We recently connected with Johanna Canales and have shared our conversation below.
Johanna, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today Can you talk to us about a project that’s meant a lot to you?
My main goal from the very beginning of my photography journey was to create meaningful projects. I wanted my creative sessions to have a true meaning and sympathise with people. I wanted to talk about things that for some might be hard to talk about like mental health, women’s rights, our education system, lgbtq+ rights, book banning, and pretty much standing up for humanity and equal rights through my art. I have done numerous projects that are very meaningful to me and show what I stand for and what I believe in. Through my art, I make people aware of whats happening around the world. For example, I am very passionate in what is happening in Gaza, Palestine. I feel like we are living in unprecedented times. We are all witnessing a Genocide and through my art, I make people aware of what is happening. I’ve attended protest with my children and have taken my camera to capture real emotions. I think its very important that people feel the emotions of those who are suffering. I’ve always been an advocate, an activist for those who don’t have a voice. I hate injustice and I feel very blessed to be able to express myself through my photography. I always say whats the point of being an artist if your art doesn’t have a meaning.
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.
My photography journey started similar to other photographers. I’ve always been obsessed with capturing life moments. I have 3 amazing children. Two girls and a boy. I would come up with these creative sessions for them when they were younger. I would think of every detail from theme, styling, outfits, props, location, and even the mood I wanted my sessions to have, but I would hire a professional photographer to take the photos. Never did I think I would become a photographer, though I was obsessed with the photography and creative world. Once my children got a little older, I started my interior decorating Instagram that consisted of me changing my home decor every season and posting different images of the rooms I would decorate. I received a lot of good feedback. Friends and family would also want me to decorate their homes. I thought I had the best of both worlds, interior decorating which was putting details together and taking photos with my phone and editing them, which I loved seeing the before and after. People started commenting on the angles and quality of the photo along with all details that was put into it and ask if I was a professional photographer or what camera I was using. They were totally shocked when I would say I used my phone. Until one day life had a plan for me that I was not expecting.
In 2021, my Dad was diagnosed with cancer. His battle was very short. He lived 6 months after his diagnosis. Since I was his healthcare surrogate, I would go to every appointment with him. In the appointments, I found myself taking so many pictures of him. Obviously, I didn’t know he was going to pass away in 6 months but something told me to take the photos. I would take photos of his hands, his tattoos, the back of his head, his hair, pictures of him looking out the window while in the waiting room. My Dad loved flowers, I would take pictures of him smelling his flowers or just cleaning his garden. I took so many candid shots. It wasn’t until he passed that I realised what a precious gift I had of having all these images of him. One day, something in me just clicked. I thought, why not learn how to use a professional camera and give families this beautiful gift of capturing candid moments of them and their families. I didn’t know anything about manual mode, lighting, storytelling, editing in software like Lightroom and Photoshop. When I tell you that it was hard, it’s truly an understatement. It was hard and very overwhelming. There was a lot of times I thought of quitting but their was a fire in me that wouldn’t light down. I would pause for a few days or weeks and start back up again. I spent thousands of dollars in mentorship, workshop, attending styled shoots, and gear. This was something I was very passionate about and it was a journey I dedicated to him …so of course I couldn’t let him down and it was how I dealt with my grief as well. This is the reason all my creative sessions will include some type of flower. In memory of my Dad, a flower will always be present in every image I capture. I started focusing on creative sessions. I started using my interior decor as props for some creative sessions ideas. I started letting go of that pressure I put on myself and started being me. I let go of the idea I had to have a niche and stopped concentrating about what other photographers were doing and doing my own thing and thats when I found myself as an artist.
Growing up, I have always marched to the beat of my own drum and I was always made to feel like I was wrong for such. But in reality, it’s a beautiful thing. I couldn’t imagine living in a world where I am more concern about what others think about me than my own happiness. I have photographer friends who have been in business way longer than I have and come to me for advise or look up to me as an artist not because I’m better than them but because I truly do what feels right and what truly makes me happy and this shows in my art.
I think what sets me aside from other photographers is the attention to detail I have for any project and I will not do something if I truly don’t feel it in my heart or if I know its not going to represent my brand or what I stand for. My images are not posed images. I make it a point to tell a story with every image I take and I’m not just saying it. This is probably my most compliment besides the amount of details in my session, is how my images tell a story.
At this very moment in my photography journey, I am most proud of the way I am using my art to bring awareness to whats happening in Gaza, Palestine. I think life has sculptured and prepared me for this specific moment. I have witnessed the silence of some colleagues and all I can think of is if one is not using their platform for good then whats the point of having one. If you’re not using your art to make a difference in life then whats the point of having such.
