We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Mindy Tanimoto. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Mindy below.

Hi Mindy, thanks for joining us today. Going back to the beginning – how did you come up with the idea in the first place?

This is a funny story of how I turned a complaint into a positive and created a business from it. So, when my oldest son was younger, he was doing modeling and acting. When you are models you need to keep your headshots updated regularly, so when you go in the audition the photo you submitted looks like you currently. Well since I had always taken photos of my son quite often, he says one day, ” Can’t you find someone else to take photos of?” ” I am tired of you always taking my photo.” So, I then started to take headshots for other models that needed updated photos. Then I expanded and went on to create a business from that one suggestion/complaint.

As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?

Yes, as you read, I started my business based on a complaint of my son wanting me to find others to take photos of. I have now grown into being a wedding and senior portrait photographer. I love the details and the happiness of weddings mixed with the fun and youthfulness a senior session provides. I offer full day services for weddings and custom collections based on my couple’s needs. For my seniors I offer 3 different collections so that they have a wide variety to select from. I am going to be adding in more products like albums, and wall art to the collections and offering more full service. I am extremely proud to be featured in publications like this and get recognized for all my hard work.

Let’s talk about resilience next – do you have a story you can share with us?

Resilience is being able to withstand or recover quickly from difficult conditions. I think when the world shut down in 2020 due to Covid we as photographers were scrambling quickly to find ways to best be able to serve our clients. Alot of us did porch photos and family sessions since we would be able to keep our distance using our longer lenses. It was a great time for families since everyone was home and not working. so scheduling was a breeze. I think you always have to seek the positive or turn it into a positive no matter what life throws at you.

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

Honestly when I step behind the camera it is like my therapy. It is my stress reliever, and it brings great joy to me. I always stive to exceed my clients’ expectations but keep in mind everyone has different desires and thoughts. I think I have learned to expect the unexpected in this business and be ok with that. I think for me to be better than what I was yesterday is what drives me on my creative journey. So much has been learned along the way and so much more out there for me to learn.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.Mindytanimotophotography.com
• Instagram: www.instagram.com/mindytanimotophoto
• Facebook: www.facebook.com/mindytanimotophotography
• Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/mindy-tanimoto-photography-corona

Image Credits
Styled Shoots by Janette Mastre Journey Pechanga New Creation Floral