Meet Emily Everett

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

Emily, appreciate you making time for us and sharing your wisdom with the community. So many of us go through similar pain points throughout our journeys and so hearing about how others overcame obstacles can be helpful. One of those struggles is keeping creativity alive despite all the stresses, challenges and problems we might be dealing with. How do you keep your creativity alive?

I think like most creatives, creativity ebbs and flows. For me, shooting self portraits and getting outside in nature always help inspire new ideas within me. Taking the time to notice the way the light hits the leaves, how shadows are cast upon the ground, and the sounds and feelings I get from being outside always help inspire me and light that creative fire.

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 was born in the mid 80’s and raised in southern Maine. I got my first little camera as a child and all I remember is that it was hot pink. I always loved saving memorabilia from trips or special occasions and have been nostalgic for the past for as long as I can remember. I always knew I wanted to leave Maine, travel, and live in as many places as I could before ever settling down, or maybe never settle down at all.

At age 20 I moved to the North Carolina mountains and then the beach in South Carolina shortly after. I spent 8 years in Folly Beach and Charleston, SC, which is where I started taking photography more seriously. I went from shooting friends and artsy self-portraits for fun, to second-shooting weddings and eventually shooting professionally for friends and some local boutiques in Charleston. After going back to college at College of Charleston and getting a BFA focusing on film photography, I started freelancing for outdoor portraits and other lifestyle-type photography.

When I moved to Seattle in 2016, I found it challenging to find work, as photography is quite an over-saturated market here. I kinda gave up for a bit on making that a full-time job and just took jobs on the side when they came about. A few years later, I dedicated a few months to a 200 hour yoga teacher training, where the idea of starting up a yoga photography business came to mind. I noticed there were only a couple of photographers in Seattle who specialized in movement/yoga photography and most of them were men. Upon completing my YTT, I started Hiraeth Yoga, and found my little photography niche in the yoga community. I chose the name Hiraeth because it really spoke to me. Hiraeth – (pronounced here-eyth) is a welsh concept of longing for home. The closest English translation implies missing a time, an era or a person. A homesickness for what may no longer even exist.

My goal is to provide fellow yoga + wellness teachers with unique and creative natural light photographs to help folks build their brand aesthetic and provide photographs that represent and reflect their voice. Many yoga photographers strictly capture asana, or yoga poses, but a lot of what I capture with Hiraeth is the energy of the teacher. I want the viewer to feel the essence of the person in the photographs – their kindness, their softness, their gifts. I get hired by many folks who are introverted or shy, or really dislike being on camera – and one of my favorite things to hear after a shoot is how easy it was, how fun, and how comfortable they felt with me. When they get their images back I almost always hear ‘Wow! I never love images of myself, but these feel like me! I love so many of them!’ This part of photographing people is my favorite.

My most recent movement photography offerings is for aerial artists in Seattle! I have been shooting outdoor pole dancers this year and am loving it. It has been a lovely challenge and also something I have found doesn’t really exist in this city. I upgraded my camera at the start of the year and have been learning video as well. I’m hoping to expand my offerings as I get more confident and familiar with video.

You can check out my yoga photography site here: www.hiraethyoga.com and my pole dancing photography and videography on Instagram https://www.instagram.com/asteriaaerialartistry/

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

Being ready for anything, knowing that I have the skills to keep up and make the necessary adjustments to my settings is something I find most important for my confidence as a photographer.

For me, I would say that pushing myself out of my comfort zone with where I shoot has helped me the most. Especially as a natural light photographer, the light is ALWAYS going to be different and the color balance can change at any moment, so you have to be ready for anything. To capture truly beautiful shots, you must fully understand your camera and how light works. Working with natural light, you can’t rely on strobes and fill lights, so you have to constantly analyze the current light conditions and adjust my camera settings accordingly.

Shooting natural light can be very limiting as you must shoot during certain times of day. I never shoot mid-day when the light is directly overhead, because this will cause shadows and harsh lights on my subject. Clouds can move in at any time, taking away your light source, and forcing you to completely reconfigure your setup.

It’s not always easy; sometimes it’s super frustrating, sometimes the light just doesn’t work how you want it to and the images don’t come out amazing, but that’s just part of the game. When you do capture those amazing images that just feel beautiful, it’s the best feeling in the world.

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

I am looking to expand my movement portfolio and would love to collaborate with traditional ballet dancers, modern dance, hip hop etc, for photography and videography. If you’re in the Seattle area, please reach out! I will be moving home to Maine in 2025 and would love to connect with yoga instructors, pole instructors/studios, and other dancers looking to work together.

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