We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Janelle Stephanie Koch a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Janelle Stephanie, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. If you could go back in time do you wish you had started your creative career sooner or later?

If I could do it all over… I would have started much sooner. I would have started a photography company right out of high school. Unfortunately, I didn’t realize how much I loved photography until later down the road. So, if I could have somehow magically gotten the memo that I LOVE photography then I would go back and start sooner. I’ve always loved taking photos of life unfolding around me but I didn’t realize that could translate that into a job/passion and I didn’t realize that was unique. Sometimes what you are looking for is right in front of you but you cannot see it because it feels normal to you. That’s what photography was like for me. I remember photographing every family vacation and friend’s birthday’s and sunrises. I remember taking glamour photos with friends. I remember waiting impatiently for my film to be edited and going nuts over all of the fun new photos I had taken. Then one day, after taking a bunch of fun photos of a night out dancing with friends, I realized… I put so much thought and effort and time into taking photos and editing them “why can’t I get paid to do this?” And that’s when my story began. Within a few months of that moment, I started interning with a local photographer and a few months later I started my own photography company.

Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.

Ever since I was young, I’ve loved capturing life “in the moment” with photos because I believe that each moment is precious and unique and totally worth remembering!

I officially began to pursue my passion for photography in 2008 when I interned with a local wedding photographer in Santa Barbara. Since then I’ve photographed numerous engagement sessions, weddings, family portraits, maternity sessions, senior portraits, lifestyle portraits and lifestyle branding sessions. And while most of my photography jobs were in or near Santa Barbara county, I did get to do a few photography jobs in Kauai, Oahu, The Florida Keys, Las Vegas, Uganda, Kenya, Canada, Thailand and Burma!

Personally, I love spending time outside and honestly it’s where I do my best work. I’m a natural light, lifestyle photographer with a photojournalistic style. My photos have a soft focus and I tend to love blurred out backgrounds, hints of sun flare and dreamy, golden light!

My heart behind photography is that when you view your photos, you will see true beauty- in your love, in your family and in you!

Is there a particular goal or mission driving your creative journey?

I want women to see their beauty and inner strength. I want them to see glimpses of who they truly are in their photos and my hope is that that propels them into their destiny.

What’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative in your experience?

The most rewarding part of being an artist is when I see that my work has literally changed someone’s life. For some it helped them see themselves in a better light, for some it brought healing and redemption, for some it has brought accelerated alignment in their life.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://janellestephaniephotography.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/janellestephaniephotography/

Image Credits

Janelle Stephanie Photography