We recently connected with Amanda Angelucci and have shared our conversation below.

Alright, Amanda thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us 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.

Photography has been an interest of mine from a very young age. It started off with me as a child using my mom’s point-and-shoot camera to take pictures of just about anything and everything. I remember when I got my very first camera and being ecstatic about it. Something about holding a camera in my hands got me all excited to take photos. Then when I was a freshman in high school, I had the opportunity to take a beginner photography course. I jumped at the chance to learn more. I began to learn the technical side of photography and to understand the abilities of a camera. After taking a couple of photography courses in high school, it was time for me to build on what I had learned. I learned a ton from research and watching other photographers on YouTube. I also learned a lot about the business side of photography from other photographers on social media. All of these resources taught me a great deal, but I honestly learned the most by just going for it. I really believe the more you do something, the more you improve and grow. This has been very true in my photography journey. I probably would have learned more quickly by not being afraid of trial and error. I found that the more I used my camera the more it began to feel like second nature. The skill that was the most essential was learning photographic composition. In other words, learning how to make a photo most appealing to the eye. I also would say that an essential skill to learn was how to edit photos. Learning to use editing software allowed for me to find my editing style to make my photos look the way I wanted them to. As far as obstacles that were in my way of learning more, I would say business and not always having enough time to focus on it. Once it became a priority, the more I learned. When I decided to start my own photography business, it became about investing time to strengthen my knowledge of both photography and the business side of it.

Amanda, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?

I am a portrait photographer currently based in Massachusetts. I offer photography services for couples who are in any stage of their relationship (dating, engaged, married) that want photos to capture them and their story. I also offer photoshoots for graduating seniors (high school and college) as well as maternity shoots for soon-to-be mothers. My goal for every shoot is to capture authentic emotion that accurately represents my clients personalities and their unique stories. Photos are meant to stop a moment in time so that one can remember it forever, so I want to be a photographer that creates an atmosphere and a moment that these couples, seniors, and soon-to-be mothers want to remember. For example, when a couple feels like they can be their true selves in front of the camera, this can make a photo go from just looking posed to instead capturing the couple’s love for one another. My goal and purpose with photography is to capture life’s most precious moments.

Learning and unlearning are both critical parts of growth – can you share a story of a time when you had to unlearn a lesson?

Something I had to unlearn was that breaking rules in photography is perfectly fine and sometimes necessary. I have been known to be a perfectionist and someone who wants to do things the right way. Photography has a lot of dos and don’ts when it comes to photographic composition, lighting, exposure, etc. These rules are very helpful and hold a lot of truth to them, but sometimes these rules can be broken or twisted a bit. The times that I have tried to follow all these rules, the technically correct way, I have not been very pleased with my photos. It was not until I took control and used the rules as a helpful baseline that I began to see growth with my photos and started to feel happy with them. The reason the photography industry is not oversaturated, even though there are so many photographers, is because each photographer has something that makes their photos unique. Each photographer has something special to offer. If all photographers were sticklers to these rules, I really believe there would be a lot of similarity and not enough individuality to the photos. There has to be room for creativity and for the photographer’s personality to shine through. I have seen so many different amazing editing styles, and I love that! It shows unique creativity and represents the photographer. I have had to unlearn that overexposing or underexposing my photos is totally acceptable if it makes the photo feel and look the way I desire. Realizing that there really is no right or wrong way has been a game changer for me when it comes to my photography. Honestly, it is something I am still unlearning even now. Stepping out and taking risks as an artist is so important and something that I am really focusing on currently.

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

I would say that the most rewarding aspect of being an artist is being able to create something that puts a smile on others’ faces. For me, and I would say this is true of most artists, is that I am harder on myself than anyone else. When I look at my work, I can usually see how I could have done it better. Which is a good thing to an extent, because it means that I am growing and learning as I go, but it can also be frustrating and sometimes discouraging. After delivering photos to clients, it is always so amazing when I can feel people’s joy and excitement about the photos through an email or text. All the things I gave myself a hard time about before sending my client’s photos wash away. The most successful photographers I know live by the idea that their clients come first, and I fully agree that this is super important. My business is really about using my skills to help and serve others. It is about them and not about me. I strive to make them happy.

Contact Info:

• Website: angelucciphotography.mypixieset.com
• Instagram: angelucci.photography