MEET ADDIE

       Freelance Photographer, and newest Product photographer to the Team 


CREATIVE PROCESS INSPIRATION

1. When I was really little, I would create “scenes” with my dolls. Then when I reached the age of 8, I would create my own stop motion videos of my “Littlest Pet Shop” with my dad’s video camera because it automatically played each video consecutively, creating the effect of stop motion without needing to edit the clips together. Then as I got into high school, I began taking photos of myself and my friends, and realized how we all loved how the images made us look. We all wanted to post ourselves and our friends on Instagram, and that was the generation I was born into. Everyone was excited to see these photos, and post them on Instagram, and I felt like I had the tool that brought the crew of friends together. As I kept using my camera, and taking classes in high school, I realized more and more how creative I could be with my camera. 
   
   
2. I approach every possible project by trying not to approach it with too much thought, because I feel like if I prepare for something too much, I get stressed in the creation process. I carry my camera in my purse so I can take photos whenever I desire. I let the universe guide me and my camera, then by reflecting on my images, my subconscious purpose is clearer to me. I am always in constant communication with my mind, thinking to myself and walking through my day like I am hanging out with myself. My camera is like my little friend that creates pretty artistic creations I never knew I could create. 
   
   
3. I am obsessed with beauty and I love a clean image. Product photos are like model glam-shots for inanimate objects. I learned that I loved photography when I took interesting photos of people and made them love what they saw. I love that I can take a picture of an object in its glory so someone will cross it and want to use the product. If I can make a product look so desirable that everyone wants it, that is powerful to me. 
   
   CREATIVE PROCESS & INSPIRATION 
   
   
4. When I first laid my eyes on Yani, she was running her hands through a young woman’s hair. I immediately thought of intimacy and touch. Hair is a very vulnerable part of many people’s bodies, and to touch someone else’s hair means there is trust involved. I wanted to create images for Say by Yani that evoked this familiarity, intimacy, and trust that her products fall in line with.
   
   
5. I immediately felt an understanding and acceptance when I met Yani, as if I was meant to meet her that day and at that exact time. I told her that I hated my hair and there was nothing that could fix it. My hair has always been something I struggled with because I put so much pressure on myself for it to be perfect in order to feel a sense of control in my life. Yani showed me that nothing is hopeless. My favorite part of working on this project was not only being able to collaborate with Yani but discover a world of natural haircare that I never knew I could use myself.
   
   
6. The traits of intimacy, touch, and love are what I aimed to provoke through the conceptual product images. The products themselves, and what objects, colors, and lighting I chose to frame them, are meant to create an environment that is familiar to the viewer. I want the viewer to feel a sense of nostalgia, calmness, and care because that is what I felt upon meeting Yani. I want the product images to elevate the products, so the viewer understands the care and love put into creating these products, falling in line with Say by Yani’s mission of healing and love. 
   
   PHOTOGRAPHY INSIGHTS 
   
   
7. One of the first things that comes to mind is the desire to create a unique photograph. I photograph the products so that they match what is expected in the world of product images, meaning I make sure there is a clean, white background and a sharp image of the product. But where I place the product, how I maneuver the lighting, and the distance between the viewer and the object, I know is unique because it is all controlled by me. It is a challenge, but I have to always remind myself that I have an artistic eye that is unique, and if I allow myself to breath and let the process flow, that individuality will shine through.
   
   
8. Don’t think this is an easy/one-and-done job. I would advise that the photographer masters how to retouch in Photoshop because I guarantee you will need and want to edit the image post production. Also know that it might take several tries before you get the right lighting set up for your product. Be prepared to shoot, upload, reshoot, upload and reshoot.
   
   
9. My favorite thing about my camera, which is a Sony A6400, is the lens I have for it: a 50 mm. I love my lens because it reminds me of what I see through my own eyes. 50mm is the most equivalent to the human eye. If I can make the photo look like something that can be real to someone’s memory, dream, or whatever; that is the main goal. I can create a photo that is as much realistic as it is not. 
   
   PERSONAL REFLECTIONS 
   
   
10. I hope that my photos can take people out of their mind and leave them with a feeling of hopefulness. I always strive for comfort. Sometimes I feel trapped in my own mind and then I don’t know what I can look at that will make me feel better. I want my images to be an opportunity for people to be hopeful, by revealing that you are not restricted by what your mind is revealing to you in that moment in time. There are things we haven’t seen, memories we have but forgot about, and there is a world of visual images that haven’t been explored yet. We can create our own realities, and we can make our ideas reality if we want to, even if it isn’t exactly how you imagined it. That is the exciting part. The unknown. The unknown can be exciting as much as it is scary. And that is what life is.