We recently connected with Angelique Yvonne and have shared our conversation below.
Alright, Angelique thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. Let’s start with what makes profitability in your industry a challenge – what would you say is the biggest challenge?
I feel like one of the biggest challenges for profitability as a photographer is people not completely understanding the inherent value of photography. I feel like in this day and age people are so used to getting things quick and cheap. You have fast fashion and other merchandise on the internet where you can get a cheaper version of almost everything, and I feel like people also expect that within the art industry, as if it is also something to be quickly consumed. I often have people asking me to take photos for them, but when I give them my pricing they try to ask for more and pay less. People have this idea that photography is just pressing a button and they should be able to buy just as easily as clicking a button, but they don’t think about the immense amount of work and time an artist has put into perfecting their craft. They aren’t fully aware of the cost of materials either. As a film photographer, I find this to be a huge problem.
Some photographers might feel like they have to lower their pricing in order to gain more business, but it does the opposite. It cheapens the value of your craft.
I believe in sticking to what your worth in your pricing and not underselling yourself. I think it actually helps grow the market even more with quality work and would maybe even generate more work for artists as people realize just how valuable the power of a photograph can be.
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’ve always been interested in the arts and originally started my college education as a general arts major. I loved making things with my hands and when I found the darkroom photography class, I fell in love. I loved that I was able to be apart of the process with developing and printing. I felt more connected to the images I made and the whole darkroom process taught me so much. I mainly shoot film because it forces me to slow down and really think about each picture as I only have so many frames on a roll. One thing I’ve learned through the years is to give yourself time and be patient. Success doesn’t happen overnight and it takes time to build your foundation.
We’d love to hear a story of resilience from your journey.
When I first moved to LA after finishing school, I found that things did not work out the way I thought they would. I was a small fish and a very large ocean and it felt so competitive I almost gave up. One thing that kept me going though was allowing myself to take a step back and focus on just photographing for fun again instead of trying to “stay relevant”. I fell back in love with photography and I feel like I grew so much more as n artist. I had more freedom to explore, make mistakes and learn from them instead of judging myself so harshly if something didn’t turn out how I intended. I think it’s important to give yourself space sometimes and have a little more fun.
What’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative in your experience?
One of the most rewarding things I’ve found as an artist in the industry is community. I have loved being able to open up conversations within my own community and to see the small changes it has brought. I feel grateful to have met beautiful people along the way that inspire me to create even more, and it seems that it’s just this constant snowball effect of creativity. 
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.angeliqueyvonnephoto.com/
- Instagram: @angeliquevyonne
Image Credits
Angelique Yvonne