We were lucky to catch up with Anna Lynch recently and have shared our conversation below.
Anna, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. What do you think matters most in terms of achieving success?
Success looks a bit differently to me compared to most people in our society. I attribute my success to the network of people I have cultivated for myself over the years, and how happy I am. I don’t necessarily attribute all of my success to how much money I have in the bank or how many gigs I have a month. Of course, those things matter to me, and I do pride myself on being able to sustain an income through my freelance photography and my work with Backroads Active Travel. However, there are months where I have made the most money to date, but I am drained, lonely, or not feeling my best. And those don’t feel like my most “successful” months. The most successful times in my life have been when I am living my dream – traveling, meeting new people, photographing new places, and creating. Those do tend to be the days when I am spending the most money, but to me it is worth it because my happiness and purpose come first.
Anna, 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?
My name is Anna Lynch and I am a freelance photographer, photo instructor, artist, and active travel guide. I am originally from New Jersey and currently live in San Diego. I specialize in portrait photography, but I have experience in commercial, product, event, and many other types of photography. You name it – I’ve probably done it! I have been working as a freelance photographer since 2011, and it’s been quite a journey with many ups and downs. It takes a village as they say, and I am truly grateful for everyone who has been a part of making me the photographer I am today. I first started in high school, photographing friend’s sweet 16s and birthday parties. I wanted to get better, so I began interning for a local portrait photographer named Danny Sanchez. He really taught me how to see lighting and properly edit my images. After high school, I went on to study Photography in college, and in 2016 I graduated from Parsons School of Design with a BFA in Photography and a Minor in Global Studies. Working and living in New York City had its challenges as you can imagine, and making it as a freelance photographer was not possible without a side job. And eventually my side job – serving in restaurants – became my main job. After 5 years in New York, I decided it wasn’t for me anymore. I began traveling as much as I could with whatever money I had saved up. I did a couple of cross-country road trips around the US with some friends. I spent 6 months living and traveling in Central America, and learned Spanish too. I found a couple of opportunities to teach photography to middle school and high school students, and loved it. One summer I worked with Putney Student Travel & National Geographic teaching photography to high school students in Italy & Greece. I was finding ways of combining my love for photography and my love for travel.
Eventually I knew I needed a home base that wasn’t New York – so I landed in San Diego. It seemed like the perfect combination of the lifestyle, culture, and weather I was looking for. Although it was a better quality of life for me, I had to start my photography business from scratch. I didn’t really know anyone, and had to say goodbye to my network of clients in New York. But I was determined to make it work. I emailed everyone I could find online who was in the photography industry in San Diego. I reached out to photo professors at local colleges, local businesses, and local photographers. It paid off! A few replied, and helped me get my start in San Diego. I am so grateful for those people who took a chance on me, and all of the connections that have come after.
I moved to San Diego almost 4 years ago. Since then, I have been working successfully as a freelance photographer and photo instructor. I have worked for Pacific San Diego Magazine, Bloomberg News, Home Living & Design, and other local clients. I spent 3 years working as a Teaching Artist at The AjA Project, a nonprofit that works with underserved youth and gives them the tools to use photography as a means of self expression and liberation. I have also created my own Airbnb Experience teaching Natural Light Portrait Photography, and I have worked with Local Photo Classes and George’s Camera teaching a variety of photography classes to the community. It’s important to me to not only be a successful freelance photographer, but also educate my community about how they can use photography as a means of expression, whatever that may look like. One of the things I value most in life is community, and I am always finding ways to help grow it and offer my services in any way I can.
What’s the most rewarding aspect of being creative in your experience?
The most rewarding aspect of being an artist & creative is getting in touch with my inner child and be able to play! As we grow up and become adults, we lose our sense of child and forget how to incorporate play into our daily lives. We also forget how important play is. Play is defined as a range of intrinsically motivated activities done for recreational pleasure and enjoyment. When we are kids, we have so many opportunities to play, where we don’t have to think and we can just create. Sadly, we don’t have many opportunities to participate in activities like this when we are adults. But when you are an artist or creative, you get to incorporate this into your job. I find play so important to maintain a healthy work-life balance, and have fun while I work. This creativity trickles over to my clients, and I try to use creativity and play in all of my photoshoots for an enjoyable, memorable experience.
Where do you think you get most of your clients from?
My best source of new clients is my previous clients! Networking is truly the best way for me to receive new business. Most of my clients have been friends, family, colleagues, or friends of friends who pass on my name. As I have been growing my business, I have setup a Google Business page, a website, and social media. Although I believe it’s important to have an online presence, it’s not everything. A lot of people hire me by word of mouth, which is a huge compliment because it means that they had an enjoyable experience themselves!
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.annagracelynch.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/annagracelynch/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/annagracelynchphoto
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/annagracelynch/
- Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/anna-lynch-photographer-san-diego
- Other: Google: https://g.page/anna-grace-lynch-photography?share
Image Credits
Profile Photo: Rasha Asfour Sample Photos: Anna Lynch