Tom turned an old sewing workshop into a popular photo studio: he created everything with his own hands.

The photograph was discovered during school time.

While in 11th grade, Tom first became interested in photography; When he joined a photography group, he took a film camera out of his parents’ closet and started taking photos.

“It just came to our attention then. Even though I had no expectations or plans for the future, I still had small goals. I highlighted the bar, looked at what came out and compared how it looks to what I had originally planned. I don’t know what motivated me on that one. moment, but it was interesting, “recalls T. Brazinskas.

For some time, photography was a hobby for Tom and only after his studies did he become more interested in it: he spent half a year at the Danish School of Arts, where he was able to study and live in a small community without obligations.

“At one point I thought that the Lithuanian market was too small and decided to seek happiness abroad. I decided to go to an exotic country where many tourists come to take photos. I flew to Crete and picked up a week-long travel package with the option to return if I couldn’t find a job.

At the end of the week I got a job as a photographer at the port. There I spoke with people who went there and asked if they would like to take a photo. If they agreed, I later did a photoshoot for them and gave them the photos. I lived like this for about four months, ”says T. Brazinskas.

Describing that experience as a summer adventure, Tom decided to spend the next warm season of the year in Cyprus, where he worked as a photographer. Eventually the man decided to study photography in London and thus established himself further as a professional.

“At the time, there was no clear plan on what to do to become a professional when photography began as a hobby. The road has been and still is foggy so most photographers get lost on the scale, where they seem to be taking good photos but are not yet professionals. I was caught in a similar step myself, because no one has defined when to become a professional, ”says T. Brazinskas.

No one has defined when to turn pro.

Often even good photographers find it difficult to break through and find clients; In Tom’s opinion, without a consistent relationship with clients, a great deal of work falls on his shoulders.

“I tried everything in Lithuania: I photographed weddings, portraits, and then it all turned into the fact that I rented my studio. He photographed me several times a week and rented it to other people. I wouldn’t say that as a photographer I settled in Lithuania and constantly sought to become a professional. I just liked it and wanted to try new things, ”says T. Brazinskas.

He created the photo studio with his own hands.

After renting his first studio, Tom didn’t have many opportunities to make changes because he didn’t get permission from the owners. Therefore, seeing that there are a number of limitations and disturbances, the photographer decided to move to a new space.

“I started looking for new facilities and found 400 m2 M. m of space in which it was complete bardakas: there were no floors, ceilings, walls, so they looked like ruins. I thought in my mind how things would look in a clean space, but at first there weren’t many ideas.

With this idea I fell asleep about a couple of weeks and then I came up with the idea to divide everything into a few spaces. I thought it would be fine, but when I said I wanted to rent, they told me that the place was gone, ”says Brazil.

Although there was no space left, the idea changed in Tom’s mind, so he started looking for new facilities, finding 70 square meters M. m of space, we rented it. With the goal of opening the studio a month later, he began to work daily with the help of friends.

“We had to tear down the wall, remove everything, change the floor … There was a lot of work, but when we opened, there was flour. People who wanted to rent a studio started going because I was communicating it to the photography community during the installation. I always looked at what they needed and took care of it, ”says T. Brazinskas.

On the same floor there was another one of about 460 square meters. m of empty space, that half a year later, Tom decided to rent. Until then, there was a sewing workshop, so the photographer had to turn the mess in the studio again with his own hands.

“I had to work a lot, I did all the construction and technical work with the help of one friend or another. It used to be that a studio was opened in the common space, people were already working there, the sewing machines were stacked to one side, a pile of sticks, and a makeup and mirror studio was being built in another corner.

In the end, it was transformed into five photographic studios, three of which are in a common space, ”explains T. Brazinskas, adding that people came because of unbridled creativity, so the temporary clutter did not bother them.

Doing what the people need

While setting up the studio, Tom shared the entire process on his social channels, where people kept asking if they needed that space. They said the idea was really cool.

“Sometimes people say it is necessary, but when you do it, it turns out different. However, we saw that it was necessary. People started renting a studio, which means they value your work and your service for money. At first, we didn’t even have a reservation system – customers would call, try to reserve, and I had to tell them what space was available.

That means I had to watch five studies at the same time. It became inconvenient, because everything was done with creativity and freedom in our country, so all processes had to be controlled. That’s how I found an assistant who was dealing with systems and we combined it with creativity, ”says T. Brazinskas.

Tom had the image of the future of the photo studio only in his mind, and although he did not rely on business plans when he founded it, he was confident of his own strength and had no fear.

“If I had decided how things should be, maybe the discrepancies would start later, there would be discontent that it is not as planned. However, I naturally looked at what people wanted, how things looked, and tried to adapt accordingly. We did not do what we want ourselves, but what people need.

However, for a while there were times when everything went well, but I had no equipment, so I had to do everything myself, I took care of the reservation, the repairs, the communication. It consisted of a huge load. There were weeks when I would finish working 3-4 hours a night, so I started to feel tired, ”admits T. Brazinskas.

We did not do what we want ourselves, but what people need.

Today Tom works with his team in a photo studio, but the hardest thing for him was finding the right people throughout the process.

“I realized that if I put everything together I do not drivehence you need help. So the question arises, how should it be? You need to understand exactly what kind of people you need. Also, there is often the mistake I made at the beginning that I was looking for do it a person who would help you, but imagine that he should be like you, because who can do it better than you? This is a completely wrong way of thinking, because you need a colleague who can do what you cannot, ”emphasizes Brazil.

In creating his studio, Tom learned several important lessons: First, he made him understand that both he and the environment around him were constantly changing.

“You cannot design many years in advance because things are changing. It is important to understand that tomorrow will be different, so we must react calmly to change. You don’t have to accept them under stress, worry that something isn’t exactly going according to your plan, “says T. Brazinskas.

For novice photographers who have not yet made their way, Tom is advised to first ask themselves what exactly they want. He points out that some people take certain actions not because they want to, but because others do.

“You need to know where your strengths and weaknesses are. Also, I advise you to think about what you can do now to reach your goal. He doesn’t have a studio or a new best Photography The goal is to take photos and give people what they want. When you realize this, you start to see everything more easily, ”recommends Tomas.