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Hey all, I apologize for the delay in a new blog post. School and holiday celebrations have definitely been in my way! Today, I have another special photographer interview to share with you. Samantha of Bradley James Photography was kind enough to share some of her thoughts and experiences in the photography industry with me, and I'd like to share them with you. Enjoy! Tell me about yourself. (Name, current hometown, when did you launch your photography business + anything else about yourself you want to share)
My name is Samantha Vanderson and I’ve been a full time wedding photographer for five years. My business Bradley James Photography which I started with my husband, Brad, in 2010 is currently based in Grand Rapids, MI. While recent events have Brad pursuing a different career path I plan to continue running the business as my own! I will keep the name as it is already well established in the Grand Rapids wedding photography industry. We are currently awaiting the arrival of our first child this November and are very excited about our family’s future! How long have you been taking pictures? While I have been actively pursuing my photography career for five years I started shooting pictures more like eight years ago. That’s when I began to have a real interest in the art. What kind of equipment do you use (brand, type of camera, etc.)? I use all Canon equipment! While some photographers prefer Nikon I fell in love with the Canon products. I currently use a digital 5D Mark lll camera. What is your favorite lens to shoot with? Why? My absolute favorite lens is the 50mm 1.2 L series Lens. It produces some of the most beautiful and high quality images and I find that it’s the lens I use 95% of the time. What is one thing you wish you would have known when you started photography? I think it would have been helpful for someone to tell me to stop worrying about what other people are doing and focus only on my strengths. I fell into the comparison trap so many times getting started and one day I realized that was holding me back from my real potential. While the photography industry is very saturated, everyone has something different to offer and there’s more than enough work to go around! What are some important lessons you’ve learned over the course of your career? One of the best lessons I’ve learned has to do specifically with shooting weddings. It’s so much fun to be part of a couple’s wedding day! The thing that I’ve found the most helpful is to always be prepared and make sure that I’m on the same page as the bride and groom before their wedding day. I spend lots of time either with a wedding planner or the bride herself thoughtfully creating a wedding day timeline that allows me to approach their day to it’s fullest potential. For example, I tell my couples how much time I need for photographing different parts of the day like the bridal party, family pictures & bride and groom portraits. What is your favorite part of your job? My favorite part of photography is all of the incredible people I get the opportunity to work with! Weddings have me capturing such an important season of people’s lives and it’s a true honor to be a part of that. I’ve developed some really great friendships with my clients and I don’t think that’s something you can say about every job out there. If you could take pictures (wedding, engagement, etc.) in any place, where would you go? Why? I love this question! My job has taken me to Colorado, North Carolina & some of the most beautiful places in Michigan. That being said, I would love to go even further and take photos in one of my most desired travel destinations, Paris! I feel like it’s just oozes with romance and I would love the opportunity to photograph someone’s story in such a lovely city! Maybe one day, right? What is a goal you have for your photography business? My current goal for my business it to continue working with amazing clients and to photograph weddings in a unique way that sets me apart from other photographers in my area. What is your favorite picture you have taken? Why? That’s a tough one! I can’t say that I have a favorite photo because there are so many! Let’s narrow it down this to this year. It’s been such a great wedding season and I’m nearing the end with one wedding left. I attached the photo to this email that was a touching moment of a bride’s father seeing his daughter on her wedding day for the first time. They have an extremely close relationship and I think the photo speaks for itself!
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Leah RachelleLover of Jesus, photography, meeting new people, tea, books, and weddings. Archives
April 2016
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