We were lucky to catch up with Ayesha Lakes recently and have shared our conversation below.

Ayesha, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today We’d love to hear about one of the craziest things you’ve experienced in your journey so far.
A few years ago, I met this beautiful, pregnant woman at a networking event. I noticed her from across the room and knew I wanted to photograph her. I wanted to add more maternity portraits to my portfolio at the time and I thought she would be perfect. So, I asked her if she would allow me to photograph her. She agreed.

Over the next couple of weeks, we came up with a date, time and location. The session included herself, her husband and her adorable son. I arrived at the location but they were running late. I called to make sure all was okay and that they were still coming. Eventually they arrived. Since I had scoped out the area while I was waiting, we started the session right away.

Everything started out smoothly. After shooting in one area, we moved to a different area for a change of scenery. I captured more images of her and her family. Now, I just needed some images of her by herself. Right after I posed her and moved back to my spot to photograph her, she comes running over to me saying, “I think my water just broke!” At that point, she flashed me the wet pants she had on underneath her dress. Needless to say, it was time to go. Turns out that the reason they were late was because she wasn’t feeling well. Now, I see why.

Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers
First off, my name is pronounced Ah-sha. Since my name is not phonetic, I often have to tell people that. I am a married mother of a teenage son. Originally, hail from Cleveland, Ohio but have lived here for well over 20 years. What can I say, it’s a bit warmer here than there and there’s way less snow.

Photography started out as a hobby for me. One of my aunts gave me a Vivitar 110 pocket camera for Christmas when I was about 11-year-old. After that, I would take pictures of everybody and everything. Picking my film up after being processed was like experiencing Christmas every time. Fast forward, I became interested in computers and earned a degree in Computer Information Systems. I worked in IT for years until I gained a disdain for corporate America. At that point, I wanted to do something that I enjoyed that I could get paid for. So, in 2000 I started taking classes at the Art Institute of Atlanta and in 2003, started working part-time on the weekends doing my photography. In 2005, shortly after giving birth to my son, I was laid off and that’s when I began my photography business full-time.

Being that I consider myself a photographic artist, I like being assured that my work will be displayed. That is why I offer printed products, such as, wall art, albums and matted prints. I do offer digital products but you must purchase a printed product first. The wall art consists of canvas and print blocks. Neither needs to be framed and they are ready to hang. I do also offer framed prints as well. The albums come in three sizes, so there’s a size for everybody.

What my clients seems to appreciate about me and my business is the amount of convenience and time-saving that I provide them. This is by way of me coming to their homes for the session. They don’t have to spend time trying to find my studio or experiencing the sometimes impossible task of keeping the children looking neat until they get there. My flexibility in scheduling is also a plus.

To be honest, there are so many things that I am proud of. One thing is that I have been in business for almost 20 years. Another thing I’m proud of is the connections I make with my clients, many of whom consider me family and vice-versa. Lastly, I am a book author. In 2019, I published my first book on Barnesandnoble.com. The title is If God Gave It To Me, It Must Be Good. It contains stories from Black women about their journeys back to their natural hair.

What I want potential clients to know is that I’ve been doing this for quite a while and I love children and I love photographing them. I also understand them and will do what it takes to get those amazing images that parents love. My sessions are fun and free flowing and the children enjoy themselves.

For you, what’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative?
There are so many things that I absolutely love about being an artist but I think the most rewarding aspect of being an artist is when I create beautiful portraits and present them to my clients. Their reactions are the priceless, especially when they receive the finished product. Knowing that I exceeded their expectations is an awesome feeling!

Any resources you can share with us that might be helpful to other creatives?
The resource I wish I knew about were photography business mentors. When I started my business, I was basically flying by the seat of my pants. I didn’t know what I was doing and thought that running a photography business would be easy. Uh, no. There have been plenty of ups and downs in the last almost 20 years and I believe I learned from many of the downs. My business isn’t perfect but it’s still here. I must be doing something right.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://phoartgraphy.com
• Instagram: https://instagram.com/phoartgraphy
• Facebook: https://facebook.com/PhoArtgraphy
• Linkedin: http://linkedin.com/in/phoartgraphy

Image Credits
N’neka Scruggs (photo of me) Ayesha Lakes (all of the other photos)