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Photographer knows his audience (11/05)

By KELLY LOUISEIZE “Dance like nobody’s watching.” That is the motto Brian Tremblay lives by daily and it appears to be working for him. He was awarded the 2005 Entrepreneur/Business of the Year at the Sault Ste.

By KELLY LOUISEIZE

“Dance like nobody’s watching.”

Brian Tremblay served and protected before finding his true calling.

That is the motto Brian Tremblay lives by daily and it appears to be working for him.

He was awarded the 2005 Entrepreneur/Business of the Year at the Sault Ste. Marie Camber of Commerce Annual Meeting and Business Awards.

“One has to forget about what is happening peripherally and go about doing business in a focused manner”, the owner of Brian Tremblay Photography says,

“You have to live a life of constant certainty. ‘Yes I can accommodate this, yes I will attain that.’ If you don’t believe, it will not happen.”

After 11 years as a correctional officer, Tremblay wanted to explore his creative side, so he enrolled part-time in a photography course at Sault College of Applied Arts and Technology in 1993. With some fine arts courses and a combination of painting classes behind him, he completed the program at the New York Institute of Photography through correspondence.

In 1999, he quit his job and became a full time photographer aspiring to be one of the best in fashion magazines. He soon came to realize getting work on an assigned photo shoot can be as difficult a task as breaking into modeling.

Instead, he opened the studio and brought to the Sault a fresh new perspective in photography.

Since then, his photos have appeared in The Globe and Mail, the National Post and a recent issue of Registered Nurses Journal.

“Rather than pushing a pencil I’d rather be thinking up some cool ideas,” Tremblay laughs.

Whether it is expressing his talent in new, artistic ways or exploring new business ideas Tremblay finds himself charged by sprouting opportunities.

He purchased his own equipment and set up a shop at 718 Queen St. East conveniently beside a camera store. Three fresh photos are displayed in the store front window.

Tremblay does not have any employees in the business, but provides mentorship to local and international students wanting to adopt his particular attention to detail.

In addition to the photography studio, Tremblay is spreading his entrepreneurial spirit by introducing a Lens Wear clothing line, on the CafePress website.

He created designs for the images on the clothing line in Photoshop, set it to the website’s specification then uploaded it.

The portal feeds him orders, which he fills with product from a contracted distributor.

This is on top of the designer greeting cards and handbags with photos embedded into the fabric.

“We have all the prices online,” he says.

Even his wedding contracts are downloadable. Tremblay can offer a presentation of the images right after their done or install it on a private viewing web page.

Word of mouth tends to be his biggest drive, but it has to be supported by a good marketing campaign, he says.

“One ad a marketing campaign does not make.”

He utilizes unaddressed advertising mail, targeting specific postal routes as well as any opportunities to show his work to potential new clients.

“You have to get yourself out there and top of mind is the keyword.”

For him, that means sponsoring the Sault Symphony, donating his talents toward the Sault Area Hospital, The Lung Association, Heart and Stroke Foundation and the Art Gallery of Algoma.

Tremblay’s market is comprised mainly of over professional females married with children, aged 25 and up. They usually have up-scale houses and want to decorate it with portraits of the family.

“You cannot be all things to all people. If your audience is everybody, your audience is nobody.”

www.CafePress.com
www.tremblayphoto.com