A Dime a Dozen

It’s a Saturday morning in Fort Greene Park. Solitary readers transform their discarded jackets into pillows. Groups lucky enough to catch a spot under sprawling oaks enlist bed sheets to claim their territory, toasting their victories over sparkling wine.

But as the neighborhood moves to stretch their toes in the nearest patch of grass, there is one person hard at work: photographer Kym Fajardo. She starts to sing the first few words of “Wheels on the Bus,” to her current subject, a wide-eyed toddler, attempting to draw their quickly shifting attention back to the lens, but it’s no use. They’re off again, racing towards the playground.

After the fourth session of the day, Fajardo, 30, is finally able to pause. This has been her routine every weekend for the past year, though the locations and the clients are everchanging. Unlike most professional photographers, however, Fajardo isn’t paid for the time spent huffing and puffing. Making 60% commission, the money she earns is entirely dependent on the number of photos she’s able to sell. And at only $15 per picture, it’s her goal to make every one perfect.

“It’s all about figuring out what the client wants,” Fajardo explains, tucking away overly eager strands of dark curly hair behind her ear. “Our goal is to produce a great gallery so they can’t choose and they want everything.”

Fajardo started with Shoott, a New York City-based photography company that aims to provide affordable professional photographs to anyone and everyone, when they first formed last summer. Taking note of her natural ability to connect with children, Shoott co-founders Daniel Kaufman and Jennifer Tsay designated Fajardo to capture intimate family memories during weekend pop-ups like this Saturday’s in Fort Greene. Since then, she’s been smiling and running after kids in parks across the Tristate Area.

“I can’t just stand there and shoot and hope the child will be looking at me – I have to be clapping and singing baby songs and playing with toys,” Fajardo says, taking a sip of water. “It’s a lot of energy coming from every direction.”

Fajardo has been taking family photos since she was a child, when her grandfather designated her as the lead photographer for every family celebration, no matter how small. But her career path wasn’t always linear. Seven years ago, she was butchering meat and breaking down ducks in a minute and 30 seconds flat as the sous chef at a restaurant in upstate New York. It was there that photography reentered her life.

What started as a way to send her pictures of her culinary creations back home quickly turned into an obsession with capturing every part of her life. Currently living in Queens, where she was born and raised, Fajardo uses the pop ups as an opportunity to explore parts of the city that have evaded her view. Each 30-minute session guarantees a $30 base pay, with most people buying $120 worth of photos, according to Fajardo. Outside of Shoott, she freelances weddings and events to make extra money through her personal company, Kym Fajardo Photography. Regardless of reason or location, Fajardo’s favorite part of her job is creating and preserving memories for anyone who signs up.

“You’re a part of their family in a way,” Fajardo says, her warm brown eyes beaming. “Every time they look at that picture they’re going to remember the photographer behind it.”