We recently connected with Aimee VanGelder and have shared our conversation below.

Aimee, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today What’s been the most meaningful project you’ve worked on?

I don’t have a single project that I have worked on that is most meaningful. There are many girls & women that I have photographed, where the experience & the portraits created made them feel seen & beautiful & boosted their confidence. And that makes my work more meaningful. I have photographed teen girls that were bullied, women in the 50’s, 60’s, 70’s & 80’s that were feeling old & not beautiful, pregnant women wanting to document their amazing bodies, women battling cancer, a girl with alopecia. Even guys struggle with their appearance. Everyone has their story & it is so awesome to have a job where I can make people feel good about themselves!

Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.

My background is in medical imaging but I have always had a love of family portraits & photography. I loved looking at my dad’s collection of black & white portraits of ancestors I never knew. And I loved taking pictures. Having a son with autism that was not doing well in public school, I was looking for a way to stay home so I could home school him & still have an income. My love of photography was perfect for that! I had just had to acquire some education to get better at it & feel like I could actually charge money for it! I fell in love with work done by Sue Bryce & decided that her style was what I wanted to do.
Now I create beautiful portraits of children, women & families that become cherished heirlooms. I want my clients to feel special & beautiful when they are with me. My goal is to make them see the beauty that I see in them.
It makes me feel good when I hear how much my clients love their photos.
I am definitely not the best photographer in the world, so I am always learning & trying to be better at my craft!

Can you tell us about a time you’ve had to pivot?

A few year ago, my husband & I made a big decision to move to a place we were unfamiliar with so that he could have a less stressful job. We moved from an area with a pretty big city nearby with a population of 140,000 to a small town with a population of less than 4000 people. I figured “Well, I can do photography anywhere, so it’s no big deal.” I figured I would have to just have to start from scratch trying to connect with people & hope that people find my business & want to work with me & I figured that would take awhile. I didn’t realize that we were moving to a tourist destination. People come here from all over the U.S. to vacation on the uncrowded beaches of Florida’s Gulf Coast. And many of them want their family photos take on the beach! I actually had never done a beach photoshoot before so I was a little nervous at first. It’s a really harsh environment to be shooting in with the salt air, sand, wind & bright sun with no shade anywhere. And, it wasn’t my favorite thing to do. I felt safer in my studio where I can control everything. But it has turned out to be a fantastic opportunity & I have learned a lot!

For you, what’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative?

I love when I connect with my clients & create relationships. Whether it is a local person coming to my studio for a headshot or makeover session or a family that is vacationing in my town that I may never see again. I have made new friendships & I get to see those people & families grow- even if it’s just on social media. And often those friends tell their friends about me so it’s a great way that I receive referrals.

Contact Info:

• Website: AimeeVphoto.com
• Instagram: @aimeevphoto
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/AimeeVPhotography
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/aimee-vangelder-9b196b159/
• Youtube: @aimeevangelderaimeevphotog5321
• Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/aimee-v-photography-port-st-joe
• Other: TikTok: Aimee V Photo

Image Credits
All photos were created by me & I have model releases from everyone in the photos