Today we’d like to introduce you to Johanna Oakes.
Hi Johanna, thanks for sharing your story with us. To start, maybe you can tell our readers some of your backstory
I was born and raised in Nice, in the south of France. My passion for photography started when I was in my country, and I had my first phone with a camera included. I loved taking pictures of my beautiful hometown. It was in 2012. A little later, I bought my first real camera, and even if I had no clue how to use it, I still had it with me all the time. In 2014, at 25 years old, I decided to apply for the Disney International Program, and I was hired to work in the French Bakery in Epcot. I brought my camera along and made sure to document every cities and state I visited during that year. I met my incredible husband during that year, and he proposed in 2015 in my hometown. 🙂 Since he is American, I decided to return to Orlando and keep working in the French Pavilion of Disney World.
After we had our daughter, my passion for photography had grown so much because I wanted to document every day of her life. I could not afford a photo session really at the time; I remember I won an Instagram giveaway, and the Photographer named Dana G came into my home and took a few pictures of my baby and me. When I received the final product, I was speechless! It was breathtaking. I thought, “I wish I could take pictures like that and make people happy” Still, I was afraid to start my photography journey because I did not know anything about cameras, English is not my mother-tongue, and I was in a city that is not mine. Everyone was telling me, “you have a good eye! You should do photography!” But no… I was not brave enough to start my own business. In 2019, I was injured and finally decided to create a website to showcase a few of my (bad) images. With the support of my friends and my husband, I yet dared to start something new: Learn the manual mode of my camera and take online classes to start my photography business. It was overwhelming, challenging, demanding. I had no gears and lenses except an old DSLR. I began to photograph my friends to build a real portfolio and practiced a lot on my daughter! Today it’s been two years, and I am so thankful for my husband and friends who believed in me since day 1. I have never given up thanks to them, and I turned my hobby into a full-time job. I am passionate about what I do, and I love to create photographic memories that my clients can cherish forever.
I’m sure you wouldn’t say it’s been obstacle free, but so far would you say the journey has been a fairly smooth road?
I would say struggle number 1 is the language. I am French and posing my clients; emails and contracts are still something I work on every day. Also, I am a perfectionist, and I am always hard with my work. In a way, it is good, because I still want to learn and improve. But sometimes, I just wished my brain would pause for a second and enjoy the moment.
Thanks – so what else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?
I am a wedding and family photographer. I capture REAL RAW MOMENTS full of emotion. I anticipate capturing those moments my families never want to forget. In a few years, I want my clients to look at their images and laugh at the joy they felt and cry because they feel like they are right back there. It’s these emotions and feelings that are behind every session or wedding I photograph and why I love photography so much. I realized through the years that my photos are what stays with me as people grow and time changes. I cherish those images today, especially now that I am far away from my family. I want my clients to love their pictures like I adore mine. I am proud to have overcome my fears to start this journey and document people’s special moments in life.
How can people work with you, collaborate with you, or support you?
Word of mouth is the best support I receive from my clients. Credit my images on social media, recommending me to a friend, sharing my work. These are an easy and free way to support someone’s business, and I am SO thankful. I also love to meet and collaborate with other vendors! It is always good to have connections and share our experiences.
Contact Info:
- Email: johanna.s.oakes@gmail.com
- Website: www.johannaoakesphotography.com
- Instagram: www.instagram.com/johanna__oakes
- Facebook: www.facebook.com/johannaoakesphotography
Image Credits
Johanna Oakes Photography
