We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Amanda Johnson a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Amanda, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. Any thoughts about whether to ask friends and family to support your business. What’s okay in your view?

Growing my business was pretty slow-going at the start. I relied, and still do, on word of mouth from family members and friends. Big events and milestone moments in my loved ones’ lives has allowed for the opportunity to put myself out there and grow my portfolio. There have been several times where I have offered my services to family/friends for a much lower fee/for free because I know the type of photos would be great to have in my portfolio. When someone I know is needing a photographer, I try to let them know that I would lover to shoot their event, but I never want to come across as pushy. Sometimes my style of photography isn’t what they’re looking for, and I don’t think that just because we have a relationship, they need to feel obligated to use me. I also don’t always offer my services if it’s an event that means a lot to me. I love working with the people I care about, but some moments are more important to be fully present and attend as a guest.

Amanda, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?

I am a documentary photographer based in Nashville. I really started getting into photography in 2020 during the pandemic. I have always been drawn to photography; growing up, I would take tons of pictures of my friends on disposable film cameras and on my tiny point and shoot digital camera. It wasn’t until the pandemic, when I, like most people, found myself with an abundance of free time, that I decided to purchase a Canon AE-1 off of ebay and teach myself film photography. From there, my love and passion for capturing day to day moments has only grown. I spent a solid few years shooting mostly film photos, but when I decided to really launch my business near the end of 2023, I switched to shooting primarily digitally. I still offer film photography and secretly (or not so secretly) it’s my favorite medium to use. Since starting to pursue photography, I have really felt my creativity blossom. It changed how I look at the world. When I have a camera in hand, shapes and colors and subjects all seem to take on a different quality and I’m constantly thinking, “Okay, how can I get the best shot out of this environment?” This is especially true if the lighting is tricky or the background leaves a lot to be desired. It’s such a fun challenge for me to take on, to see how much I can alter the world to fit my vision. I’ve realized through my photography journey how much I love to help create moments that feel real and authentic to the person or place I am photographing. I always ask the client upfront what they are invisioning for the shoot: location, vibe, etc. I’ve had several people send me pinterest boards of photos they love, and that has been such a great starting point for me. If I know the expectations going in, I feel like it gives me a lot of room to play and create, knowing that we are working from a shared understanding. In that way, a lot of my work has felt a bit like improv – myself and my subject will enter the space together and we’ll find what works to create a really cool/beautiful/weird outcome. Each photo session feels like we’re creating something new together and I love that. The main goal of my work is to create something that reflects truth, whether that be something about an individual, a relationship, or the world. It’s important to me that when the client receives their photos back that they can look at what we’ve created together and see the reality in the final product.

Any advice for growing your clientele? What’s been most effective for you?

I mentioned it earlier, but word of mouth from family and friends has been the way most people have found me. I’m still a growing business, and having people who have enjoyed the work we’ve done together then share that with their circle has been huge for me. People can read all the reviews they want, but to have someone you trust give you a recommendation based off of their personal experience? I think that’s worth way more than 100 five star reviews from strangers.

Can you share a story from your journey that illustrates your resilience?

There isn’t a single story that necessarily comes to mind, but I think running your own business, no matter the size, calls for a lot of resilience. In my case, I’ve had clients reach out, talk on the phone to discuss what they’re looking for, decide on dates and price, and then they’ve ghosted me. I’ve also had several times in growing my business when work has been slow and weeks will pass with little interest coming my way. In those times, it’s been easy to consider giving up and putting photography back on the hobby shelf. Resiliency is essential in those times – I believe so strongly in the work I do, and growing through the down times allows me to break out of routine and explore creativity in my photography that I might not otherwise have been able to do. It’s a journey building your own business. Resiliency is necessary to enjoy the ride.

Contact Info:

• Website: agjohnsonphoto.com