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

Johanna, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. Did you always know you wanted to pursue a creative or artistic career? When did you first know?

I have always loved taking photos since I can remember, my mom has so many of me and my friends in middle school and high school. My senior year of high school I look a photography class and was so fascinated about developing a photo came to be! I have always been a creative person, but I pursed something very different for my college degree. It was until about 3 years after college that I felt very stuck with what to do with my future career. I loved people, working with kids, being creative, being social and bringing positive energy to make others around me feel good too, but what job was that? I decided to do some research, mentor, and bought a camera from a friend. I told myself it not now, when? And if I fail, at least I tried! The first season I had my camera I made a Facebook page for my business, started posting photos of objects and then word of mouth friends and family started asking for sessions! I have been taking photos for 10 years now. Wow, it has lead me to met some of the best people, awesome experiences and ultimately lead me to where I wanted it to, being a flexible with my career as I raise my two children currently.

Johanna, 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?

I am a very out going person and I love connecting with others and building relationships. Having a passion for kids & make others feel good about themselves is what led me to capturing it, with photography! I had some friends who had studied it and doing photoshoots on the side, that I leaned into mentoring with them a few times before I started my own business! I started with family and lifestyle to begin, then I took on the big role of weddings. I loved weddings, so much went into the day and it truly is a day you never forget and I am grateful to have been apart of so many in my career! Once I had my first child is when I slowly stepped back. I have worked weekend jobs my whole adulthood, so it was the right move. Once my second baby enter the world I felt a huge shift within my brand, identity and business. I am still in the “figuring out” stage but we are making progress. My shift to focus on lifestyle & newborns.

I am so proud of the relationships I have built and the connections I have made. I love that I can capture a moment or chapter in your life with a still image. A image you will hang on your walls, walk by and see day after day and perhaps think of me too. I am also proud in allowing the shift in my business, setting good boundaries and sharing my passion with my clients. I believe my clients consider me a friend when our time is done together and I hope they always feel comfortable with me! You can trust that I will make our time together FUN and memorable. I bring a lot of great energy and conversation always.

Any insights you can share with us about how you built up your social media presence?

I believe SO much in connection and showing your face to your business. People want to see YOU. They want to connect with you, agree with you and celebrate with you! I also believe in being private and just sharing enough to keep your audience coming back to see more. It has been a slow growth for me but also its been 100% authentic. The more I show my face the more engagement I get. Your audience wants to see real life, always. I go up and down with how I show up on my page because that is just life. I believe you can never stop learning, mentor someone you look up to in your field or ask your audience what they wanna see from you!

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

This is a new one for me. After becoming a mom of two, my mission is for my family, but the drive is for others who are in the same season as me. I am currently about to host a detailed styled shoot for myself, that I put together and made the plans for. have only ever attended them, so this is a proud moment for me because I have the confidence, wisdom and connections now to bring something like this together. I believe I would love to educate in the future to some degree, whether that is sharing photography, how to have a small business or simply how to pivot in life when life changes.

Contact Info:

• Website: under construction
• Instagram: johannagracephoto