Today we’d like to introduce you to Amy Taylor.
Hi Amy, can you start by introducing yourself? We’d love to learn more about how you got to where you are today?
My story starts like most of the talented people beside me in this magazine. My passion for photography started in my younger years. Photographing my friends in school with throw-away cameras. I was always begging my mom for the newest digital or Polaroid to fill up as quickly as I could and wait for her to have the funds to develop them. My mother use to keep photos throughout the years in albums for me as a child. I would sit and go through the photos of myself, my siblings, and study the images.
From a young age, I believe I already loved what they label now as “aesthetic” vibe from the get-go. I love the different styles of clothing, how it photographed, how the natural posing took form for authentic photos. I had a camera on me at all times through high school. I went on to play softball in college and lost the dream for a short time while focusing on that. I picked back up after pursuing a career in the dental field after having my first son. I completed my courses but something still didn’t feel right. I started photographing my son on days I needed self-fulfillment and ditched the job and the schooling I had completed. Soon others started noticing the unique ways I photographed him, and others came. I mainly started with families, children then branched out to shooting just about everything.
I’ve transitioned throughout the last 9 years as a stand and smile photographer to focusing on lifestyle photography and capturing true connection with families, couples, weddings, and clients in general.. My wedding platform has skyrocketed in the Dallas metro & OKC areas over the last couple of years. Today I reside in Oklahoma City, traveling weekly to Dallas areas for its unique style, class, and charm. Traveling for destination weddings, editorial shoots, mentoring, & host times in major cities with all its authentic, sleek, scenery has me living the dream I’ve always imagined. I have mentored with some amazing men & women throughout my journey and am now offering the same knowledge I’ve acquired myself over the years to other women who are inspired to get into the photography world.
I work with several women on their foundations of photography, learning their camera, posing, shadowing, you name it. I stay busy with my four children as a single mom creating the life my children and I need. It has been so fulfilling for my children to watch me grow over the years and put a life into place for them to succeed and balancing my career hasn’t been an easy task but I’m blessed with an amazing set of kids who get to tag along, shoot WITH me on occasions and are already creating some of their own little pieces of art.
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
Roads are made for journeys, not destinations. My road has definitely not been the smoothest along this ride, but there is still always a fire inside that keeps me on my feet to accomplish and balance the things I do. Divorces are rough, finding the time for it all when you’re self-employed and a single mom with it all on my plate can be overwhelming at times. I find in a lot of my hardest times by managing to stay focused on my end goals, remembering why I am here, and that my purpose is to pursue my career, love myself, my children, and foremost my creator. I’ve had a lot of people surprisingly ask me, “how do you do it? I have always been the underdog I feel like and fighting my whole life to end up in the peace I am in now with abundance, and blessed with some amazing clients who most generally welcome me into their life immediately with true connection.
Thanks – so what else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?
I believe what sets me apart from others starts with the personal level I meet you on. I want to capture YOU through my art. Your connections with your partner/spouse/children. I want to display what you create for a living in unique ways, as I would want done for myself. I try to place myself in every situation. For example: a mother getting ready for her family photoshoot should live with less stress on it. I will customize our styling plans, locations, and what to expect ahead of time. I like to lift the pressure of “perfect” photos. Perfect photos come from true authentic moments so the pressure for it isn’t needed, it’s genuine. My clients who are welcoming me on their big day can expect to be friends! I won’t come to your big day & not study every detail and pay attention to your special needs that need focused on. We go over consultations, family shot lists, timelines, so we can keep smooth transitions for you on your big day. I have found creative ways to display all kinds of business. advertising from tattoo shops in New York as well as all over the country. Spas, salons, realtors, editorial high fashion, entrepreneur headshots, the list goes on. I find that I thrive best in all areas of photography. I set myself aside a little where most specialize in one thing, my creative power leads me all over the place.
Can you talk to us a bit about the role of luck?
I have had some AMAZING luck with clients. I’ve been able to establish a full client list with room for more with traveling. I’ve had luck with just the opportunities I’ve been given to be flown to cities to photograph amazing people all over the country.
Contact Info:
- Email: atayloredimage@gmail.com
- Website: https://www.atayloredimage.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/atayloredimage/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/atayloredimage
Image Credits
Amy Taylor
