Product photography serves MIAD alum’s business

Briana Hibbs

Briana Hibbs ’12 (Photography) started her own handmade earrings business, Made by the Lake, in January 2019. She relies on her eye for product photography to show her jewelry in its best light, and the business now boasts a successful following of over 2,000 customers on Facebook.

“It was an opportunity that came after [graduating] that really opened my eyes to product-specific photography,” says Hibbs. After a former classmate helped her get a job at a photography studio post-graduation, her interest in product photography took off. “A bad photograph of an item will never sell, so it was important that I already had this skill going into opening my own online business,” she explains.

Drawing inspiration from seasonal details, customer requests and other small business artists, Hibbs crafts popular earrings out of wood and acrylic. She creates many of her own designs, but also purchases patterns from other makers. “I love supporting small businesses near and far when I can,” says Hibbs. “I think this type of community building is very important because we all know how difficult it is to start out, and all have our fair share of dealing with imposter syndrome.”

As a student, Hibbs interned with MIAD alum Jessica Kaminski ’01 (Photography), who helped guide her decision to start a business. “MIAD helped me get in touch with a great group of people that taught me experiences beyond college and pointed me in the right direction of what it was that I wanted to do for my future,” she continues. Hibbs hopes that current students chase their dreams and stay flexible. “Even if you think it’s a waste of time, do it and get what you can out of it,” she advises.

Keep up with Briana on her website and Facebook, read more about her business and learn how you can do what you love for life at MIAD.