Inspired, A Very Special Project | Joy Harmon of Wildflowers Photography

    Wow I can’t believe I have already had the pleasure of interviewing FIVE amazing photographers here. Five photographers with their own creative eye. Their own voice, their own story. This journey has already managed to completely enthrall and inspire me. I can honestly say its been an honor and a pleasure and I am so excited to bring yet another force in this photography industry before you today! I have gotten some amazing feed back from everyone in regards to this project. My goal in beginning this journey was to really bring attention to the industry and how versatile, amazing and completely unique so many of these photographers are.  When I began emailing and contacting everyone I had no idea there would be so much interest or that I would get such a warm and positive response, not only from the photographers I chose to contact but the people that have been reading and following these interviews.  My own beginnings originated with the same insecurities and same questions that many of you reading this have had, or currently have. I hope to really bring awareness to the industry. Not only that having your OWN perspective is so special and important, but that we all begin the same way. We are not born into this. Well many of us aren’t. Our craft is nurtured and developed and the more time we invest, the more diligent and hungry to learn we become the more we flourish. This has been very true of my own path, not only in my work and my photographs. But also in my very being. Photography has changed me in ways I can not even begin to put into words here. It has made me want to see things in a better life. it has helped me to approach life in a more positive way. It has made me long to help others, and reach out and hopefully impress onto people that do not know me that this industry can be an overwhelmingly positive and joyous place to be. This week I have TWO amazing photographers to bring before you. I am uplifted, excited and hope that you come away feeling renewed, inspired and changed.

    Last week we interviewed Jenna Stoller of Patch 36 Photography. Such a creative and amazing woman. If you would like to look back and read her interview you can find that right HERE. There are also links back to the other photographers in the project there. Grab a cup of coffee if you have time and drink in all the amazing talent and generous information these women have shared. Even though I have conducted these interviews and read them countless times I still do this myself. I admit I have been in a bit of a creative funk and its help me in so many ways.

    This week we have the AMAZING Joy Harmon of Wildflowers photography. I confess that its only been a year or so since I stumbled upon her. One of my very best friends Krystal is getting married and after doing a ton of research found Joy and fell in love with her work. Though Krystal and I live miles and miles away from each other we have forged such a bond, with Photography being a huge driving force. I am honored to be a part of her big day this year when she gets married. She hired Joy and when she shared her work I fell in love. Joy has the imagination of a child. It is so special. So unique. Her images are so incredibly whimsical and chalk full of love. Since I have found her I have been completely obsessed. When I contacted her to be a part of this project I knew immediately WHY her work was so special. She is incredible. She is warm and sweet and genuine. Her work is pure and after following her for sometime now it is unmistakably hers. When I come across an image of hers, I know it belongs to her. She is also so giving and generous with her knowledge. In fact she runs her own workshops. You should definitely check them out. I would LOVE to attend one myself. I can only imagine what you would come away with from attending  one of them.

    You can find her Website HERE. And information on her workshop can be found HERE.

    So lets get this party started!

    Hi Sweet Joy!!

    (Gorgeous portrait of her by the amazing Bonnie Berry. You can find her work HERE.)

    You can say Hi to Joy too on her Facebook Page HERE.

     

    Lets get to know you! How would you describe yourself in three sentences?

     I am trying to find the happy in every day.

    I a wife to a very good man who supports me and loves me despite all of my insanity (thank you, donny), am a mama to three littles… gracie (5), brandon (3) and my sweet clementine (4 months).  I am consistently on the journey of getting closer to the simple life for our family, my photography, my business and just getting down to the good stuff; what it’s all about!

     

    What sparked your passion for Photography?  

    A trip to cambodia I took when I was 20 opened my eyes to the power of a photograph and the ability to share a story just with a single image once i returned home.  i started shooting nonstop and was so taken by human connection.  Then, when my first baby was born five years ago I was mesmerized by every inch of her and began to understand light, movement, details and understand love in a much more deep and beautiful way.

