EP79 Interview With Andy Blake, General Manager of Kaleidoscope Framing
Life as a photographer can feel like you’re working on your own – all those hours with the camera, lights, with Photoshop and the complexities of your own business. But, of course, the truth is a little more nuanced than that: we may be here in our studio on our own, but we have a wealth of talent around us – our suppliers. Every day, I sell their products, their talents, their ideas to our clients, whether it’s a frame, an album or a portfolio, I am wholly reliant on numerous other people to carry my brand.
In this interview, I get the chance to talk with Andy Blake, the General Manager at Kaleidoscope Framing – a company whose wonderful products we have relied on for well over a decade now. It’s a lovely interview (you may get the impression we get on well – and you’d be right!) and we talk about various aspects of the photographic industry and how things are changing – something particularly pertinent in these complicated times.
The fact that we get on well isn’t a coincidence – building a relationship with your suppliers is as important as building them with your clients as it’s your suppliers who, ultimately, provide the platform on which your products will shine. It’s not about the products, of course, it’s about your photography, but displaying your craft in the very best light is what this business is all about. And your suppliers make that possible.
As always with our interviews, I asked Andy to recommend a book to add to our every-expanding library. He recommended “One Day For Life”, a book of photos all taken on a single day in 1987 in aid of Cancer Research. I couldn’t find any new copies but this link https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/0593014642/ref=cm_sw_em_r_mt_dp_OV6mFbGKHVT2G takes you to second-hand copies on Amazon (I bought mine for £2.95!)
Enjoy the interview!