Rising Stars: Meet Josh Fairbanks

Today we’d like to introduce you to Josh Fairbanks. 

Hi Josh, thanks for sharing your story with us. To start, maybe you can tell our readers some of your backstories.
I started out as a dad right out of high school back in 2003. I didn’t know my path or pursuit, but I did know that as a dad, you’re supposed to take pictures of your kids. I bought a camera and started taking shots of my baby boy. Over the next few years, that parental hobby became something I became more and more interested in, and in 2006, I launched my first photography business. 

My quality of work was not very good starting out, especially as I’m not naturally a very artistic person. However, over the years, I pushed hard to learn and grow both as a photographer and a businessman. The business grew through the ebb and flows of the internet (MySpace, Facebook, Twitter, Tik Tok, etc.), and I constantly worked to improve my craft as a photographer. 

In 2021 we were voted Best Photography Studio by the readers of the Herald Palladium, and we have been featured multiple times on local news channels based on our out-of-the-box, people-forward shoot concepts and ideas. 

Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way? Looking back, would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
Nothing worth having is going to be easy attaining, and getting my business to this point is no different. Just like any other business person, I’ve made many mistakes along the way and have learned from each of those. I’ve had clients who have been very unhappy and very vocal about it. But each failure and mistake is a chance to learn and grow. 

Thanks – so, what else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?
We specialize in a few different areas that really set us apart from anyone else locally. First is our sunset splash shots. You can go down to Lake Michigan in Saint Joseph any given night and see upwards of 3-10 portrait photographers working with clients. We are the only ones who are getting waist-deep in the water to get our shots. Often, we have to ride the waves to avoid baptizing our equipment, but it’s always worth it. 

Second, our dramatic athlete studio shots are unlike anything anyone else does. We have a signature way of executing our fire shots that is both breathtaking and safe. Also, we have begun to make a name for ourselves not just locally but across the internet for our dancer shots. 

Thinking outside of the box is what sets us apart. We recently set a world record for doing a 24-hour consecutive photoshoot, we have done mashups for female athletes of glam and grit, we have featured women working in male dominate trades, and much more. 

Is there a quality that you most attribute to your success?
Persistence, patience, and self-applied pressure. The persistence to push through the mistakes and failures, the patience to not force things in regards to what’s best for the business, and the self-applied pressure to always try and be better. 

Contact Info:

• Website: sbjstudios.us
• Instagram: @SquadOnTheGram
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/SBJFacebook