today starts the first of a little series i’ve been wanting to do for SO long now. I’ve seen it done here and there over the last few years. I recently got a little kick in the butt to do it this new year from a lovely lady i met last year. Lindsay Gee. I went last year to Vancouver for a workshop. It was incredible. The host was Jamie Delaine. Not only did i learn a ton but i got to meet a seriously amazing crew of wonderful people. I only wish the workshop was longer then one day. I wanted to spend a week with some of these gals.
ok- off topic…. I”ve been doing this for 4 years now and i’ve learnt SO much over the years. Mostly from other photographers. actually all form others and being self taught with classes here and there. I always say…sharing is caring… i feel that this industry is super cut throat and at times caddy. so why don’t we all support each other and grow together. well this could be a start to that. I polled everyone with the same questionnaire list of some juicy did bits and can not wait to learn more about you all.
first up… the gorgeous Dara Enns. This girl has some serious talent and is the sweetest, kind lady ever. Unfortunately i haven’t even had the chance to meet her in person yet. We’ve had this awesome online/facebook love affair going for about two years now. Thanks for jumping on board my journey dara. can’t wait to meet your beautifulness.
|like can we say gorgeous|
name: Dara
name of business: Dara Enns Photography
how long have you been in business: About 2 years?
fav place to shop: anthropologie, Frye, Shopbop, and of course OMG Cupcakes.
fav music: Keane, Foster the People, Arcade Fire, Coldplay, Kathleen Edwards,
Young the Giant, and whatever else my kids want on the iPod. We love music -
living room dance parties are a must-have.
when did your love of photography begin? I think its always been there. I’m so
drawn to portraits, and once I got my first film camera I was totally hooked. I had
wanted to go to art school, but instead ended up moving to northern Alberta and
staying here. I was shooting constantly, and it just seemed like a very natural way
for me to explore my thoughts and the world around me.
when did you know you wanted to pursue photography professionally? When I
realized what hard work it was going to be, and I still felt ready to take that on.
do you shoot on location or in a studio? On location. Studio made me feel constrained.
sweet or salty? Ooooh… I like this one. I’d say salty, but really, shouldn’t spicy be an option? I’m going with spicy.
nikon or canon? Canon (confession: once you’ve invested a certain amount of money in a brand you’re sort of committed).
your “go to” lens? I really love my 35 1.4L – so light and fast!
what type of photography do you prefer to shoot? Portraits – preferably ones with a little mystery or a lot of joy and humor.
how would you describe your style? Constantly evolving! I am really drawn to making images that are super clean and have movement in them. I want to show the
viewer someone that they’d like to know, someone that they’re curious about. And I’d like to show the subject someone familiar, but maybe a new side of them as well that they
haven’t explored before.
how has your work evolved since your first began your career?
Oh my. Four years ago I hated everything I was making. I knew that I really wanted to get better, but I just wasn’t sure how. It was almost like I was waiting
for someone knowledgable to come along and tell me that I was on the right path. Thankfully at this latest point in my life I don’t feel like I need anyone’s approval
or permission to feel like I’ve made a good image. If I love it, that’s enough. Having said that, the technical stuff drives me crazy and I constantly work very,
very hard to always improve it.
what’s the biggest misconception about being a photographer? That its really glamourous and you have loads of free time.
photoshop or lightroom? Both! I use each program for different things, but every image I take has a turn in both Lightroom and Photoshop.
what hobbies do you enjoy outside of the lens? I love to read – I try very hard to read a book a week, although that doesn’t always work. I think biking is pretty super,
too. The relaxing kind of biking – not the spandex & water bottles intense kind. I spend lots of time, of course, with my husband and our three kids. Oh, and food, of course!
Good food and wine has to be the best hobby of all, am I right?
are you full time photographer or do you have a day job? what did you do prior to becoming a photographer?
I’m a full-time photographer. Before that I was employed in the design field at a few different places. I don’t necessarily enjoy all the creative constraints that come
with working for committees, because it seems like the best ideas are the ones that get cut. I’m a little bit of a risk-taker, and I like the freedom of striking out in a
new area with total freedom.
if you have kidlets, how do you manage the work/life balance? Honestly, its very, very hard, and we’re always trying to work a few kinks out.
Work intrudes on family, and family intrudes on work. I know some people in the business who seem to have a good balance, but it takes a lot of intentional and
focused effort to get there. The biggest thing I’ve done is to make policies and stick to them. As well, my husband is incredible, and he is the single biggest force
behind making this life a reality for me. He happily steps in and does whatever needs to happen to make family life work. We share household chores (in
whatever way works for us both at that particular point), we share parenting jobs…honestly, we share everything. We try to be a closely connected team, and that’s
what keeps things good. It is so wonderful to have a partner who takes what you’re doing seriously and sees it as being just as important as what they’re doing. Yep…
he’s pretty much my favourite. Having said all this, my job isn’t a normal job, and the biggest struggle will always be balance.
how do you balance to business side of things with the creative side? do you have it mastered? I take time to find things that fill me up again and keep my
creative side awake. I shoot things all the time just because I want to. And I go to a photography professional’s workshop or retreat every year. Not so much to come back
withamazing camera ninja skills, but more to connect with others in the industry and just go somewhere and see things with new eyes. I find that helps SO much!
Thebusiness side balances itself. Its like the bossy big sister, always telling you what you should be doing and asking where you’re going because shouldn’t you becleaning
your office? I try to deal with the business parts as quickly and efficiently as possible so I can take my time on the parts that really enjoy.
what inspires you? do you ever lack creativity? Books, words, children, my imagination, and most of all everything I see around me in nature. Ultimately I feel that the
soul of my content comes from my subject. So that’s where my focus is, and I spend much less time thinking about being creative and much more time trying to connect with
my subject in a way that brings out new things in them. When a client really ‘gets’ that and starts to collaborate with me… those are the shoots that are super magical. If I
have good light I can make almost anything look nice, but there’s nothing more inspiring than photographing someone who really gets what you’re trying to do and responds
to it.
in your next life, what would you do for a living? I’d love anything that involved owning property on the west coast and spending lots of my time planting things and
making them grow.
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