We had the good fortune of connecting with Noelle Ann Photography and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Noelle, we’d love to hear more about how you thought about starting your own business?
Photography had been a hobby and a passion of mine throughout high school. In my early college years I took a couple film classes that really solidified my love of taking photos. I started getting asked by friends and acquaintances to do family photos and weddings. I thought, ok, let me try this and see if I can make a career out of it. One thing led to another and photography became not only my passion but my line of work.

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
I started out with wedding photography as my main focus along with portrait work. I photographed weddings for fifteen years and while I met some amazing people (some of them I still do family portraits for each year!) I was starting to get a bit burnt out. Then covid hit and my main source of work came to a halt and I was really forced to evaulate where I wanted to go from there. I didn’t know when the world would return to normal and even when it did, I wasn’t sure weddings were for me anymore. I knew I still wanted to do photography but figuring out in what capacity and how to continue making a living off it was a bit unnerving and challenging. It was a really up and down couple years trying to navigate not only the world’s circumstances but how to continue on with my photography career. I slowly began to shift out of wedding photography and put my focus heavily on portrait work. I also discovered my love of photographing what I call ‘lifestyle brand’ photography. Basically working with small businesses or fellow creatives to tell their brand story in a way that is unique to them and portrays its purpose to the consumer. My goal with my imagery has always been to tell a story. I am not one to put together a perfectly posed photo, for me it’s always been about photographing movement and moments. Images that tell a story and have a level of intimacy to them. This I think translates well when working with businesses to offer imagery that has some depth to it and really evokes an emotion. If that makes sense?

It hasn’t necessarily been an easy journey or even always successful, but when you do something you love its certainly worth the effort to keep moving forward and allowing yourself to shift with what’s necessary to keep the business going and growing.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
I am a bit of a homebody these days and going out on the town isn’t necessarily something I love anymore but if we’re talking about a few of my go-to things locally, I love a good brunch (I am always searching for the perfect mimosa around town), maybe a farmer’s market stroll or a nice walk through one of our beautiful metroparks, most likely some thrift store shopping too. On a warm summer day, kayaking down the river is a must or hanging with friends by their pool and ending the day watching the sun go down from my patio. In the winter, come on over for a fire and have a chill hang with games. And plenty of food.

As much as I love being home, on the flip side I love to travel! It is a passion and priority to me. I feel at home in the desert (the landscape, the colors, the temperature all just feeds my soul) and I’d say the ocean is the next best thing. I love a good ocean breeze and a palm tree swaying in the wind. There are many places I’d still love to visit but something keeps calling me to the same old ones I love.

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
Aside from a couple basic photo classes in college, a lot of what I know is self-taught. It has been a fair amount of trial and error! Though in my early years, I did shadow a few different photographers here and there which is always helpful when first starting out to learn the ropes a bit and have someone to ask questions to and learn from.

Website: https://noelleann.com

Instagram: @noelleannphotography

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/noelleannphotographer

Image Credits
For my ‘About’ photo – please credit Ruth Yaro | https://ruthyaro.com

Nominate Someone: ShoutoutOhio is built on recommendations and shoutouts from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you or someone you know deserves recognition please let us know here.