Meet Coral Johnson

We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Coral Johnson a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Coral, we’re so excited for our community to get to know you and learn from your journey and the wisdom you’ve acquired over time. Let’s kick things off with a discussion on self-confidence and self-esteem. How did you develop yours?

As a 17-year-old photographer in a remote town in Colorado, I have struggled with my own confidence and self-esteem in my work and within myself. Being looked at as an “amateur” photographer is hard when you’re trying to grow a business or a name for yourself. When I was 14, I took a college photography class with Pueblo Community College through my high school. Taking this simple class brought me out of my shell and is where I started to grow some confidence in my work. The class had us all show all of our work and put everyone’s art out on the metaphorical table to show all classmates. Having to show it all and receive feedback can be very difficult especially when your self-esteem is low, and you don’t have confidence in your own work. A year or so after this class I was asked to do some senior photos for a few family friends. These where my first few paid shoots! This really helped my self-esteem since I felt like I was finally making it. But then shortly after senior season it was quiet I had no photoshoot lined up. This started to make me rethink. Am I good enough? Is my work worth it? Should I stop it all? With the little shoots I was doing, my Instagram (Coral9_Photography) fell quiet. After some time, a Co-Worker of mine was getting married and wanted some engagement photos. In which I offered to do them since I had never done this type of work before. After taking these photos I started to get more paid shoots for others including more engagements, seniors, headshots, and weddings. This is where I am now, learning how to navigate my own ever so changing self-esteem and confidence. Embracing new challenges and having a good support system develops your confidence; being your own number one supporter builds your self-esteem.

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?

I am a local photographer in Pagosa Springs, Colorado. Though I am relocating to Denver to finish my associate’s degree in arts. Then to start my bachelor’s degree in journalism and publishing. With this big move to Denver, I am going to be exploring different styles of photography and understanding more of the story a photograph can tell. I am also going to be progressing into an entrepreneurship goal of mine and begin setting steps to start selling my work on Etsy. In addition, I am looking forward to collaborating with business of many sizes. I am also looking into offering more photoshoot packages for large events and smaller gatherings to give people different price ranges for what they desire. All of these developments will be updated on my Instagram @coral9_photography.

There is so much advice out there about all the different skills and qualities folks need to develop in order to succeed in today’s highly competitive environment and often it can feel overwhelming. So, if we had to break it down to just the three that matter most, which three skills or qualities would you focus on?

Looking back through the last four years of photography, I can see a multitude of growth in myself starting with the patience behind a photographer and the photo. Patience is the key to an inspiring photo; without the time you take to create the story you tend to lose the meaning that shines through it. Patience is also found when you are going through a “drought” in your business, you just have to wait and continue to work to learn more. No matter what a good photo isn’t rushed but its patiently created. As much as patience is valuable, drive is what starts it all. Pushing yourself outside of your comfort zone allows you to grow and learn under any circumstance. If I hadn’t pushed to start my own photography account four years ago, I wouldn’t have grown to be the photographer that captures the important and meaningful moments in other people’s lives. To capture these moments communication and understanding is where your work speaks for itself. It is hard to guess what others have in mind for their important moments so making sure combination with both the photographer and client is met and agreed upon. This is their special moment, so understanding that their voice matters the most.

Okay, so before we go we always love to ask if you are looking for folks to partner or collaborate with?

I am looking for all collaborations on many levels including family moments or even doing photos for a brand. I am open to all opportunities since I am working to grow my knowledge in photography. If I were to be a part of a collaboration this would allow me to achieve one of my many goals. This would be beneficial to the collaborator since being a growing photographer allows me to have a different vison with the endless possibilities the photo can hold. With the professional and reliable person, I am excellent with communication, I also have great time management skills and keep my word on when the photo will be delivered and when to show up for the photo shoots. Even with complications my positive attitude on any work I do it’s something I make sure to keep since I am passionate about providing customers with the best work I can offer. It’s a part of me that I want to continue to grow and learn so I can be better not only for myself but also for the client.

Contact Info:

• Instagram: coral9_photography
• Facebook: Coral9_Photography

Image Credits

All photo credits go to Coral9photography