I’ve lost followers, potential clients, friends because of the stance I have with whats happening in Palestine. But I must say the same way I lost some, the same way I’ve gain double. I’ve met some beautiful photographer friends from all around the world who believe in the same thing I do. I would rather lose it all than remain silent. But its not only whats happening in Palestine I raise awareness for. I feel like a lot of people are turning a blind eye to whats happening here in the United States with whats happening with Women’s Rights, the LGBTQ+ community, the book banning, the banning of our African American history classes in my state of Florida. I feel very proud that I use my art and platform to bring awareness to these things that affect us and our children everyday.
If there is one thing I can tell my potential clients it would be that the same passion I have for all the things I named above , I would have the same passion for their session. I’m very aware I am not an ordinary photographer. I feel way too much and I am very emotional. I would treat their session with the same sentiment because to me it’s not just a session. These are images of their loved ones, that I have the honor of capturing, that one day will be the only thing they will have to remember them by …just like the images I have of my Dad.
When clients book with me, I make it a point to not make them feel like clients. We become friends. I want to know their stories, their backgrounds. I make sure to explain to them that I was on the ” client” side once. I paid for a professional photographer to take photos of my family so I understand the stress that comes with booking a session. They stress about their children’s behavior, if its a family session. They stress about outfits and styling and colors. I make sure they know that I will help them all the way. We have unlimited conversations, I send them a style guide, I send them links to purchase what ever they need. Most importantly, I want them not to stress about their children cooperating in their sessions because I want them to be their normal selves. Thats how I will tell their stories is by capturing all the crazy yet fun moments. This is what sets me aside from other photographers.
Have you ever had to pivot?
I definitely had a pivot moment in my photography journey and in my personal life when deciding to voice my stance on what is happening in Palestine. It’s such a controversial topic , when it shouldn’t be, that I had to decide if I wanted to use my photography platform to express my sentiment and to share facts about what is truly happening. To be completely honest, I think that moment of doubt of whether I should use my platform, probably didn’t last that long. It felt more wrong for me to stay silent than for me to be a voice for those who didn’t and don’t have one. I quickly realised my stories and my post were being censored. I lost followers in the beginning but within weeks I found a group of top-level photographers around the world who believed in the same thing I did, which was humanity and empathy for others suffering. The amount of messages I would receive of people thanking me for doing what I was doing like sharing actual facts of what is happening in Palestine, attending protest, continuing to do such after 6 month was truly a testament that I had made the right decision. In my personal life, family and friends are use to me being passionate and an advocate for what’s happening around the world but for some reason this topic caused some friction between some personal relationships in the beginning. This is where, again, I am grateful I march to the sound of my own drum and I truly do what I feel in my heart is the correct thing. So even though, it was a crucial move on my part for my photography journey and personal life, I wouldn’t change one thing.
Let’s talk about resilience next – do you have a story you can share with us?
In 2008, I was diagnosed with Lupus. I had two small daughters at the time. I did not know what it was and what it was going to do to my body. I always say I was diagnosed but not educated on what I had. I had to learn on my own. I joined support groups on Facebook and did a lot of research. As time passed by, my body showed signs that it was deteriorating. I was hospitalised a lot and needed countless numbers of surgery. For those that don’t know, Lupus is an autoimmune disease that pretty much attacks your own body, organs, and joints. For so many years, I was miserably in pain and still to this day my body feels like a 90 yr old woman. I lived with Mom guilt because I wasn’t the energetic Mom that my girls deserved. After a decade of living with this diagnosis, I have finally discovered how to deal with it. I can’t over do things. I rest when my body needs to. I have cut out most of the stress in my life because if my body is stress it causes flare-ups. I have learned to do more things that energise my soul and emotional state more than physical state. I was very depress for such a long time and now I’m just grateful to be alive and that my children have their Mom. I have found that photography has helped me tremendously. I love reading romance novels and I absolutely love being surrounded by my children. I learned through years of therapy that even if we were at home watching movies, playing a board game or just being present, was more than enough for my children. As long as their Mom was present and involved, I didn’t need to leave the house. I love talking to other new diagnosed Lupies. I love offering my advice and sharing my story. I’ve noticed a lot of people are getting diagnosed with an autoimmune and if my story can help other than I know my suffering wasn’t in vain. I feel like I show my resilience every day by not giving up. I could’ve stayed in a depressive state my whole life and feel sorry for myself. Instead, I take advantage of the good days and rest on my bad days. I use my story and platform to help those who are recently diagnosed. I’ve always turned negative situations into positive though I’m the first to say it’s not always like that. It’s a learning process even after a decade.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://julieannaphotography.mypixieset.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/julieannaphotography/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100083320610575