    Whats in your camera bag?  

    Two canon 5d mark ii bodies.  lenses:  35mm 1.4, 50mm 1.2, 85mm 1.2, 24mm 3.5 tilt shift, 100 macro

     

    What Camera/Equipment did you start out with?  

    canon rebel (film)

    If you could only use one lens an entire session which one would you choose and why?  

    50mm… it is tack sharp, I love that it opens up to 1.2 and just distance myself far enough from my subject so that even if I am photographing a family I still get them all in focus but can also let is all that lovely golden sunshine.

     

    What advice would you give to someone just beginning in photography and hoping to have a business of their own? 

     Don’t look at other photographer’s blogs for inspiration, don’t compare yourself to anyone else and start shooting in manual mode pronto!  My creativity and business grew the most and became something I was proud of when i began to try to out-do myself rather than out-doing other photographers.  I am always trying to capture sunlight in a new way than I have done before and always pushing myself.  Instead of trying to achieve a certain pose I am getting to know my subject and capture their warmth and individuality and seeing how they are different than the norm.

    What was your first official Photographer crush if you had one?

    I have always been a big fan of Tara Whitney’s work… love that she shoots honest, fun and simple photographs.

     

    What kind of photos do you like to take for just yourself when not working with clients?  

    The little things in our daily life as a family that used to go unnoticed… but I realized it is all those little details where I give most of myself to my children.  The mess made when baking together, my little Clementine’s baby chub, the kid’s artwork, the way my Gracie’s hair catches the sunshine when she is out caring for her chickens, the veggies in our garden and the little fingers that grasp them from the dirt.  All the good, simple stuff.

    Describe your style in 3 words.  

    Creative.  Warm.  Happy.

     

    Most embarrassing moment on a session would be?

    Well, I have either been pregnant or nursing most of the last five years.  and on a good amount of newborn sessions and holding crying babies I have soaked a few shirts with breast milk and just had to continue shooting, but it makes for laughter and easing any tension with post-partum clients!  I am hoping mamas out there can relate.  🙂

     

    Any challenges you have had to overcome to be where you are today?  

    Balance.  goodness, balance.  I am continually trying to find the new normal.  I have realized after a lot of frustrating years that i just cannot handle my business alone.  I need an assistant, I need time with my kids, I need time alone, I need to find time to be happy with my husband.  We work together on this business (he is part time stay at home dad, part time prop making extraordinaire!) and although we are together a lot, it is not all pleasant.  So we have to make time to just breathe, to remember we like each other and to recharge.

    Favorite time of day to shoot is? 

     The last 30 minutes of daylight and especially the soft, cool glow of the setting sun in the winter.  I am a sucker for sunflare, I use the sun as my most powerful “prop” so I try to find wide open spaces where I can let my clients play in the light.

     

    If you had to stop taking photos right now, what would you do instead?  

    Me a mama, pure and simple.  My happy place in my mind is being out in the country, all the windows open with linen curtains blowing in the breeze, being barefoot and pregnant in the kitchen (if God would like to bless us with more babies I would be thrilled but perhaps not for a while, please, lol!) and cooking up some sort of good comfort food with the babies running out in the yard.

    Have you attended college or had any formal education in Photography?

      I went to Pepperdine university but not for photography.  I did take a few film classes but I have learned the most about exposure and creativity with my photography by purely just trial and error.

     

     

    What do you do to get your clients to relax with you?  

    I make huge strides to get to know my clients before we meet for the session.  It is so important that the kid of session we shoot, the location, the clothing, the props, everything really, feels like “home” to them.  During the session, we talk, they play, we listen to their favorite music sometimes, I encourage comfort and silliness to get the most honest expressions and interaction.

     

    What are your photography related goals for 2012?  

    Continue to simplify.  Continue to balance.  We have several workshops scheduled that I want to really invest my whole heart into.

