We are so excited to be featuring Anja McDonald of Anja McDonald Photography! Here work is absolutely amazing! Read on to learn more about Anja and her Photography.
Hi, I’m Anja McDonald, a photographer living in Western Australia with my husband and our three children.
I grew up in Scandinavia in a home full of colour and creativity. Design and the art of making has always been a huge part of my life, so it was an easy decision to study art and photography! I love yoga, art, the beach, reading, coffee time with friends and I spend way to much time on Facebook 🙂
When and how did you start out in photography? I did my a levels in photography and arts and just carried on from there. I did in-house training with a high street portrait photographer back in the days where you spend 90% of your time in the dark room instead of in front of the computer and then I have done a load of workshops to keep up to date.
When did you first realize you wanted to be a photographer? It’s all I have ever wanted to be really! My Mum was always super creative and very supportive in my creative projects ever since I was little. I do actually have a degree in financial economics but I have yet to use it 🙂
How would you describe your style? My style is relaxed, artistic and candid. I never ask for forced smiles or awkward poses. My style has definitely evolved over the years and I do my very best to style my shoots to what my customers want and what suits them. So I guess I fall into the category of custom photography
What’s in your gear bag? I shoot canon simply because that’s what they used at the very first studio I worked at! I use a Canon 5D mark III as my primary and have a few back ups that I honestly never use! I only have L-series lenses after spending a fair bit of money buying cheap lenses over the years, so now I save and buy what I actually need instead.
One lens you can’t live without? I love my prime lenses and especially the 50mm 1.2 L! But as my kids are getting bigger I am falling in love with my 70-200mm 2.8L. It’s super sharp, amazingly fast, and you can just relax and let the kids do their thing and catch it all on camera. I LOVE it
How did know when the right time to start charging was? I started charging right away. I have done a few sessions here and there for free to build my portfolio if it was something very specific I needed. I was given a fantastic bit of advice from on of my all-time favorite mentors when I started out for myself: Never work for free! If you do you are saying your work isn’t worth anything and it’s hard to decide when the time to start charging has come!
Saying that, I was able to start my own business with an existing portfolio. I realize that you need a gallery, but if it’s mainstream photos like families or location shoots why not just charge a small amount instead of doing it for free? At least to cover your expenses.
How much did you charge for your first session and how much are you charging for the same type of session now? I don’t even remember what my first pricelist consisted off! I have worked in a few different countries and you really need to do your market research before setting up shop. I have always been in the mid to high price range and my prices have increased as I have developed as a photographer. It takes time to get editing technics, setups, prop stash and so on just right for your style.
How did you market yourself when you started out? As a custom photographer! I designed each session to suit the customer.
We are going to play a game… name the first person that comes to mind when you think of…
Newborn photographer: Anne Geddes
Wedding photographer: Jonas Peterson
Lifestyle photographer:Jesh de Rox
Most inspiration person: My husband. Yes, I know that’s really sappy, but he really is an inspiration. He changed his career quite late in life to do a job that gives him true job satisfaction and he has always been fully supportive of my passion for photography. He lets me go on and on and on about my work and always offers advice and support.
Did you go to school for photography or were you self- taught? I went to school, but it still takes a lot of self-teaching, endless hours of fiddling with photoshop, studio lights, reading online forums and so on. And I am still learning new things all the time. I am really lucky to have some amazing friends who are professional photographers as well. Instead of treating each other like competitors we are always willing to help each other out.
What has been some of the hardest things to overcome in your business? Finding the right balance between being a photographer and being a wife and a mum! I think a lot of working mums can relate to this. We all know that there is always a shoot that needs editing, blog that needs updating or even worse paperwork that needs doing, and we all spend most of our time behind the computer and not, as some may think, behind the camera J I am getting a lot better at working when its my ‘working hours’ and being a mum when I am ‘off’ work. I just had baby number 3 and I am going back to work in two weeks. So for now I am just enjoying being with my family.
Do you have any tips for photographers just starting out? Don’t stress! There IS a market for you and there are plenty of customers. Take your sweet time to get it right and then the rest will come.
If for some reason you couldn’t be a photographer what do you think you would be? Ha ha, even though I have a degree in finance that is the last thing I would ever do! I would love to have a little beach café with a yoga studio in the back lol. This place would probably never make a profit, as I would be sat having coffee with my friends all day long (and probably photograph life happening around me!).
What’s the best lesson in photography that you’ve learned so far? Get it right in camera!
What are your thoughts on lifestyle photography? I love lifestyle photography. I am crazy about unposed, natural shots that really tell a story. I adore spending the day with a family in the park, beach or even in their home capturing all those special moments that we sometimes don’t even notice. I take a lot of pictures of my children’s every day routines and I love those natural images of them.
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