Meet Annelie Connolly of Annelie Connolly Photography

Today we’d like to introduce you to Annelie Connolly.

Thanks for sharing your story with us Annelie. So, let’s start at the beginning and we can move on from there.
I got started in the mud, with my (then) toddlers. They were playing with their Tonka trucks. I was playing with my (then) new Canon Rebel film camera, learning to take pictures. I always enjoyed gardening and flowers and that led me to start taking landscape photographs. That was around the time digital photography started taking off. My husband gave me, a much desired by me, Canon 60D (digital) for my birthday. I started taking more formal photography classes then – mostly to learn about my camera and lenses – and things really took off from there.

I started a photo blog: “New England As I See It” and shared the link on Facebook. People started asking me to display my work and take their portraits. I got to where I am through family, friends, and supporters in the community. I would never have stepped out and created a business without their encouragement. Other local entrepreneurs like Stacey and Andrew Bluestein, owners of Emma’s Cafe, Kristen Donovan Art Studio, local orchard Shelburne Farm and the local paper Stow Independent all took chances on me and gave me the opportunity to display my early work. I really didn’t want to disappoint them, so I tried hard to create and deliver a piece of artwork with each photograph. Their trust gave me the confidence I needed to keep moving forward.

Great, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
My road hasn’t been challenge free or without obstacles. It’s been bumpy and rutted, though it’s turning in to pavement now. My struggles have been self-learning all the technical aspects of photography. Lots of mistakes and trial and error. I have a good eye for color, but what I see and want to produce doesn’t always show up in the prints. Lots of troubleshooting. Generous teachers helped. I also had to read lots of technical books, which shows my passion because I’m not otherwise interested in technology.

Please tell us about Annelie Connolly Photography.
I do portrait, event, and commission landscape photography for home decor.

I don’t want to specialize too much right now. I’m still growing as a photographer. I hope it will always be more passion than business for me. I like being a bit all over the place! I still like to shoot landscapes and portraits. I’m trying food photography which is new to me. Street photography and still life will always be in my repertoire.

I’m known for having a great eye — seeing the landscape and still life in a new or different way. For portraits, I’m known for having patience and being great with kids (and restless husbands).

I am proud of many things as a company: When people tell me that my photographs resonate with them. When they say the picture makes them “feel something” or that it brings them back in time.

I’m also proud of catching the attention of and making a connection with young children and teens. There’s nothing better than hearing a child telling their mom or dad to buy one of my photographs or having a teenager call me to schedule a portrait session. And, when a client says that they want to buy all of the portraits I took because they cannot choose only a few, I feel like I’ve done something right.

It may sound cliché, but I think my passion sets me apart from others. Yes, I am doing this as a business now, but I still won’t let one of my pictures leave my studio unless it’s unique and different. At least in my eyes, I want each photo to be a piece of art. I am passionate about that. I think that makes me willing to spend the time necessary to do that, which sometimes doesn’t make “business sense.”

Do you look back particularly fondly on any memories from childhood?
Spending time with my grandparents in the summer.

With his own two hands, my grandfather built two log cabins on the most beautiful spot, about an hour south of Stockholm (Sweden) that became one of my favorite places to be. It sits on a hill, overlooking a lake where my grandfather would take me out in a little boat to cast nets to catch fish. I’d also almost daily accompany my grandfather to get drinking water. We’d walk with two buckets in hand, half a mile down the road until we came upon a little trail that would lead to the pump. We’d pump two buckets full and my grandfather would carry the water buckets back with a yoke on his shoulders.

My grandmother and I would go for walks, visit the farmer to get fresh eggs and vegetables and say hi to the farm animals. We would pick berries and chanterelles in the woods and prepare them in the simplest, but most delicious ways, for lunch or dinner. We’d go swimming in the lake, do crosswords and play cards too late in the evening. Simple, simple life, yet very fond memories. I think these childhood memories often influence what I am drawn to in landscape photography – images that brings you back to a time gone by, and a simpler life.

Contact Info:

• Address: 160 Crescent Street Stow, MA 01775
• Website: www.annelieconnolly.com
• Phone: 978-201-4871
• Email: annelieconnolly@gmail.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/a_connolly/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/annelieconnollyphotography/

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