     

    How do you push yourself to keep growing and learning? Any Big Aha! Moments?  

    I have realized that the more time I spend of striving to be honest about who I am and my struggles I am experiencing as a mom/wife/individual/photographer the most connected I feel to my clients and the network of women photographers around me… which encourages me to grow and learn on a more beautiful scale.

     

    Digital or Prints?  

    Both!  I shoot in digital but develop all my favorites in small prints immediately, even my instagrams!  It is fun for our family to have photos on hand for projects, memories and we make collages of them often.  I also have my all time favorite photos of my children printed as flat fine art canvases on our walls in antique frames.

     

    You have the most AMAZING imagination. How do you keep coming up with so many original and inspiring ideas?  

    Why, thank you!  🙂  I can never seem to turn that part of my brain off.  I drive my husband crazy when we are watching movies with the kids, reading books, listening to old songs, walking around Disneyland, playing games, going for walk, pretty much all the time because I am always inspired by what I see/hear/experience.  I used to get so frustrated when I saw someone come up with a cool idea that i hadn’t perhaps “thought of it first” but it actually taught me to dig deeper and build themes from more simple ideas.  Themed shoots are becoming so popular now and I feel even more now that to create a more powerful image it has to come from something simplistic but meaningful.  One of my favorite shoots we did recently was ‘what little boys are made of’– it sprung from me talking to their mama about how one of their favorite things was to catch fireflies in jars out in the country and so began us trying to come up with basing their shoot around that theme in the most organic way possible and I loved the result.

     

    If you had to appoint a theme song to your work what would it be and why?

     ‘Simple life’ by the Weepies.  I love the childlike wonder of the words, the tune, the idea behind it all and striving for the simple life, of course.  🙂

    Where is your favorite place to find props for your sessions?  

    The craft store!  I love texture and am always looking for beautiful yarns or pretty little touches for crafty themed sessions.  We also frequent estate sales every month.  Aside from loving treasure hunting as our favorite date activity I always find one of a kind unique pieces that may tell a story all it’s own as jump start a vision for a shoot in my mind.

     

    When you begin to style your sessions are your clients totally on board or do you ever have to sell your ideas?  

    I would say it is a collaboration.  I get to know clients over email or over the phone and ask a ton of questions like we are on a first date!  🙂  I want the idea for the session to always come from their story and then I find ways to make it unique and special using props that i may be holding onto for the perfect client or I come up with crafty ways to tell their story with a bit of vintage flair thrown in.

    You are so inspirational. I am always looking to your work for the next amazing thing you come up with!! What would you say is your favorite session to date?  Well i am SO honored to have been asked to be a part of this.  🙂  As for my favorite session… it has to be my little clementine’s “knit together” shoot:  http://wildflowersphotos.com/blog/the-clementine-themed-shoot/.  I dreamed about it for months and months while I was pregnant with her just trying to find the perfect way to interweave her name with the idea that she was knit together in the womb.  I also didn’t want it to be too over the top with props or a cheesy theme and wanted it to feel very natural and have a way for my older children to want to be a part of it.  I was so happy of how it all came together.  🙂

     

    Fun stuff:

    Favorite Color:  yellow!

    Favorite Season:  spring – especially wildflowers season in the country

    Biggest Guilty Pleasure:  eating cream cheese frosting out of the can.  the whole can.

    Favorite Day of the Week:  monday… it is a photographer’s saturday!  and we can go anywhere as a family and avoid the mad rush

    Favorite Pandora Station:  Billie Holliday

    Studio or On location:  out in the sunshine

    What did you want to be when you grew up?  a mommy

    One thing no one knows about you is:  I am pretty open about my life!  but I rarely get out of my p.j.s.  Only when I really have to.

