We recently connected with Amanda Prazak 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 is so much more than picking up a camera and clicking the shutter button. I have spent endless hours learning camera functions, lighting, posing, and editing techniques through online courses. Photography truly is an art and each photographer has their own unique style. Working with newborns, requires even more training to ensure safety and comfort during each session. I am a member of various newborn photography organizations in which I participate in trainings and courses to continuously learn and enhance my skills.
As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?
I actually started out as a teacher. I taught elementary school for ten years, I am also a certified school librarian. So, how does one go from teaching to photography? Well, elementary school teachers are very crafty and love working with children. These skills are both extremely necessary to be a newborn and family photographer. Getting young children to smile and look at the camera at the same time takes quite a bit of effort. I am not afraid to be silly behind the camera to make sure that moment happens. When my own children joined our family, God called me to be a stay at home mama. I have also always loved my camera, so I decided to start putting it to more use. I started my own photography business and it took off way faster than I could have ever imagined. I honestly give all the credit to God. He knew my heart, my talents, and my strengths and showed me every step of the way which direction to go.
What do you find most rewarding about being a creative?
The most rewarding part of being a a photographer is getting to meet families and creatively photograph their precious memories knowing these are photos they will adore for the rest of their lives. I also adore that each time I meet a new family, I have the opportunity to share our own family story. A few years ago, God called my husband and I to adopt 2 little boys when they were born. Their story is extremely unique to our family and we are grateful for them each and every day.
Can you share a story from your journey that illustrates your resilience?
I don’t have a specific story that demonstrates resilience other than each newborn session or any session involving a toddler is a true test of patience. Babies require a lot of patience. Waiting for them to get sleepy and calm is key to each session. Sometimes this takes 10 minutes and other times it takes much longer. Toddlers are very unpredictable, so we never know if they will willingly participate in the session or not. This is where my teaching background comes into play. I have many tricks up my sleeve to get children comfortable with me. I will act silly and do whatever it takes to get them to laugh, smile, and giggle for the camera.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://amandaprazakphotography.mypixieset.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/amandaprazak_photography
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/a.prazak.photography
Image Credits
Amanda Prazak Photography