Anne owns and runs a photography business — Anne Yarbrough Photography — and she shoots everything, from documentary pieces to weddings and pet portraits.
Anne is trained in studio and natural lighting, film and digital photography, and her diversified experience enables her to create relaxed but professional portraits.
Putting Subjects at Ease
Anne loves getting to make her own schedule and working with people in their homes, and is becoming involved in creating stories to effect positive change. No matter the context, Anne appreciates the positivity of her work: she likes to see her subject getting spoiled with extra attention, and she revels in the pride of clients like parents and pet owners.
Because she hates posing for the camera herself, Anne does whatever she can to make her clients comfortable. She always goes into a project with a bit of nervous anxiety, expecting the unexpected, but she uses this energy to connect with customers who may feel the same jitters.
By going with the flow and adapting to each situation, she’s able to draw out her subjects’ natural personalities just by being genuine.
Accessibility and Value
Athens has a lot of photographers, and among them, many underquote for their services. Anne admits that it’s tempting to underquote, but the same people who hire the dirt cheap photographers often end up regretting it.
It may be that the pictures are poor quality, or the rapport between client and photographer may be half-hearted. She advises that business owners and other photographers take all factors into account, and to remember that it’s a good thing for people to value your work.
To do this, Anne talks to business owners in a variety of fields to learn how they package their products and services. Fresh perspectives allow her to develop her business acumen, and keep in mind that it can’t be all about the pictures.
Community Giving
Anne’s best advice speaks to her own intuition: always seek to understand other personalities. When you perceive that someone is reacting to you in a strange way, instead of reciprocating, force yourself to understand why that may be happening. She also tries to put herself in social situations that are outside of her normal comfort zone. For her, that means being around other photographers, facing her fears, and finding ways to work together. She suggests embracing competition: “it’s healthy, and it makes you step up your game!”
Anne believes that simple, friendly exposure, like going to an art opening and showing support, brings the most worthwhile return.
It only takes an hour to show up. Some of my favorite people are just going to ‘be there’ for you. I want to be better about doing that for other people.
To Anne, one of the best ways to network is to collaborate on creating something positive. She volunteers her time taking portraits for Athens Pets, which are used to promote animals in need of new homes and medical treatment. On doing acts of service, Anne holds that “helping the community you live and work in is something we should all hold ourselves accountable for.”