Today we’d like to introduce you to Amy Carroll.
Hi Amy, can you start by introducing yourself? We’d love to learn more about how you got to where you are today?
I started doing photography over 20 years ago as a creative outlet from the corporate job that I worked at the time. I loved the creativity of documenting people and events and the places we traveled. I never thought photography would be a full time occupation in any regard, but the more I started sharing my photography, the more opportunities came my way. Before I knew it, I was photographing engagement sessions, weddings and families. I felt like there was a gap in the industry at this time in documenting people in a way that felt real yet artful. I was hooked.
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
Because the growth of my business was so swift, there was a lot of running to catch up. I was untrained professionally as a photographer so I started taking photography classes and workshops all over the country from well-respected wedding and portrait photographers. I ended up taking a leap of faith in my second year and quitting my day job. My business grew fast and I wasn’t great at setting up boundaries for myself. There was a lot of learning as I went.
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
After photographing people and events for nearly a decade, I started giving myself creative challenges in my downtime to keep my work fresh. I love animals and I love exploring so quite often I would take a drive out into the country with my camera and photograph scenery and farm animals. I wanted to capture the animals I photographed in a way that felt artful. to create images that I wanted on my own wall that was a fresh take on how we typically see them. That concept took off and all of a sudden I also had a growing fine art photography business as well. I had work in Urban Outfitters, West Elm, Pottery Barn, Minted and Target.
With the mix of thinking of photography as both fine art and documentation, I felt like the addition of this mindset helped me bring that same approach to the people, weddings and events I photographed.
Is there any advice you’d like to share with our readers who might just be starting out?
My advice for those starting out is that you have to equally care about the people you photograph and the service of what you do as much as the work itself. It’s not enough to simply be a good photographer. You have to know how to put people at ease and give them solid direction. You also have to have boundaries, which is one thing I was not good at for a long part of my career. Boundaries on your time and what you are worth. As a habitual people-pleaser, I said yes too often at my own peril and have burnt myself out. I love what I do and do my best work when I have the time and space to create thoughtfully.
Pricing:
- My wedding photography starts at $5K
- My sessions start at $425
Contact Info:
- Website: www.amycarroll.photography
- Instagram: @amycarrollphotography and @amycarrollprintshop
- Other: https://www.amycarrollprints.com