    Pc or Mac:  mac

    Lightroom Or Photoshop:  both

    Film or Digital:  both

    Props or No Props:  most of the time

    If you could travel anywhere it would be:  Australia is next on my list

    Glass Half Empty or Half Full:  full

    Favorite photo ever taken:  I have so many.  but they are always the ones that didn’t involve any set-up.  Mostly my children meeting their siblings for the first time and their honest expressions of nervous but wonderful joy.

    Raw or Jpeg:  raw

    Favorite Music to Edit to:  timeless, mellow, christian.  something to make me feel about joyful about work.

    Most valued material possession:  photo books of my children.

    Processing Style:  It is changing a bit!  leaning more towards the look of film… soft, romantic, hazy.

    Coffee or Tea:  neither.  dr. pepper

    If you could photograph a Celebrity who would it be?  Drew Barrymore

    What kind of Camera bag do you rock?  ketti handbag

    Thank you so much again sweet Joy for the honor and pleasure of this interview!!!
    I am so excited for Thursday’s interview as well so be sure to check back here to see who is next up on the list!!

    20 Lovely Comments  •  Leave a Comment for Sarah

    20 Beautiful Souls Commented

    1. These are really fanatic photographs . Beautiful couple ! made for each other .

    2. Lorna says:

      Truly inspirational work and such a wonderful outlook on life and what it all really means.
      THANK YOU
      x

    3. […] This week I read an interview with one of my favorite photographer crushes: Joy Harmon of Wildflowers Photography. When I came to the question about advice for amateurs, I was eager to hear what she had to […]

    4. I LOVE Joy’s work…it makes me smile. Thank you for doing this, Sarah!

    5. Megan Bryant says:

      Next to you, Wildflowers Photography is one of my absolute faves! I love her vintage flaire, and like you, I can spot her photos easily. They just have their own special feel! Thanks so much for showcasing this interview!!!

    6. Jenny says:

      I had the luxury of spending 3 beautiful days with Joy and her amazing family in California for her workshop and I can sincerely say she is one of a kind, an amazing woman, and just pure good. 🙂

    7. Amy Yellis says:

      I LOVE Wildflowers Photography! I kinda wish you had asked more about how she makes her unique photos. All settings, or does she use a little photoshop to get her dreamy style? I suppose those are secrets, though. 😉

    8. Linda says:

      A.maz.ing!!!!!!!!!!

    9. Karie says:

      Loved this interview! Thank you !

    10. Kerri says:

      Wow. This was simply jaw dropping. What a great interview. Each time a new picture scrolled down I was like “get out of here” or “No way” and the almighty “OMG”. I just fell in love. You have a wonderful imagination. This was by far my favorite read. =)

    11. So glad I saw your interview. I am so very proud to claim Joy as the woman who married my son, became my daughter, and gave me 3 adorable grandchildren! And if I could describe Joy in only three words (!) they would be Love, integrity, and JOY!

    12. karen stewart says:

      AMAZING!!! In love with her work <3

    13. Sarah Bunch says:

      YAY! Joy, you are so amazing! I’m a huge fan. I love it that I’m not the only one who can stay in my pjs all day. Phew!

    14. Great Interview.. I too am newish to Joy’s work and WOW.. I just love it.. so I was so happy to read this interview.

    15. Lelia says:

      Great post! Thank you for sharing.

    16. Grace says:

      I am absolutely smitten with Joy’s work. So inspiring, unique, and moving. I had the pleasure of taking one of her photography workshops for parents this past summer and learned so much. She was a delight! So fun to read her interview and see more of her work. Thanks for featuring her, Sarah.

    17. thank you SO much for making me feel so welcomed here!!! i am incredibly honored to have been one of the photographers chosen to taken part in this project. i adore you sarah and appreciate the opportunity to reach out to all the other women, mamas, photogs that are struggling with this beautiful chaos that we try and balance ever so gently every day. thank you thank you thank you!!!! lots of love!!!!!!! xoxoxoxoxoxoxo

    18. Faith says:

      This might be my favorite so far…love her style.

    19. kellytonks says:

      <3

      xo

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