Kianna of Kianna's Lens Affair was the winner of last week's 'the great outdoors' challenge. Read on to find out all about her, and check out her gorgeous self portraiture!
1. Please tell us about yourself…
Hi, first of all, I am very bad at answering questions and
describing things, which is why I love photography so much. I don’t need to
saying anything with photography. It’s open to interpretation. I think I am
better at showing than talking. Haha! Anyway, I am Chinese girl who moved to
America 12 years ago. I live in Fargo ND with my husband and our precious
little girl who is going on four. I am hoping that we can add another one next
year. :) I’ve only been at this (photography) for a little bit over a year. But
it feels like I’ve been doing this forever though. My relationship with
photography is like meeting a new friend, and you feel like you’ve known this
person all your life, and you become inseparable ever since. That’s how I feel
about photography. It’s my true love as far as hobby goes. I am 100% committed
to her.
2. Can you describe your style in 3 words? Why those words?
This is a hard question. I feel like my style is still
evolving. How about I will pick three words that I hope my work represents?
Emotive, Voyeuristic, Artistic .
Emotive—I want my photography, especially my
self-portraits to be evoking some kinda emotion. I am a very emotional person
on the inside. In real life, I will never show the negative feeling openly.
Such as hurt, disappointment, sadness….But thru my photography, I am willing to
share. I want to show people the deeper emotion.
Voyeuristic--- I used to read
a lot. When I am heavily engrossed in the book, I feel like I enter into
another person's world. It feels a little voyeuristic to me. I will go through
the emotional rollercoaster as the main character or whichever character I
connect to.I want the viewer to look at my pictures and look in to the
subject’s soul and feel voyeuristic about it. It’s like peeking into someone
else’s life. That is so mysterious to me. I’m not sure my work is there yet,
but I’m working towards that goal. Artistic - This should be the most obvious
one. I want to create something that looks like art !
3. What sparked your passion for photography?
It all started with the birth of my daughter.
4. What's in your camera bag right now?
Kelly Moore Pilot Backpack is what I carry most of the time
now. In it is my canon 5D MarkIII, Lensbaby Edge 80 , and my 35 mm.
5. What is your dream shoot or project?
Dream shoot….. I’d love to have another photographer who is
just as passionate about self-portraits as me…say, Rose Walton, or Sharon
Covert... go out and do a photoshoot together. It’s hard to know whether I look
right in camera or not when it’s just me. There’s a lot of running back and
forth. It would just be lovely to have someone who’s like-minded and shoot
together.. Now, I am dreaming.
6. What are some of the misconceptions you had about
photography and photographers at the beginning of your photography journey?
Have they changed, and how?
OK. Photography is so much better than I thought. I don’t
remember exactly what I thought about photography before…but I know that I
didn’t think of photography as an art form. I mean, photography is so many
things, but to me, it’s artistic, it is emotional, soulful, therapeutic and
last but not least, very addictive! I used to think photographers mostly just
go out and shoot. Oh, has that changed now. Photographers not only go out and
shoot, but culling is a big part too. There is editing, social media, website,
education, stalking other photographers... Hehe….. Oh, and shopping for new
gears. It’s a time-consuming biz.
7. What advice would you give to newbie photographers? What
advice do you wish you'd been given at the very beginning?
I would say, just don’t give up. Learn from the pros, but
don’t compare yourself to them. We are all so different in our own way. Your
vision and style will come eventually. I used to get down on myself because I
feel my pictures just weren’t good enough. Then I would tell myself, “Kianna,
you’ve only been at this for six months….”
I wish someone would tell me that the technical part of
photography isn’t everything. It’s not going to make you create captivating
imagery. I think your vision is what makes you a great photographer. I am not a
technical personal or photographer. I used to get so caught up, frustrated and
stressed out about the technical part . For example, skin tones, RGB values. Oh
my goodness, they gave canker sores. Frankly, with a lot of my self-portrait, I
don’t worry about skin tones at all. With my vision, I almost always take down
the vibrance and saturation so my face looks pale. I would say, just go out and
shoot whatever, little details, big landscapes…and have fun with it!
Find more of Kianna's beautiful work here:
