Meet Anna Reynolds | Lifestyle Brand Photographer

We had the good fortune of connecting with Anna Reynolds and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Anna, we’d love to hear more about how you thought about starting your own business?
My thought process behind starting my own business began at a very young age. Throughout my childhood, I always envisioned myself owning my own business and working for myself. This may not sound like what a typical kid dreams about, but there was not one summer where I wasn’t dragging my siblings and neighbor friends into “working for me”, and helping me sell products on the corner of our neighborhood’s busiest street. What started with lemonade stands quickly turned into more creative items that I would hand make myself. Everything from woven friendship bracelets, to hand painted greeting cards. Anything I had in my home I would try to create and sell.

As far as my current business, the thought process was to get out of working for a corporate company, and start working for myself in a way that serves others in the process. My job as a lifestyle brand photographer has done just that. The flexibility of working for myself on my own time, with no limit on my income is an absolute dream. But the best part about what I do, is seeing how it vastly impacts the other business owners who hire me. I get to set the standard for their visual content (social media & website photographs), and create the ideal feeling they want to give their audience. That to me is a huge honor, and what I am SO passionate about.

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
My art as brand photographer stemmed from not only my passion for making beautiful photographs, but my passion for branding and marketing. When I first started my business I sat down to write out who my ideal client would be, and I realized I was basically describing myself: passionate business owners who are easy going, but understand their brand aesthetic and the importance of quality photographs in their business. Because I started with this mindset from the very beginning, I’ve always naturally marketed myself to this type of person, and have had the privilege of working with incredible businesses and brands that are just like mine.

I feel my style of natural, warm, sometimes old-school So Cal inspired, and very candid photography in the branding world is what sets me apart the most. Most of my clients come to me saying that they ( as an individual or as a lifestyle brand) are dying to show up more real, and less posed or stiff. My approach to working with my clients is so laid back. Not in the sense that I don’t care, but in the sense that you can be my friend first, my client second, and you can trust me to create the content you’ve been dreaming of having. This mentality naturally allows my clients to feel that much more comfortable in front of the camera, because we’ve already had an amazing phone call and coffee meeting beforehand. I’m never a stranger when we head out for a session.

As far as what sets me apart in my specific artistic style, I would say incorporating film photography whenever I can is a huge part of my brand. Film photography is where my passion for making photographs began. I love knowing that the photos that get developed are something I created from start to finish, with a whole lot of intentionality behind each frame. Most of my work is created on my professional grade digital camera, but I always encourage adding a roll or two of film to a session. In my opinion, it doesn’t get more real or natural feeling than a photograph made on an old film camera.

Getting to where I am professionally wasn’t easy, but to be honest it didn’t take me very long. The biggest challenge I overcame was my own mindset. Pushing fear out of my way after always giving it the spotlight in my life, was definitely not easy. I’m naturally a more reserved, would rather be comfortable kind of person. But pushing those boundaries out of my way quickly launched me in to a very passionate, outgoing photographer that just wants to see my clients also thriving in what they’re doing.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
Living in Ventura County in Southern California, I have the privilege of going to the beach whenever I want, and having amazing specialty coffee shops and restaurants to choose from. I am a HUGE foodie and specialty coffee nerd, so I would definitely take a friend visiting me to my favorite food and coffee spots.

I’m also big on hiking, camping, and exploring the outdoors, so the landscape around where I live is perfect for me. We have the beach, the mountains, the desert, and the snow all within less than a day’s trip away.

If it were a week long trip, we would definitely head north up the California coast, camping on the beach and in the mountains along the way, and eating a whole lot of good food.

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
The number one person I would shoutout in playing a huge factor in the growth of my business, would easily be my dad. Over the course of my whole life so far, I watched him build his own business from the ground up. I’ve observed his patience, his grace and encouragement with his employees, and his dedication to never stop learning how to be a better leader and entrepreneur. He has been readily available to answer any questions I’ve had, and he has never hesitated to push me out of my comfort zone, even when he knows how scary taking a leap as an entrepreneur can be.
On a very real note, fear is something I’ve always struggled with. As much as being a business owner was a dream of mine, I could not have taken the leap of faith without my family, my husband, and my best friend encouraging me to step into what they already knew I was capable of. They are absolutely the biggest reason I am able to live my dream job and stay in a mindset where I can keep taking risks without letting fear take over.

Website: photosbyannachristine.com

Instagram: @annachristine.photo

Image Credits
Anna Christine Photography