Meet Anna Warren

Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Anna Warren. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Anna, first a big thank you for taking the time to share your thoughts and insights with us today. I’m sure many of our readers will benefit from your wisdom, and one of the areas where we think your insight might be most helpful is related to imposter syndrome. Imposter syndrome is holding so many people back from reaching their true and highest potential and so we’d love to hear about your journey and how you overcame imposter syndrome.

Honestly, just doing something, whether it’s life changing or not! I’ve had severe anxiety for as long as I can remember, so when it came to my photography, imposter syndrome wasn’t a new feeling. I don’t want to say it will totally go away, but learning to invest in your creative endeavors for yourself, as opposed to proving your worth to others, helps overcome it. Every time I pick up a camera, I do it for me. I want to be able to look back at the photos I’ve taken and relive the feeling of seeing something that beautiful again. With that mindset, it’s impossible to take a bad picture.

Great, so let’s take a few minutes and cover your story. What should folks know about you and what you do?

I focus mainly on landscape and nature photography, and I only shoot on film. Most of my life has been spent in western Kentucky, on our family farm. I would carelessly walk in the woods and fields for hours as a kid, absorbing and taking mental photos of everything I could. I don’t consider myself religious, but when I spend my days out there, it feels like an intimate conversation with God. Learning how to shoot on film really changed my life. I always loved science and math and never thought of myself as a creative person. Film combined science and creativity, and allowed me to have the best of both worlds. About a year ago, I took a job working in a film lab, and now I am the head lab technician. It’s really cool getting to experience the whole process of film photography, development and all. Sometimes I try my hand at portrait photography, editorial looks, the whole nine. But landscape photography is where my heart is.

If you had to pick three qualities that are most important to develop, which three would you say matter most?

I think that one skill is active listening. I listened to those around me that were in the photography field, and learned as much as I could from them. They taught me important aspects of photography, but they also reminded me that taking photos was a hobby before anything. Another is patience! Being patient with myself created a safe space for my art. Growth doesn’t happen over night. Accepting that it takes time helped me slow down, and really embrace the scene I was shooting. Lastly, making connections propelled me into the photography community. Take classes, workshops, follow people you admire on socials, buy other artists prints and photo books, etc. There are so many people who are on the same path as me, and being able to network with them has shaped me as an artist.

Before we go, maybe you can tell us a bit about your parents and what you feel was the most impactful thing they did for you?

Make me spend time outside! If my siblings and I had free time, we were outside. I wouldn’t have learned to love the world I was given had it not been for my parents. They both firmly stood in the testament that we came from the dirt, and to the dirt we will return. I live by the knowledge that I will always be home when I stand with the trees. I wouldn’t have it any different.

Contact Info:

• Instagram: anna.warren / annalogpixs
• Other: Reach out through email!
  [email protected]