We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Lynn Welles a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.
Lynn, 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?
That is an ongoing process for me. I’ve been an introvert for all my life. I prefer to stay in the background and go unnoticed in most situations. However as I grow older, I’ve learned that it could be beneficial to speak up and stop hiding.
Years ago I walked into a situation where I knew no one there. As I approached a small group of women, one stepped out and said to me, “Hi, my name is Carla. I don’t believe we’ve met.” And she reached out to shake my hand. That single moment was life changing for me. The feeling that I received when she took it upon herself to welcome me became a huge impact on how I behaved moving forward. I resolved to take a risk and introduce myself, to be the first one to reach out when entering a situation where I might be unknown.
It’s not easy. I have been known to create a dialogue in my head beforehand, so that I might have a response to any potential comments. It means overcoming any stress and nerves that try to take over – a constant battle for me.
Having a camera in hand, it acts as a ‘barrier’ between me and people I don’t know. That used to be my crutch – people tend to ignore the photographer at an event and I could carry on without having to interact with others.
But I’m constantly working to improve. I have reached a point where I am completely at ease talking to other photographers when on location – we have so much in common I sometimes have to tell myself to stop talking!
I still find those nerves creeping in, wondering whether I will fit in, or worried that I won’t be able to hold a conversation without a lot of awkward silence, but my reaction to that gets better each time I’m faced with an unknown situation. And I don’t plan to stop improving myself anytime soon.
Great, so let’s take a few minutes and cover your story. What should folks know about you and what you do?
My story has been told thousands of times – I’ve loved photography since I was a kid headed to camp one summer and my Grandmother bought me a small Kodak camera. I still have those pictures (and probably the negatives as well).
After putting the camera down for years while raising a family – there was no time for my hobbies – I picked it back up again and, a few years ago, decided to get serious about it. I found that I loved landscape photography and began selling my work on Etsy with the help of a large support group of other like minded photographers. It was such a high when a stranger first purchased a print of my work! That was an immense validation to my self-esteem and it’s what drives me to this day to keep producing images that create emotion to a viewer. Standing around for hours in a field, waiting for the sun to either rise or set with other like-minded photographers can be so rewarding when the light is sof perfect for just the briefest of moments – and then gone – and you got the shot!
After landscapes my next favorite subject is wild horses. I have also been a horse lover ever since I can remember, and seeing them in the wild is an incredible experience. Having an opportunity to take photographs of them as they roam the range is nirvana to me.
My newest venture will be selling limited edition, signed prints. I am in the process of building a new website for that specific purpose. With an extended trip to Northern Italy later in 2025, I expect to add some fantastic work to my portfolio.
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?
Of course it’s never too late. I wish I’d gotten brave and forged ahead with my professional photography journey years ago. But I lacked that self confidence. You hear it all the time – you don’t know until you try – but how often do we ignore that and listen instead to the little voice in our head telling us we’re not good enough or don’t have enough time? Break free from that!
Never stop learning and never think you are done learning. There is so much knowledge out there for either no charge or next to nothing. You can find instruction on most anything you are interested in. Find your niche and fall down into that rabbit hole. Embrace the learning.
Find someone like-minded to share your journey with. Maybe meet someone along the way on your path, or maybe it’s a friend you already have. Sharing a love and learning together, having someone to bounce ideas off of, or just someone to vent to when the going gets tough can be invaluable.
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?
Two people have played a very important role in my development as a professional landscape photographer. My husband, who has patiently watched me give up on so many projects over the years. When I was ready to take a big step financially to further my photography education, he was skeptical. He forced me to really think about whether or not this would be another one of my half-finished efforts. That introspection cemented my resolve to make this one count. And he has been nothing but supportive since – even accompanying me on workshops and photo trips! I bounce ideas off of him to get a feel for what the ‘buying public’ might think. He’s a great sounding board.
The other is a good friend I met years ago. We were boarding horses at the same barn and she is a photographer. Our shared passion for horses and photography created a special friendship. We bonded almost instantly and have followed the same path over the years. We travel together, support each other, critique each other’s work. She lives a few states away, but we are constantly in touch and sharing ideas.
Contact Info:
- Website: http://LAWelles.com
- Instagram: https://Instagram.com/LAWellesphotography
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/LAWellesPhotography
- Other: https://lynn-welles.pixels.com/ (Fine Art America)https://lawellesphotography.etsy.com
Image Credits
All images are original, taken by me, Lynn Welles
so if you or someone you know deserves recognition please let us know here.
