of the New England Chapter of ASMP, and also one of the founding members of our MAG/MMG group. In the next few weeks, I'll be introducing you to a few of our other members as well through short interviews and examples of their work. Without further ado, let me introduce you to Mike, our intrepid ASMP NE president, and all-around awesome guy.
Sharona Jacobs: Hi Mike! Can you please tell us a little bit about yourself?
Mike Ritter: I'm a Pennsylvania hayseed who went to school in the wilds of Maine and then ended up in the big city (for New England) - Boston - in 2002. I worked in a photo lab and photo gallery before heading out on my own freelance photo career in 2005. My photography has taken me all over Boston and through Guatemala, Mexico, Peru, and New Orleans. My wife and I live in a Dorchester triple decker with our daughter, Vivian.
SJ: Can you give us a little bit of information on your company and your typical clients?
MR:
I've run Ritterbin Photography for 10 years focusing primarily on Boston area clients - I primarily shoot events and on location portraits. My clients are principally schools, financial services companies, non-profits, and event companies.
SJ: What made you want to be a photographer?
MR:
My dad gave me his camera in college, and I enjoyed learning on it. While I love the craft of making a great picture, I'm even more excited by the life I can live as a photographer. I meet so many people from so many walks of life and get to know Boston much better than I could in a job at one location with one group of co-workers.
SJ: What type of projects will you be working on in the next few months?
MR:
I'm adding video to my services which is very exciting because it's a collaborative process with other creatives, and it can communicate certain things better than photography (and vice versa). So, it will help me tell clients' stories in as effective a manner as possible. I will also begin to do more direct marketing to clients I'd like to work with rather than relying on word of mouth. And, I'm putting together a website for my Boston Cornerstone project (
www.bostoncornerstones.com
) which will roam all over Boston looking for cornerstones and then shooting a time collage cityscapes where they are found.
SJ: Can you tell me how the MAG group helps you in your career as a professional photographer?
MR:
My MAG partners have dealt with issues I'm trying to get under thumb and vice versa. Sharing our work as it's in progress whether it's a recent shoot, website redesign, or a contract etc., makes for a much better final product whatever it is. It's too easy for photographers to work almost entirely alone, but our work and our ideas improve tremendously when we share and work with others. That's why I joined ASMP and was interested in helping re-organize the MAG program.