We were lucky to catch up with Samira Clay recently and have shared our conversation below.

Samira, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. Can you talk to us about how you learned to do what you do?

I learned photography by watching, honestly. I could surround myself with other creatives and get my first camera; everything was hands-on. That was the best way to immerse myself in my craft and learn something new about my camera and what worked for me. I don’t think I would do anything to speed up my process because learning took me so long and helped me figure out what was suitable for me and what was typical for someone else. The only thing I would do differently is learn to step out of my comfort zone more and take more risks with my craft. The skill I think was most successful was collaboration, I would not be where I am today without working and meeting other creatives early on. The biggest obstacle that stood in my way was being afraid. I was constantly afraid of failing, even though I had to take those steps and risks to achieve growth.

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?

My name is Samira Clay, and I’m a 20-year-old Eritrean photographer based in Atlanta, Georgia. I got into photography seriously in May 2020; I had so much time then to explore different parts of myself that I felt like I was missing and got my first camera. I used to take pictures on my phone constantly and use editing apps to put little videos together, and I knew that, eventually, I wanted to start photography on a bigger scale. I am a portrait photographer spezialing in projects and client based work. The biggest factor when it comes to me shooting with clients is making them as comfortable as possible, whether its having them play their own playlist, brining people along and just interactng with them overall. A lot of clients come in nervous often times its their first shoot so from the consultation call to the end of the session I always make sure its as natural of a process as possible. I am most proud of some of my personal projects I have done, I always try to use my craft for more than just a client session, it means more to me than just shooting posting and going home. Being able to feel most fuffiled in personal projects with stories behind it.

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

The most rewarding aspect of being creative is seeing the smile on the faces of those I’m working with. There is a sense of joy it brings me to see that the photos came out exactly how they were imagined. The second aspect is just self fulfillment, the process of thinking about the project, shooting, pre and postproduction, basically seeing your work come to life with the people you work with is a feeling that is unmatched.

Have you ever had to pivot?

The bigges pivot I had so far was just the overwhelming support from peers this past year. I can’t say there was a specific time but this year was just filled with opportunities to be in spaces with other creatives alike. The summer of 2022 was like a rush in my work whether it came from clients, collaborations and even just meeting new people. It made me realize how much I have done and how much more I could do than how I was viewing myself before.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.semiraasmara.com
• Instagram: @semiraasmara
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/samira-clay-a1784b22a/