Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Angela Ledyard. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Angela, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today If you could go back in time do you wish you had started your business sooner or later?

If I could go back in time, I would have definitely started my business sooner. My photography was my hobby for so many years. There was a point where I did portrait and wedding photography. I battled between those genres and did landscape and nature photography. I found myself settling for the portrait and wedding genres because it was all that I saw other photographers doing. I didn’t see any women or women of color in the landscape and nature photography platforms.

My passion continues to be capturing the beauty of Mother Nature and the creativity of architecture. For me, the challenge of landscape and nature photography was that I never saw any other woman that looked like me. I just could not and would not accept that  African American women weren’t photographing the outdoors. The other challenge was that many people kept trying to tell me that women “like me” didn’t do what I wanted to do in this field. Now, this added yet another hurdle for me. Here, I’m loving the outdoors and the thrill of experiencing nature, but constantly hearing people say that Black women are not nature photographers. Black women do not hike miles to take photos and it’s not what we do. For years, there was no representation that I could find or see. I searched library systems (I’m dating myself), magazines and in the last 5 years, social media. It was hard not to believe what people were saying, but I never stopped looking and questioning this. Why are we not being seen?

I continued moving away from portraits and devoted more and more time to outdoor photography. In June 2017, my daughter felt that she should create an Etsy shop focused around my photography. Previous to the shop, I never took the time to showcase my images but she decided that it was time to do so. The words of “never settle” and “be all that you can be” became the lessons not from mother to daughter but from daughter to mother.

Had I started sooner I would have been silencing the naysayers. It would have also pushed me to be the Black woman outdoor photographer that I was searching for. I would have provided mentorships to girls that shared an interest in nature photography, but they probably held off from pursuing it because “we didn’t” do this type of photography.

What would have changed about my experience is that I would have not waited for so long in trying to find other women that looked like me. I would have created the path sooner. I wouldn’t have struggled with sharing my experiences in this genre. It was like I needed to see someone else be the trailblazer or in existence so that I could prove others wrong in that I wasn’t the only unicorn.

Angela, 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 was born and raised in Cleveland, Ohio. As a little girl, I became interested in photography while watching my grandparents take photos. One day, I worked up the nerve and  asked my grandfather if he would show me how to use his camera. I was hooked ever since. I would take photos of our yard, candids of family members, neighborhood friends, sunsets on Lake Erie, and the seasonal changes of northeast Ohio – a little of everything. Photography became my love and continues to be so.

I grew up using point-and-shoot cameras such as the 110, 126, disc, 35mm, and the Polaroid instant cameras. While in high school, I apprenticed in a local portrait photographer’s studio learning about studio light. I was shown how to use a medium format camera – Mamiya 645. I LOVED that camera! During my time attending Kent State University, I was a freelance photographer for the campus’ Spectrum Magazine. Through saving and working a part-time job, I bought my first professional level SLR, the Canon T90. I even managed a camera store in a northeast Ohio mall. Over the years, I would capture images ranging from senior pics, fashion, lifestyle, and weddings. Today, you can find me capturing nature, landscape, wildlife, architecture and real estate. I even obtained my Part 107 certification and I’m a drone pilot. Droning opened up a whole new joy for taking images. Let me also mention that women make up only 7% of certified drone pilots in the U.S. and when you add that I am a black woman drone pilot, the percentage becomes even smaller. I would say that just those few things set me apart from others.

Utilizing various types of cameras and drones allows me to capture images for clients of their real estate properties or to assist in the inspection of their homes that can be safely obtained with the use of a drone.

What sets me apart from others is that I truly enjoy being out in nature. There have been countless mornings where I head out as early as 3:00 a.m. to get to a trailhead, hike up a mountain in the dark using a headlamp, and capture the sunrise. Or, go solo camping and stay up all night to capture the Milky Way.

I am most proud of the fact that I stopped seeking validation or acceptance from others for doing what I have passion for doing. I am proud of myself for following and nourishing my passion. It’s wrong to just settle because you want to be part of the status quo. I’m forever evolving and growing in this photography journey and I love every moment of it.

Is there a particular goal or mission driving your creative journey?

Part of my journey is to inspire, motivate and teach other Black women and girls that there is a place for us in the outdoor photography space. There was no one that looked like me in this genre when I was growing up. There wasn’t anyone that I could relate to. All that I saw were white men and very few Black men. While more women can now be seen, there still exists a very, very small amount of recognition. For that very reason, in 2020, I created a group called Black Female Landscape and Nature Photographers to assist in changing the narrative.

What do you find most rewarding about being a creative?

The most rewarding aspect of being a nature and landscape photographer is the ability to make the ordinary extraordinary. To bring awareness and connection to the environment that is either ignored or that people aren’t aware of because certain places they can’t see, maybe never focused on (pun intended), or have the ability to travel to areas outside of their local. The most rewarding part is when someone views one of my images and they tell me how it really makes them want to visit that place, or it inspires them to be more mindful with nature, and how seeing my images brightens up their day.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://angelaledyard.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/angelaledyard.photography/
• Twitter: https://twitter.com/angelalphotog
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@AngelaLedyard/videos

Image Credits
All images captured by Angela Ledyard