Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Yana Benjamin. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Yana, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. It’s always helpful to hear about times when someone’s had to take a risk – how did they think through the decision, why did they take the risk, and what ended up happening. We’d love to hear about a risk you’ve taken.

In the fall of late 2019, I saw an Adventure Wedding Academy workshop happening in the Austrian Alps with the fabulous Cat Ekkelboom White who specializes in elopements in mountainous landscapes. At that time, I was booking my own wedding clients, but I was also freelancing for a large national wedding photography company, doing 40+ weddings a year. I wasn’t working with my dream clients (the clients usually didn’t care about my style or approach), I didn’t work in inspiring locations, so it was only natural that I was completely burnt out and I had no love left to the photography business. The workshop was happening within a month, so there wasn’t much time left to hesitate. I emailed Cat, booked the last seat at the workshop, got my flight and a hotel and I was ready to go! This very moment turned out to be completely life changing for my mental health, my values and goals, my photography business and my entire life. Within the 4 day retreat, I developed skills of an elopement photographer, I learnt how to attract the right client and how to appreciate my skills. When I got back home, I completely rebranded and became an intimate wedding and adventure elopement photographer. Four months later, the pandemic happened. This was the year when clients started reimagining traditional weddings and while life was seemingly “on hold”, the bookings kept coming in.

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

The visual aesthetic of images from old film cameras influenced my photography style from the very beginning. I used to develop photos in a makeshift darkroom with my dad, because I loved the magical moments of excitement while waiting to see the image appear on the paper while immersed in miraculous emulsions. I graduated with a Master’s degree in Journalism in Slovakia and moved to San Francisco a year later to study Photography. It was in San Francisco that I started exploring street photography. Surrounded by art museums, I regularly visited exhibits of street photographers that created black and white impressions of the environment they lived in. I valued these images as charming snippets of pure life moments that will never repeat again – just like at a wedding. As a wedding and elopement photographer, I strive to create an inclusive brand that elevates diversity, cherishes unorthodox styles and values experiences over things. It is deeply satisfying to create meaningful, authentic, timeless imagery for couples I connect with on a personal level. Fusing my love for providing services of a boutique photography studio and my passion for the wild outdoors, I craft experiences that go beyond standard traditions and societal ideas of how a wedding should look. I empower my couples to follow their own unique path and celebrate their love in a way that reflects them, no one else’s expectations. Having the opportunity to be so closely involved in passionate expressions of love (whatever that might look like) creates unspeakable value and happiness in my life. I find beauty in simple words that exude certain moods and inspire my images: “hygge” a feeling of warmth and coziness in a company of loved ones, or “petrichor” – the comforting smell of dry soil after a long awaited rain. These expressive inspirations help me create complex visuals that interpret sceneries with deep emotion.

What do you think is the goal or mission that drives your creative journey?

Absolutely. I have worn several hats in my work career, but only through photography I have learnt so much about myself. I realized how much I love making people happy. This might sound cheesy, but it is THE absolute mission behind my journey. I also love experiencing small weddings and elopements. The reason behind it is my curiosity. It is one of the most exciting things for me to hike to a location with my couples and have conversations about their lives and share our special moment on this cosmic journey together. My mission is to impact peoples’ lives in the most positive way though my photography work and a meaningful connection.

We’d love to hear the story of how you built up your social media audience?

I mostly use instagram and there are multiple wedding bookings I have gotten thanks to my posts. While I don’t use any additional apps to curate my grid or plan my posts, I have learnt to follow certain aesthetic and publish my work in high-traffic times. I don’t follow trends, but I do use trending audios on instagram that help boost viewership of my reels. Because girl, reels is where it’s at! I make sure to credit all vendors that have worked their butts off to produce spectacular experiences for my clients on their wedding day. I partially built my following through posting sneak peek reels 24 hours after wedding or elopement and tagging my couples along with everyone else involved in the wedding. The couple is still buzzing from the day before and they usually reshare this content immediately. This has helped me expose my brand to their followers, the vendor’s followers, etc. Once I edit my galleries, I share them with vendors, so they can build their portfolio through the images I take and it is always nice to see these float on instagram as well. The biggest challenge has been finding balance between using instagram for intentional marketing purposes and getting lost in mindless scrolling watching baby pandas eat watermelons.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.yanabenjamin.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/yanabenjaminphoto/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/YanaBenjaminPhotography
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/yana-benjamin-1791361b5/
• Twitter: https://twitter.com/yanasdarkroom
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCDgMFWGvP0wm6EWhyCUxiNA
• Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/yana-benjamin-photography-ann-arbor-2