Artist's rep Lesley Zahara was born in England and immigrated as a child with her family to Canada, where she lived until 1995. She began representing artists over 20 years ago, beginning her career by becoming a studio manager, later morphing into a representative for a select group of photographers. She's been an artists representative in the United States for the past fifteen years and after living in Dallas, Portland and Los Angeles, she's now based in Santa Barbara. She currently represents eighteen photographers from across the country and Europe, as well as a design/branding team for the first time. Lesley has enjoyed working with a diverse base of talent on a wide range of assignments.
07.07.09
Starting "Real" Life
If you have a degree in what field is it? No degree, I didn’t want to spend time going on to further my education when I really had nothing in particular that attracted me as a career. I was always an adventurer and wanted to travel the world, which I have definitely done. I also always wanted to be self employed. The security of a regular job just never interested me, I have always done best working from my intuitive and interpersonal skills, and although I did very well in school, I couldn't wait to get out and start “real” life on my own.
What career path brought you to your current position? I just kind of fell into it. I actually have a knack for mimicking voices and when I was in my early 20s, a good friend was always encouraging me to get into radio voiceovers. Since it sounded “adventurous,” I decided to try it, and was referred to a photographer for a head shot; we ended up dating, getting married, and the next thing I knew I was running his studio. I was able to learn every skill I needed during that time, I did production, learned to do B&W printing, paint sets, casting—whatever was needed. I ran the studio and eventually ran all the jobs.The sales part of it just happened as a natural progression. After some years, I was approached by a group of photographers to represent them. I was based in Toronto, Canada back then and the group was Westside, I had the most fun and the best time I’ve ever enjoyed as a rep during those three years, but I longed for a more challenging market than one city could offer, so I moved to the U.S. The marriage ended, the repping didn’t.
What’s the most challenging type of project for your photographers? I don’t think there are easy answers to this question since each shooter has a different skill and different approach. What one photographer might see as a nightmare, another does comfortably in their sleep. I would say from my own perspective as a rep and a former producer, location work has the most challenges. You can have it all together and one bad weather day can change all the best laid plans. I was literally throwing models into a motor home on Venice beach and driving to Palm Springs to use a hotel “beach” for a suntan product shoot once. Everyone had been flown in from around the country for the shoot and, incredibly though the weather prediction was for sun, it was pouring rain that day with no breaks in sight. I called the film board in Palm Springs, found out there was a hotel with a sand beach by the pool, and was lining up permits and insurance and permission from the motor home en route. We got there, shot all afternoon and got back to LA that evening. You’d never know it wasn’t the real beach and we salvaged the day.
What advice would you give an ilustrator/photographer who felt no “connection” to a concept for an assignment? I personally think that they have to fall back on professionalism, and realize every assignment isn’t an exciting one. You still have to make the client and agency know they got what they needed to get to make it exciting and to make it work for them, even when it’s not exciting for you. Sometimes you need to pull a lot of rabbits out of the hat to do that. I love working with photographers who can make that happen, even without feeling a connection to the project, sometimes it’s just what it is. They also have to remember, their job is to try and make the most of any situation they are presented with.
What is the most consistently recognizable trait of successful creative people? I think people who don’t give up, and try not to get negative during tough times. It’s a business that can wear you down, everything you do is only as successful as someone else allows it to be—it’s completely subjective. I find that the best creative people I’ve ever worked with are the ones who don’t try to play things safe. Quite often an exceptional creative person doesn’t operate well with things like business, or details of the shoot; they just want to be creative and create amazing photos. You can’t do that thinking from a safe perspective and it’s what people hire them to do—to think and see differently than anyone else does.
What’s your approach to balancing work and life? Wine. Just kidding. Sort of. It’s wine along with having a personal life and allowing myself time to do that. I’ve been at both ends of it, and not allowing any time and becoming a workaholic is not healthy. If you can’t take time out to be with your family, do fun things, take a breath, you’ll burn out. The other thing that works for me, is I love what I do, so it never feels like work. That’s a blessing.
What music are you listening to? I love soft jazz in the background when I’m working. It keeps me mellow.
You’re peripheral to, but certainly a part of creative industries, do you have any creative hobbies? I do, I take photos and create photo books as gifts—for friends and family. (I have seven cats so of course my books are always about cats.) I also like to do watercolor painting, but have to admit that I don’t allow a lot of time for it at the moment.
What’s your favorite quote? “What other people think about you, is none of your business.” —Unknown
Do you have any advice for people just entering their professions? If their profession is photography, it would be “hang onto your hat.” It’s a lot of hard work and requires a thick skin and lots of determination, but if you love what you do that’s all just part of the package. Just be consistent, and remember that branding and advertising your services is just as important for you, as it is for your clients. Stay out there consistently and persistently.
What’s one thing you wish you knew when you started your career? I wish I’d known some of the shortcuts. Sometimes you struggle with things that, later when you look back on them, were so simple if only you’d known how to apply them in the first place without a lot of trial and error.