1. Please tell us about yourself...
I'm completely in my element being mama to Bennett (3), and can't wait for "Baby Sister" (due on the 4th of July). We, along with my supportive husband, recently moved back to Portland, OR to be close to family after 11 years in Seattle. I consider both places home. I'm primarily a documentary family photographer (though I still do more posed work a few times a year) and looove spending good quality time with families. I'm obsessed with lists, any body of water, Fall, and I've been known to do a very slow triathlon here and there.
2. Can you describe your style in 3 words? Why those words?
"Love made visible." That's my tagline. It's a portion of a quote by Khalil Gibran, "Work is love made visible". When I first read it, it spoke to me instantly. My main goal is to capture connection and the little moments between people who love each other. I want to make their love visible to them. To hold in their own hands. An image doesn't speak to me if it doesn't highlight a connection between subjects, a connection between my subject and their environment, or a connection between my subject and my camera.
3. What sparked your passion for photography?
I wanted to be a photographer when I was 12, but I sort of forgot. After college I was a nanny and I lost my job when the mom lost hers. I still wanted to hang out with my nanny friends, but felt weird showing up without a kid. So I showed up with my camera instead. As soon as I got those kiddos in front of my camera, it was all over. I was obsessed.
4. What's in your camera bag right now?
Canon 5d MarkIII, Sigma Art 35mm 1.4, Sigma Art 85mm 1.4, Tamron 24-70mm 2.8, and on the way in the mail is the Sigma Art 24mm 1.4(!!!)
5. What is your dream shoot or project?
I changed completely when I had my son. I'd love to do a documentary project with first-time moms in the throes of the newborn stage. The healing, bonding, sleep-deprivation and re-emerging...so amazing.
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?
I thought I had to go to photography school to ever work at the level of some of the photographers I admired. Truly, it's all about putting in the time and the effort to always keep learning. Getting my work critiqued, taking a class, reading reading reading, even teaching have helped me develop my skill and voice SO much. I'd still like to go to photography school, but mostly just for fun at this point (though I'm sure I'd still learn a ton!)
7. What advice would you give to newbie photographers? What advice do you wish you'd been given at the very beginning?
Take your time. I know it's super tempting to jump in face first, but learning and building a business take not only effort, but a lot of time. It's also tempting to follow the advice of every single article you read about pricing or the way to shoot or how to market...but you have to put in the effort to find what will work for your photographic heart and your business. Because what works for someone else may not suit you at all.
I wish someone had told me that eventually it wouldn't feel so hard. I'm still learning every day (and plan on always being that way), but not everything is a struggle anymore. And that it's completely normal to feel frustrated and like you're moving slower than everyone else. Oh, and that quote, "Nothing in nature blooms all year. Be patient with yourself."
Find more of Hannah's gorgeous work here:
Love your tag line! And your work is beautiful!
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