Today we’d like to introduce you to Anna Solo.
Anna, can you briefly walk us through your story – how you started and how you got to where you are today.
I first picked up a camera as a kid, around the age of 11, when I began trailing my older brother around to shoot. I loved it and never got over it, but becoming a professional photographer was a pipe dream at that time, not even something I thought I could consider. As I got older, though, my attraction to people and storytelling only intensified. I started looking for and going to free darkroom sessions in NYC, where I grew up, cutting classes in high school to put in more hours at the darkroom, and never leaving the house without a camera. When it came time to apply to college, I had no doubt in my mind that I wanted to be a documentarian of some kind, whether in film or photography. I ended up at the Rochester Institute of Technology and majored in photojournalism. It was an intense program, and while there was never a moment when I wasn’t 100% sure that I wanted to be a photojournalist, there were countless moments where I questioned whether I actually had it in me. After I graduated, the fear of instability set in, and I went into documentary and reality television production, followed by several peripherally related jobs at a couple of startups. I did attempt to freelance alongside my “day job” but staying committed to the hustle that freelancing requires was incredibly hard for me, especially in a city filled with so many talented photographers, many of them braver than myself. Though being based in New York did put me in the right place to cover some important stories, I ultimately followed my other pipe dream – a move to a small seaside town in New England. Once here, I knew it was time to either buck up and push myself as hard as possible in an attempt to be a full-time freelancer, or to forget about it. That was in 2016, and I’ve been running my own business since.
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 has absolutely not been a smooth road! The self-doubt, fear of failure, and imposter syndrome that consumed me, and still to this day sometimes rear their ugly head, were incredibly limiting. Though I never stopped trying to produce work and chasing after every relevant opportunity I could find, I would just as often convince myself that any dead ends I was hitting were due to the fact that I just wasn’t good enough. In retrospect, I realize that all the other jobs I had were a form of avoidance, and I was never happy. It took the majority of my 20’s to truly take myself out of my comfort zone and jump in. Women, and young women especially, are unfortunately often prone to feeling this way. My advice is to work hard and be authentic and unafraid of all that you are. Take the leap and expect to succeed. It sounds simple, but I’ve found that being okay with who I am as well as who I’m not has taken me a long way.
We’d love to hear more about Anna Solo Photography.
Most of my work is editorial in nature and centers around short and long form photo and video stories, as well as occasional news and current events coverage. I’m drawn to covering topics that explore experiences very different from my own, and my goal is to distill them into relatable stories. When I’m not on an assignment or working on personal projects, I also shoot weddings, which to me are the ultimate documentary! I would say I specialize in portraiture and general human interest… I truly love people and am insatiably curious about the lives of others, so if I had to pick something that sets me apart, it’s my ability to garner friendships with almost everyone I photograph. People let me into their lives every day, so I try to do the same, which often leads to meaningful interactions. I don’t work in a typical office environment and don’t really have coworkers, but I’ve found that the people whose lives I’ve walked into, whether through an assignment or personal work, really fulfill me.
Finding a mentor and building a network are often cited in studies as a major factor impacting one’s success. Do you have any advice or lessons to share regarding finding a mentor or networking in general?
The most important piece of advice I have for a young woman just starting her career is to trust her instincts and allow herself to step outside the box. We’re always so preoccupied with what others might think of us, with being perfect and unfailing for everyone and with everything, that we forget that we have options both with what we can produce and how we can produce it. I think that ends up clouding our creative senses and putting us in a rut.
When it comes to networking, I’ve found that not all networking is good networking. I used to put a lot of time into going to various events, only to find myself deflated at the end of them because valuable interactions – the ones that are productive, are relatively few and far between. My suggestion is to spend some time thinking about the types of connections that you want to make and then working on building and strengthening those, rather than unfocused, generic networking.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.annasolo.com
- Email: anna@annasolo.com
- Instagram: annasolophotos
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/annasolophotography/
Image Credit:
Anna Solo
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