Meet Hannah Cochran of Hannah Cochran Photography

Today we’d like to introduce you to Hannah Cochran.

So, before we jump into specific questions about the business, why don’t you give us some details about you and your story.
I’ve always been a “creative”. Even in my youngest years I remember organizing my stuffed animals from smallest to biggest, and by color. I still do the same today, but instead of stuffed animals, it the clothes in my closet. Before Pinterest was a thing, I used to rip out pages in books and magazines to make scrapbooks, not because I was particularly interested in the subject of the pages, but how beautiful the scene was as a whole. I’ve always wanted to live an aesthetically pleasing life and care deeply about finding the beauty in this world.

In college I explored all types of design from architecture, graphic design, interior design, fine art, art history, before eventually landing on web design and development. I think I was drawn to how fast paced digital design was. Instead of a painting that could take weeks, months or even years, web design was instant gratification. For the past 6+ years I’ve had a wonderful career working in technology and would not change a thing. But sometime in 2016 I started getting the itch to actually make something with my hands instead of a computer screen (all artist know what I’m talking about). Coincidentally I started traveling A LOT in 2017 and bought a cheap starter camera. It only took a couple trips for me to realize how much I loved documenting moments. I had never taken photography seriously as a medium before this. In fact, I remember earning a C in dark room photography in High School. I was no different in college. My friend Leah taught me just enough to get by since I didn’t care to actually learn anything.

As cheesy as it sounds, travel photography gave me a completely different perspective on the world. It forced me to slow down and actually see what’s around. When I look back at my images it immediately takes me back to the feeling I was having in that moment.

After a few trips I became obsessed. I took online classes, went to workshops, upgraded my equipment multiple times, went to local meet ups, spent an embarrassingly amount of hours watching tutorials, etc. A hobby quickly turned into a passion and a passion eventually turned into a part-time job. A huge accomplishment was getting published for the first time in the February 2018 edition of Boston Common Magazine. For the first year I was shooting, I mostly focused on travel and interior design. As of 2018, I’ve switched my focus to the more fine art side of the industry like portraits and weddings. I also started shooting more with film rather than digital. Learning film has been so challenging, but in the best way.

As a young photographer, I’m excited to see where this journey may take me and I know the best is yet to come!

Has it been a smooth road?
Of course not haha! I’ve made many cliche beginner mistakes and still do, but I make sure to learn from them every time.

I think anyone who is self-taught in their discipline can get extremely insecure at times, and I’m no different. I’m so hard on myself and am always thinking how I could have done something better — should I have used a different lens? Should I have stood in a different position? Should I have had the courage to direct the scene a little bit more or is it better to just let the scene unfold as it would naturally? There are always 100 questions running through my head at any time.

Learning the technical part of your craft is one thing, but learning your style is a completely different beast. As a creative, my style is constantly evolving and changing as I am. When I first started, I struggled greatly with trying to “learn/copy” from the greats, but to not loose my self of self in my images.

Then there’s the whole “business” side of things. Once you make the leap from a hobby to a “job” you have to start thinking about your brand, behave more professionally and learn your worth.

With most things in life, I’ve found the best way to overcome all these hiccups is by having a good support system (it helps if they can relate to what you’re going through) and to just get out there and do it. I could watch a good lesson on Creative Live a million times, but if I don’t go out there and actually do it, then I haven’t actually learned anything. There’s a great quote I always come back to; “consume less, create more.” It reminds me that even if I take thousands of photos that never see the light of day, each one of those moments shapes who I am as a photographer. The more I “do” the better I become.

So let’s switch gears a bit and go into the Hannah Cochran Photography story. Tell us more about the business.
My name is Hannah Cochran and I’m a part-time photographer based in Boston. I specialize in crafting bright, elegant and relaxed images that will never go out of style.

I’m so proud of a handful of work I’ve been able to create in the year and a half I’ve been active. One of my most proud accomplishments was shooting Maison Vernon for Chevron Partners, a multimillion dollar condo in Beacon Hill. However I’m just as proud of personal projects and smaller assignments, like shooting the Women’s March back in March 2018, which happen to be some of my favorite images I’ve ever taken.

Aside from my personal aesthetic, which every photographer has, I’m a hybrid photographer which means I shoot in both digital and film formats. This is more rare to come by in a world where most people shoot strictly digital.

How do you think the industry will change over the next decade?
Due to technology, like many artful crafts, photography has become increasingly challenging to make a career out of. The advanced cameras in our phones combined with apps like VSCO and Instagram have given millions of people the ability become a “photographer”. Also, one can argue that websites like UnSplash have devalued a photographer’s craft by offering thousands of professional quality photographs to the public for free. I applaud anyone who has been able to make it their full-time career.

For myself, and many others, carving out a small niche market is going to be the way to find success. Constantly working on my skills and vision is really the only way to separate myself from the millions of others. Social media will continue to play a huge part as well. Having an online “voice” and/or “brand” that speaks to my niche market will hopefully continue to strengthen my clout.

In terms of trends, I think more people will start shooting with film again for a few reasons. One, I think it’s a perfect way to separate yourself from the sea of others. And two, there’s something nostalgic and almost a back-lash at how everything as become so digital and faced paced. Film forces you to slow down and really focus on the process instead of the final product. I see more people becoming hybrid photographers like myself in the future.

Contact Info:

• Address:Boston, MA
• Website: https://hannahcochranphotography.com
• Email:hannahcochranphoto@gmail.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/hannahcochranphotography/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/hannahcochranphotography/

Image Credit:
The self portrait was taken by Jon Mezzadri.

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