When I daydreamed as I child of what I would “be” when I grew up it surprisingly was never a photographer. I think teacher was the front runner. However, here I am at 27 yrs old beginning my second month as a full time photographer. I took a giant leap of faith and quit the very secure 9-5 I’d had for the last 6 years, gave up my rent house, packed all my belongings into storage, took my dream and moved in with my parents.
I have been a child life volunteer for Cook Children’s hospital in Fort Worth for over 2 years now and my love for children directed me into not only child photography but the world of newborn photography.
My first newborn shoot was my great niece. After that I was instantly hooked.
I also considered the fact that my local area didn’t really have a newborn photographer that did what I did. What’s that you ask? I’ll tell you what I don’t do: over propped, cheesy backgrounds, studio stiffness. I am blessed with many friends with newbies that helped get my portfolio started. Being from a small town doesn’t hurt either, where word of mouth travels faster than the speed of sound!
I often get asked, “Do you want to be like Anne Geddes?” My answer is simple. She’s amazing first of all! But no! She’s her own thing and I want to be my own thing. I spend countless hours scouring the web for other photographer’s works, no one near me of course. Don’t want to accidently copy someone right around the corner, common courtesy. I get inspiration from anything.
I can’t take a common drive without looking at everything, and I mean EVERYTHING, with a photographer’s eye. I shop with the question “Can I put a baby in it?” Until people hear that I’m a photographer I sometimes get funny looks!
I love using the outdoors more than anything. Fields, barns, old cars, anything with rust and vintage looking is definitely my element. Secondly, I want to capture my clients as they are naturally. The shot doesn’t always need to be posed with the client looking directly into my camera. I love angled shots. I move around a lot during a session. Getting views from this way and that is key. I often shoot anywhere from 200-400 images that get whittled down to 20-30.
As soon as I get a booking I usually have a vision immediately of what I want the shoot to look like. I don’t know how, but it works! I’m very crafty, as well, so I make props, too. I get to save money and express myself by making as much as I can.
In the near future when the time is right I hope to have a studio in an old remodeled house with a yard. A shopping strip wouldn’t represent me like an old home with hardwood floors and character would. I’m so blessed to be a photographer.
Links:
www.linnyjo.com
www.facebook.com/linnyjodesigns
www.twitter.com/linny_jo
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