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

Hi Anna, thanks for joining us today. Alright – so having the idea is one thing, but going from idea to execution is where countless people drop the ball. Can you talk to us about your journey from idea to execution?

For as long as I can remember, I have always been the one with the camera at family gatherings, social meet ups, road trips, and everything in between. In 2012, I was asked to take some updated family pictures for a few families that I was close with because they knew I loved photography. It was so fun to pose them and snap away! Then, I just continued to tote my camera everywhere with me and snap candids of my friends and family.

In 2016, I was a stay-at-home mama with no income. I wanted to go on an international trip with our church without causing any financial strife within my family, so I posted about offering a few mini sessions to families in order to off set some of the cost. I was BLOWN AWAY by the response, and I ended up booking enough mini sessions to pay for my entire trip, as well as half of someone else’s trip!

The following year, I offered more mini sessions in an effort to fundraise for the adoption of our daughter. Again, I was overwhelmed with the response of everyone booking every session I offered, and we ended up paying around half of our adoption costs with money I earned from photography. It was so much fun to serve others well as they rallied around my family as we walked this new road.

In 2018, I had no plans of offering photography services. There was nothing left to fundraise for, and I didn’t expect anyone to be interested in more bookings. Surprisingly, however, I was approached by many people and families asking for sessions. After enough people asked me and I reflected on all the goodness the past two years had held, my husband and I agreed that I should officially start a business. I upgraded my equipment, began marketing on social media, created a website, put a budget together, and began shooting immediately. Since March of 2018, I have upgraded my equipment several more times and continued to learn more about the art of photography and stretch myself. The best part is that I have served more than 300 families in the last 4.5 years as a business owner. That amazes me!

I did not set out to be a business owner, but I have worked hard to stay authentic, servant-minded, and educated. I am so grateful that I decided to dive into this field; it has blessed me so very much!

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 have had a camera in my hand for as long as I can remember, mainly because I have always loved the idea of making time stand still. Photography, in all of its brilliance, does just that. What began as a fun hobby turned into a long list of opportunities to give people tangible moments to hold onto, and it has become quite an honor to document so many exciting memories in others’ lives. It is such an honor to help others tell their stories in a visual way since I officially began my business in spring of 2018.

I am a lifestyle, portrait, and wedding photographer based in Upstate, SC who loves to make a moment last forever. A conviction I live and shoot by is this: photographing someone isn’t nearly as important as serving someone; and I have lived through enough days with my camera to know that if I get the second part right, I will get the first one right, too. Sometimes throwing expectations aside makes for the most memorable moments.

Can you share a story from your journey that illustrates your resilience?

Sometimes the lighting is perfect and the scene speaks for itself and you are able to capture what you see with ease. Other times, however, the lighting is drab and the scene is beautiful but muted and no matter how hard you try to “get it right” in camera, it doesn’t translate in the raw.

The power of post-production and proper image manipulation is that you can bring an image to life, no matter the circumstances. I have not always been confident in the mastering of an image. The making of it? Yes, absolutely! But the mastering of it has taken years of practice and continued education.

If you had told me when I first started to consistently photograph people in 2016 that I would shoot an entire family session in the pouring rain, I would have gone into panic mod. If 2016 Anna had come home with the images from that session, she would’ve had a good cry before trying to work a miracle in order to simply make the gallery deliverable. 2022 Anna, however, came home and went straight to work (after changing out of her wet clothes, of course).

Growth is a beautiful thing, and I have grown so much by simply learning my equipment and trusting my gut. I believe that the more we learn, the more we know. The more we know, the more we grow. And the more we grow, the more good we can do. Cheers to watering seeds with the vision of gorgeous oaks in our sights!

Are there any books, videos or other content that you feel have meaningfully impacted your thinking?

The most impactful books I have ever read in terms of business and how it relates to life are: Outliers by Malcolm Gladwell, One Beautiful Dream by Jennifer Fulwiler, Emotional Intelligence by Daniel Goleman, Atomic Habits by James Clear, The Compound Effect by Darren Hardy, and Profit First by Mike Michalowicz.

Contact Info:

• Website: annabargeron.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/annabargeronphotography/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/annabargeronphotography
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/anna-bargeron-96a16a213/
• Twitter: N/A
• Youtube: N/A
• Yelp: N/A

Image Credits
Anna Bargeron Photography