We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Evie Hansford a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Hi Evie, thanks for joining us today. Looking back at internships and apprenticeships can be interesting, because there is so much variety in people’s experiences – and often those experiences inform our own leadership style. Do you have an interesting story from that stage of your career that you can share with us?

I feel really lucky that my first few jobs working in the industry were lead by amazing women.

My first professional gig in college was working for a wedding photography company in Boston. The owner of the company, Brittany, was a powerhouse and gave me opportunities to grow every step of the way. I started off just carrying gear and went on to work as a photographer and videographer for some really beautiful weddings at venues around New England.

During my final semester in college I completed an internship in Los Angeles under an Oscar nominated documentary director named Sara. Sara taught me so much about editing, documentary work, finding gigs in the ever-competitive LA industry, and staying curious about creative work throughout life.

Then, when I moved to Portland, Maine in 2021, I started working with an established and accomplished portrait photographer named Jen. I was immediately drawn to her style and we connected on a shared passion for capturing artistic portraits. Jen has taught me so much about the ins and outs of running a business, how to treat clients with kindness and care, and how to be profitable with creative portrait photography.

I have these women to thank for teaching me, encouraging me, and helping me find my way as a creative. And I am so appreciative for each of them.

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.

I am a Portrait Photographer based in Portland, Maine. I shoot digital photography but also have a special affinity for film photography.

I have been taking photos since I was 5 years old- when my parents gave me my first Barbie film camera. I was obsessed right away. I remember taking photos at my aunt’s wedding. When I got the images back, I was amazed what had been captured on the film – beautiful light, bubbles floating through the air, and my Aunt glowing brilliantly as she walked down the aisle. I fell in love with the art of documenting and capturing.

As I got older, I spent many days doing photoshoots and making short films with my sisters. I honed in on the art of portraiture, and learned all about the technical side of photography as well as the artistic. I started shooting senior photos and portraits of friends and family. I went on to study photography and filmmaking at Emerson College in Boston and worked in various photography roles in Boston and LA.

I purchased a Mamiya 6 after graduating college and have been obsessed with shooting medium format film ever since. This beautiful, vintage Japanese camera creates high quality negatives with beautiful depth in color and detail. I specialize in shooting portraits in nature- prioritizing lighting, composition and posing of my subjects to create compelling images. I love how shooting with film forces me to be even more intentional with my work, and I put so much effort into every frame I capture.

I now work as a full time portrait photographer in Portland, Maine. I love connecting with my subjects, making them feel comfortable and relaxed, and capturing images that are both visually beautiful and artistically compelling. Working as a Photographer is a great fit for me – blending my eye for aesthetics with my ability to balance my subjects emotions. I feel really lucky that I found photography early on and am so thankful for all the support I’ve been given along the way.

Can you tell us about a time you’ve had to pivot?

After graduating college I lived in Los Angeles and was working as a coordinator for a company that produced high level fashion and commercial photoshoots. We regularly worked with celebrities, shot on amazing locations throughout LA, and hired incredible creative teams. It was a really unique perspective on the photography industry and I was learning a lot. But when covid hit, everything went into hiatus. Productions stopped altogether. It was a very weird time in LA – parks and beaches closed, people struggled to get enough groceries and toilet paper, and everyone stayed home most of the time.

The benefit, though, was that I had a lot of time to reflect on my experience. I realized that, as interesting as the work I was doing was, I wasn’t feeling a deeper connection to it. The “LA film industry” wasn’t what motivated me to be a photographer in the first place. It was creating beautiful work, connecting with people, and continuing to grow as an artist. So I moved back to the East Coast and connected with a local photographer whom I admired. I started working with her as a full time portrait photographer. It has been one of the best choices I made for myself both professionally and personally.

In the moment, though, it felt like a really tough choice. For many people in creative fields, there is an intense stigma that you can only be successful in major cities like LA or New York. And that even if you’re unhappy, the pursuit of success should drive you to keep going. I felt this deeply and without covid, it may have taken me longer to realize that I wasn’t happy on the track I was on. While that lifestyle works for many people, it wasn’t a good fit for me. I’m very grateful that I learned that lesson when I did.

For you, what’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative?

Working as a creative has a lot of challenges, but it’s also full of rewards. For me, often the biggest reward is bringing an idea from my imagination out into the world, and watching the idea shift and change as that process happens. Things don’t always go as planned, they become their own creation. Leaning into that and allowing yourself to create without fear of failure is the ultimate freedom. That space to create gives me so much energy and excitement. It’s a space where I get to lean into my individuality, my style, and my obsession for finding new and interesting compositions to capture.

I think that notion is what has drawn me to film photography. The outcome is harder to control and you have to accept the happy accidents. But there is truly nothing like getting a roll of film developed and seeing how the images turned out!

I am also so thankful for all the creative collaborations I have had through this work. It is so fulfilling to create and learn from other artists. Special shoutout to my two sisters, Anna & Lorien, for being my biggest creative collaborators and supporters from the start.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.eviehansford.com
• Instagram: @eviehansford
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/eviehansfordphoto/
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/eviehansford

Image Credits
Gin Majka Anna Hansford