We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Allison Canfield . We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Allison below.

Allison , looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. Learning the craft is often a unique journey from every creative – we’d love to hear about your journey and if knowing what you know now, you would have done anything differently to speed up the learning process.

I started learning photography first by picking up a camera! I was constantly asking questions to any photographer I knew or even people who just had a camera. I was able to shadow a photographer on a couple sessions and from there, I just started taking photos of anything I could! As I started to turn my hobby into a business, I dedicated much more time into learning. I listened to podcasts, watched photography videos on YouTube, and found some helpful groups on Facebook. I was able to start photographing weddings as a second shooter, which helped me discover what I actually wanted to do with my business.

When I first started with a camera, I wish I had known how many resources there are for learning photography. My first year in business, I dedicated the whole year to soaking up as much information as I could. There are so many photographers putting out free education for all different stages of learning. There are so many of us who will answer questions and genuinely want to help.

The most essential things for me to learn, was camera settings and editing. Learning how to properly use your camera is so important. Learning to take a photo correctly will majorly impact editing as well. I am still learning new skills and improving every day. After I started feeling comfortable with my camera, I was able to focus on improving my posing and starting a business.

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

I picked up a little point and shoot camera in middle school and fell in love. I continued to take photos of anything and everything I could through high school. I worked on the yearbook and would drag my friends along for a photoshoot any chance I got. After high school I started doing more paid sessions, but I took a couples years for me to start getting serious about making it into a career. I had the opportunity to start second shooting weddings with a friend and it all took off from there! Now I am focussing mainly on weddings and couples, but I still love to book families and seniors in between.

I am really proud of how far I have come in the past year. I was constantly working as hard as I could to improve my skills, and also learn how a business works. I am still evolving my brand but I am finally discovered what I want it to be instead of what everyone else does. Letting go of the idea that it has to be done a certain way has given me so much freedom to just be creative and build client relationships.

Whenever I am taking photos, I like to take a back seat as much as possible. I still pose and prompt clients, but I focus on letting them interact in a natural way and capture candid moments. I love turning sessions into a fun experience! I always encourage my clients to incorporate what they love into their photos, whether that’s a roller skating date night or a senior who wants to go to the record store, the more you the better! On wedding days I do my best to capture the day exactly how it happened and all of those small in-between moments. I think the details and moments you are just being authentic are the most important and cherished.

What do you find most rewarding about being a creative?

Photography is such a passion and creative outlet for me. The fact that I get to share my creativity with so many people and create memories for them at the same time, is so special and rewarding. I have been able to watch people go from a senior session all the way through the wedding day and making a family. Knowing that I got to capture those memories for them is so incredibly special.

Lately I have been offering mentorship calls, and it is so amazing to get to share what I have learned with other creatives and watch them grow. The fact that I have been able to inspire and teach other people is one of my proudest achievements. Sometimes I feel like a proud parent when I see people I have mentored reach their goals or share a stunning photo they captured.

Any insights you can share with us about how you built up your social media presence?

I am definitely still building my social media, but I get asked this question a lot and have asked this question myself! The biggest turning point for me was just being myself. I had to get over my fear of rejection and just put myself out there. I started showing my face a lot more, making relatable videos, sharing behind the scenes content, and just sharing things that I love or vulnerable moments. People with always be drawn to authenticity. There are so many photographers in the industry, but there is only one you. Showing my personality helped me stand out and actually helped me develop my brand. People know what to expect when I show up to a session because I have already shown them.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.allisonlynnphoto.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/allisonlynnphoto/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/allisonlynnphoto