We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Denise Johnson a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.
Denise, thank you so much for taking the time to share your lessons learned with us and we’re sure your wisdom will help many. So, one question that comes up often and that we’re hoping you can shed some light on is keeping creativity alive over long stretches – how do you keep your creativity alive?
I keep my creativity alive by seeing the beauty in everything and always try to snap a picture, whether it is a Portrait, a candid, or a photo of nature. I love sharing my nature photos. My creativity really shines through in every photo.
Appreciate the insights and wisdom. Before we dig deeper and ask you about the skills that matter and more, maybe you can tell our readers about yourself?
My photography journey started in my childhood. My father introduced me to the art of photography. He was an amateur photographer. I actually won my first camera, a Polaroid. I always remember having a camera in my hand in my teen years. I didn’t start my photography business until 9yrs ago.
As of right now I am trying to focus on building my portfolio up more and creating art and portraits for people. I also love capturing beautiful photos of nature, oceans, and beyond.
Looking back, what do you think were the three qualities, skills, or areas of knowledge that were most impactful in your journey? What advice do you have for folks who are early in their journey in terms of how they can best develop or improve on these?
The three qualities that have been the most impactful in my journey have definitely been perseverance, patience, and time.
Perserverance because I strive to become better at my art, to strive to improve my photography skills as much as possible. To create, to become a better photographer.
Patience because you need to be patient with your clients when doing a photo shoot, especially if there are children involved. You need to remember that they are little ones, just learning about the world.
Time because you can capture a moment in time for yourself, or others. It always makes me happy when I see the joy my clients have when they get their photos back, because I captured that moment in time. A hug between siblings, a first dance as husband and wife, a first tooth lost, and beyond.
Who has been most helpful in helping you overcome challenges or build and develop the essential skills, qualities or knowledge you needed to be successful?
Well it started with my father, he would let me use his camera. I still remember capturing some photos of my older brother, my father would always guide me, teach me, show me. He cultivated my love for photography.
My father in law, who actually was born on the same day as my father. He continued to inspire me, teach me, and show me new techniques, and I was actually thankful that he let me use his cameras. He also bought me my first and second DSLR cameras.
The third person is my boyfriend who keeps pushing me, going out on the weekends to capture as much photos as we can. He encourages me to capture everything I can, striving to keep growing.
Contact Info:
- Instagram: www.instagram.com/denj1219
- Facebook: www.facebook.com/denj1219
