Meet Emma Hopgood

We recently connected with Emma Hopgood and have shared our conversation below.

Hi Emma, thank you so much for opening up with us about some important, but sometimes personal topics. One that really matters to us is overcoming Imposter Syndrome because we’ve seen how so many people are held back in life because of this and so we’d really appreciate hearing about how you overcame Imposter Syndrome.

To be quite honest I still struggle with this from time to time. It’s still so hard for me to believe that I’ve made so much growth in my photography. But I’d say the biggest thing that helped me overcome imposter syndrome is my faith in God. I remember in February i was at the lowest point in my self esteem and confidence. I felt like I would never succeed with my photography and be a failure. But I swear to you I wrote down those very same feelings in my journal, prayed about it and God said “bet”. All he needed was a few weeks and quite literally everything changed. Not only did my photography begin to take off, but the way that I viewed myself changed completely. I am forever grateful and I view this as my testimony!! God will put you in the places that you are supposed to be in. God will give you the talents you’re supposed to have. Stay confident in everything you feel is meant for you and never doubt yourself or the things God can do!!

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

Hellooo!! My name is Emma and I am a aspiring photographer 🙂

I’ve been doing photography CONSISTENTLY for 8 months now and it’s the most amazing thing that has ever happened to me. I’m so in love with what I do because I have never felt so passionate about anything like this in my life before. I’ve always been a very expressive person in EVERYTHING I do whether it’s fashion, makeup, my personality or just going out and having fun. So being able to express myself through my work has been really enjoyable!! I’d say the most exciting thing about what I do is being able to portray my ideas through my models. I love using beautiful cool people to create visuals I see in my head which usually consist of bright colors, strong expressions and fashion!! I challenge myself everyday to bring something different and exciting into the photography industry. I don’t want my art to blend in i want it to STAND OUT in its own special way and so far I feel like i’ve done a good job at that , BUT I’m far from satisfied!! I know I have so much more to bring into the game and I can’t wait to share it with y’all!!

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?

I’d say the three biggest qualities that were most impactful in my journey were definitely praying, staying consistent and being hungry. I prayed everyday thanking God for the growth he had given me, or if I started to feel less confident or even asking him to bless me with more ideas!! Anything that involved my work I gave it to God and I still do!! Staying consistent is also VERY important and I’m so glad I locked in and realized this!! Never give up, keep going harder and harder. People will NOT notice you if you give them bits and pieces I guarantee you that. You have to have something to show for so don’t get lazy, if you want it bad you have to act like it!! And being hungry goes hand in hand with that. You have to WANT whatever you’re striving for. Every day you should be thinking of new ideas to bring to life to the point where you can’t even sleep until you’ve gotten it figured out. I’ve stayed up for hours after I said I was gonna go to sleep because my mind was so busy thinking about “what can I do next?” “what is something that would grab everyone’s attention?” and those very thoughts have gotten me so far in my journey!! Be intentional in what you’re doing and the work will pay off

How would you spend the next decade if you somehow knew that it was your last?

If I knew I only had a decade of my life left I would spend that decade literally doing everything I possibly could LOL. Like I’m doing EVERYTHING. I think the most important thing in life is to really LIVE it to the fullest, feel every emotion and don’t take things too seriously!! I feel like I would also be appreciating my friends and family so much in that decade as well. I feel like we don’t truly realize how short life really is. People won’t be here forever ya know?? So really take the time to fully enjoy the people you are surrounded by, not only when you have a decade of life left either

Contact Info:

• Instagram: @shotsxemma
• Other: personal insta: @theemmaeliz