Today we’d like to introduce you to Ami Jean Anderson.
So, before we jump into specific questions about the business, why don’t you give us some details about you and your story.
Well, I think it probably all started with my first Polaroid camera when I was in elementary school. A boyfriend of my mother’s at the time had one lying around and said I could hang on to it for a while. I was instantly obsessed, probably borderline annoying to my friends, and I wanted to capture it all.
I have moved around a lot as a child and I was always forgetting the details of peoples faces, the lines, and curves of neighborhoods, or the feelings that certain environments made me feel… and all of a sudden, I didn’t have to. With just a click, a flash, and a few seconds, I now had permanent memories. That moment unchanged, no matter how much everything else did.
As I grew, so did my love for photography. I remembered signing up for shoots with photographers just so that I could pick their brain when I was done modeling. I was trying to soak in as much as I could. There were so many different ways to express yourself and your feelings through photography and I was interested in all of them. Posing, Capturing, Developing, Editing… I wanted to be able to do all of it.
I bought a quality camera in my early twenties, spent a lot of nights alone mastering Adobe CS, and took a ridiculous amount of self-portraits (perk/disadvantage of being an introvert, depending on how you look at it) and never looked back.
We’re always bombarded by how great it is to pursue your passion, etc. – but we’ve spoken with enough people to know that it’s not always easy. Overall, would you say things have been easy for you?
It wasn’t necessarily a smooth road, but it wasn’t too bumpy.
I think one of the biggest struggles that I faced along the way was myself. I am an extremely introverted person, and I think that I missed out on a lot of opportunities because I was overwhelmed or anxious at the thought of interacting with people. I was always talking myself out of attending workshops or following through with gallery showings because I didn’t feel as “professional” as everyone else was, as I was self-taught in every area.
I always thought my photos were too dark, too edited, and not like the others that I was used to seeing. Instead of embracing that, as I do now, I let it hold me back. The people I were around back then were interested in golden landscapes, and skin perfected twinkle-eyed portraits. While I appreciate the skill and results of that type of work, that’s not how I capture things. I see the shadows, the texture, the harsh lines, so that’s what want to share with everyone. What I see, the way I see it.
So let’s switch gears a bit and go into the Picture Me Pretty Photography story.
Picture Me Pretty Photography is more of a passion of mine than a business. While I have shot weddings, many types of portrait work, events, landscapes, and editing work for several photographers, I have always been better known for my self-portraits and more recently my photography of abandoned places.
I think what sets me apart from some of the others, would be the way I edit my photos. Editing really gives me the ability to share what I felt at the time with the viewer. I want my photos to tell a story, or set a mood for the person viewing it. I want the textures to be almost palpable, the shadows to look deep enough to hide in. I want my photos to be felt.
Has luck played a meaningful role in your life and business?
I have been very lucky with regards to the people currently in my life. Over the years, I have gotten to know and become close to some amazingly talented, creative, and supportive humans.
I have worked really hard to learn and grow as a photography and editing but I dont think that I would be where I am without them and their constant encouragement… and willingness to go on frequent adventures to some rundown building or other ‘glamorous’ locations to shoot.
Contact Info:
- Email: Picturemeprettyphotos@gmail.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/malefic.unt/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/miss.ami.jean
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