Follow Your Heart: Becoming a Confident Photographer {Interview with Amy Lockheart}

Tanya Goodall Smith

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Welcome to Time Out with Tanya, where I’ve put my fast paced graphic design career on hold in favor of adventures in motherhood. I’m capturing every moment on camera and you can come along, if you’d like. Sign up for my weekly email here so you’ll never miss a Time Out.

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Have I mentioned I’m headed to Click Away this September? To say I’m excited for a little photography retreat away from the kids and responsibilities of my life is an understatement. I’ve had the privilege of interviewing some of the talented Clickin’ Moms Instructors who will be teaching during the event and will be featuring them over the next few weeks. I’m starting off with Amy Lockheart, whose talent and authentic portraits of children I greatly admire…

So, tell me about yourself and your photography business.

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My most important job is being a Mother to 3 beautiful little people. They are my purpose in life and I am so blessed to call them my own. I also have a handful of professional roles that keep me very busy when my kids are at school. I am the Product Editor for Click Magazine, a print and digital magazine for the modern photographer. I also am a part of the team planning Click Away which is taking place in September 2014 in Salt Lake City. I am a Mentor and Instructor at Clickin Moms where I enjoy helping women become better photographers. Lastly, I own a boutique photography business focusing on children and family lifestyle portraiture. My roles with Click Magazine and Clickin Moms have kept me very busy, and I recently have had to step back from my own business in order to maintain a healthy balance with work and family life.

Tell me about your journey to becoming a photographer.

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Like many moms, my passion for photography grew after my kids were born. I read through almost every single photography book in our local library, spent hours reading tutorials online, participated in a few online workshops, and connected with other photographers at local photo walks and Clickin Moms meet ups. I have enjoyed the process of learning, exploring, and growing so much – it’s the journey that is such a gift. I have met some amazingly talented and passionate photographers who I am blessed to call my friends. Overall, photography has had such a profound impact on my life – from allowing me to have a fulfilling and rewarding career to giving me a creative outlet that I can share with my family.

What’s in your camera bag?

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The camera body I use most often is my Nikon D4, but I also have a D90 that has been well loved. It makes a nice back up now and my kids can use it, too. I have quite a few lenses that I use: Nikon 35mm f/1.4G, Nikon 50mm f/1.4G, Nikon 85mm f/1.4G, Nikon 105mm f/2.8G, Nikon 70-200mm f/2.8 VRII, Lensbaby Composer Pro with Sweet 35 and Edge 80 optics. I almost never shoot a session without a reflector – I feel lost without it! I use a Lastolite Tri-Grip reflector with white on one side and silver on the other. My ExpoDisc is another piece of gear that I use constantly. I have several camera bags that I rotate depending on my mood and the nature and location of the shoot.

Is there anything you wish was in your camera bag?

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Hmmm…that is tough! New toys are SO much fun! I’d love a D610 to carry with me for everyday shooting and capturing video. Nikon sent me one to play with and I really liked it. My D4 is just too heavy to carry around in my purse. I love having a camera with me all the time – that way if I am always prepared if I see something I’d like to capture. I’d also like a Nikon tilt-shift and the new Sigma 50mm Art lens. An Edelkrone slider would be a fabulous toy that I would have so much fun playing with this summer.

What’s the biggest challenge you have faced as a photographer and how have you overcome it? Or are you still working through it?

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I can say with confidence that my biggest challenge is confidence! I am constantly questioning my abilities and worrying what others think of my work. It’s a pitfall that some photographers are able to avoid, and I wish I could say the same. I believe that without a sense of self-confidence in one’s work it is very difficult to reach one’s full creative potential and create images that are truly authentic and meaningful. I feel that confidence plays such a big role in any artist’s journey that I chose to focus on the topic for one of the classes I will be teaching at Click Away.

How did you become involved with Clickin Moms?

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I joined Clickin Moms in 2009 as a member. I was fairly new to photography at the time and wanted a place where I could connect with other female photographers. I fell in love with the community and over time my involvement grew to Mentor, Instructor, and then staff.

What courses will you be teaching at Click Away and what can attendants expect from your classes?

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I will be teaching two classes at Click Away. The first is called Follow Your Heart: Becoming a Confident, Creative, and Authentic Photographer. I will be sharing stories from own my personal journey, strategies for overcoming self-doubt, tricks for boosting creativity, and lessons from artists who have continued to create art in the face of obstacles.

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The second program I am leading is called Shooting Through the Seasons, in which I will share my tips and tricks for photographing in all sorts of weather conditions and infusing a sense of seasonality in your work.

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I am so excited for Click Away and can’t wait to be in one city with so many inspiring photographers from all over the world. September can’t come soon enough!

Check out Amy’s gorgeous work on her website and connect with her on Facebook. I’m totally stoked to take her class and pick up some tips on becoming a more confident photographer.

P.S. I hope all the moms out there were honored and celebrated yesterday. In case you missed it, check out my post about a mom who puts herself in the picture at least once per month: FAMILY SELFIES: MOM PUTS HERSELF IN THE PICTURE {AN INTERVIEW WITH REBECCA STEPHENSON}

CREDITS: Photographs by Amy Lockheart are copyrighted and have been used with permission for SLR Lounge. Do not copy, modify or re-post this article or images without express permission from SLR Lounge and the artist.