Monday, June 17, 2013

Meet one of your Team Leaders: Angie Turner

As our photography team continues to grow, we have added a couple of new leaders to help us run the team. Our hope is that they will rise to the challenge of managing such a large and diverse group, as well as lend a fresh perspective to keep members engaged. Meet one of our newest leaders, Angie Turner:

Angie Turner

How long have you been doing photography? How did you get started?
I got my 1st camera when I was 5 and although I never really took it seriously, photography was always an interest and I never went anywhere without a camera. I dabbled in every craft and hobby through the years, but came back to photography about 4 years ago. It became a passion and slight obsession. While I did jump into business right away, I do not advise that to people as it's not always smooth sailing. But somehow it all worked out for me and I have no regrets as I am truly lucky to be where I am today with my business.

What are your biggest influences and how have they shaped your photography?
My biggest influences are my surroundings. The world is beautiful and I want to see it all. I'm greatly affected by the weather and sunshine fuels my creativity. I have constant wanderlust, but find interesting locations in my own community while I anticipate traveling the world in my golden years.

How did you develop and how do you maintain a photography style that is truly your own?
I dabbled in all types of editing styles, but nothing ever felt right. Now my style is clean, crisp and bright. I like a lot of color and try to stay pretty close to reality, although I do add textures and other secret recipes in photo shop to transform the photo from a 'snapshot' to a finished piece of art. I try to take an ordinary photo and turn it into something extraordinary that I'd be proud to have hanging in people's homes. I try to create feel-good images that evoke smiles and overall feelings of happiness. I guess this comes from being miserable in the winter. LOL Bright, happy images help me through the winter blues and I channel that energy into my photography.

Who are your favorite FPOE photographers?
There are too many to list, but one of the photographers I admire the most is Lisa, aka Elle Moss, the founder of fPOE. She has such an eclectic mix of styles and I am really drawn to her Alice B. Gardens work. It's romantic and dreamy with just a hint of vintage charm and the photos in that shop leave me with a calm and serene feeling.

What are your hopes for FPOE, and how do you contribute to the team?
I hope that fPOE becomes a well known entity. As Etsy grows, I hope we grow and people start to recognize us as a powerhouse team of female photographers. It'd be awesome if when people decided to buy art for their home, their first thought would be 'I gotta see what I can find through the fPOE ladies first!' Dream big, right? :)
I'm newly added as a leader, so I don't have a 'job' yet. Although I will be contributing to the newsletter and blog and really hope to help spread the word. I've done this on my own with trying to feature members the 1st Friday of every month on my own blog with my Fine Art Friday posts. I'm a natural cheerleader and while I want my own shop to succeed, I'm thrilled when my team mates succeed as well! In my opinion, cross promotion, networking with like-minded individuals and working together as a team is a great benefit to building my own business and making me a better photographer all around.

How do you promote your work (any thoughts on social media)?
I promote on my FB page that's linked to my Twitter. I've also started pinning a few things on Pinterest as that's a great visual tool. There are so many social media sites that it's hard to do them all as there's not enough time in the day. But my FB page has been my best social media tool.

What is the best advice you've been given/would like to share about photography/running your own business?
This is what I've learned through the past few years of being in business: You are you and you need to do your own thing. You don't need to compose a photo or edit a photo like someone else to succeed. You need to find your own style that you love and are confident in. Do not compare your work to someone else's as that will only bring insecurity. Be confident, but not arrogant. You need to be able to admit to yourself when you can do better, but don't beat yourself up about it; just work harder, keep learning and you'll see improvement in your work. I do think it's ok to ask questions to get a better understanding of certain things, but I am a firm believer in figuring it out on your own. It's so much more rewarding than just having the answers given to you. Once you figure it out on your own, you'll understand it better and it'll make you that much more successful. This goes both for photography as well as running a business.

To see more of Angie’s photography, visit her links below:

ETSY
FACEBOOK
BLOG
on TWITTER, PINTEREST
WANELO, INSTAGRAM:
@laughlovephoto

2 comments:

  1. LOVE your work :)

    I'm excited you are a new leader of the fPOE team :)

    You girls rock :) T.

    ReplyDelete
  2. I just found out about this team by searching for photographers for my wedding. This is awesome! Do any of you do weddings?

    ReplyDelete

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