I Traded My Magic for a Business Plan(Why I Left Family Photography to Go Back to Fantasy)
This photo was done in camera, no photoshop.
I was a fine art fantasy photographer waaay before I knew what to call it. All I knew was that I wanted to build worlds with a camera rather than just point it at people. I wanted to create magic, not just a picture. I’m an artist, and I was making art.
After some time, I noticed the people who hired me were mostly families. They wanted newborn, mom and me in Apple Valley, sisters at Mojave Narrows in Victorville, and all the other “traditional” style family photos at a nearby park in Hesperia. After a year of this, I rebranded from fantasy to family photography. I gave the people what they actually wanted.
Family session.
On paper, it made sense. A bigger market, easier to explain at parties (this one), easier to book. And it was good. I got to know families, watch babies grow, and hand people photos they'd keep forever. That's not nothing. I was changing people’s worlds.
But something inside of me broke. I just hadn’t realized it yet.
Somewhere during that year, I noticed I got quiet. Not unhappy, just deflated, and not full of life like before. I'd finish a session, deliver their artwork or album, and then move on. I was living in a sad-beige world- the thing I’m totally against. Ha!
I kept waiting for the spark to come back. But it didn't.
I finally realized what it was: I had traded the one thing that made me, me, for something that made sense to others.
Evil queen
I needed magic. Not as a brand word, but literal magic. I needed to create something that didn't exist until I made it exist.
Steampunk magician playing with fog bubbles.
I don't say this very often: I needed art as a kid. It wasn't just a fun hobby; it fueled my soul. I’m an only child of divorced parents, so I had to fill my days and time by myself. Lots of Barbies, make-believe, and creative art time. I used to make pretend movies, and I was all the characters. I was also a theater kid. Shocker, I know.
Then I grew up, became a mom at 19, and like a lot of moms do, quietly pushed my inner artist aside. Not all at once. Just a little at a time, over a couple of decades, until "I used to paint, I used to draw, I used to…" became something I said. I mean, yes, I’d paint and draw with my kids, but it was for them. About them. Not me.
Coming back to fantasy photography isn't necessarily a rebrand; it’s a full-circle moment for me. I’m picking up the energy I had as a kid. It's me admitting that family photography, as lovely as it was, made me feel like an assembly line worker. Take the photo, edit the photo, bag it up, send it on its way. Rinse. Repeat.
Fantasy photography is me being my whole self. My true self. Not an assembly line.
Pondering life.
So that's where I am, now. I’m back. Back to building ethereal worlds. Back to the version of me I like most. Back to having trouble explaining what I do at parties.
If you've ever had to set your own thing down for a decade because life needed you to, I see you, and I promise it's not too late to pick it back up. I did it.
And, in case we are never at the same party, fantasy photography is different from regular photography. It’s art. It’s painting a picture without a brush. In photography, the medium is a camera.
Think mythology, castles, storybooks, and mystical magic. Sometimes it can be surrealistic and spooky, too. In my case, I create macabre and storybook photos. I live in both worlds in my head. We all have a dark and light side. It’s duality.
Fantasy portraits can be as simple as dressing up in a flowy gown and running through the trees during golden hour, or at night with a cloak on, while holding a lantern.
Perhaps your fantasy is sitting under a huge mushroom (that was created with papier-mache (I’m building one now)) in a magical forest while reading a stack of your favorite books.
Be careful, you never know who’s watching you.
Maybe it’s your own ghost peeking through a mirror, watching you.
You can become the warrior you’ve always dreamt of becoming. Complete with sword or bow and arrow.
If you love mythology, we can create a scene around your favorite goddess. Medusa, perhaps?
Goth girl vibes
If you’re a goth girlie and decorate your home with taxidermy and Victorian art, this is for you! Imagine yourself sitting on a gorgeous chair like an old world portrait, hung up in your parlour.
Yes, that’s what fantasy photography is. It’s about finding your joy, whether darker or light, and making it come true.
This style isn’t for the person wanting a beach family photo hanging above their couch- that’s for your sister-in-law and her family. This is for the person who values art. This is for the person who is different and decorates with treasures they find while out adventuring. A big 50” portrait displayed in an ornate frame on the wall says something. It says I’m colorful and unique. And, I have a fun story to tell.
Spooky portrait for your wall, yes please!
This is a lot more detailed and in-depth than I share at a party. I usually say, “Oh, it’s playing dress-up for a day, in the studio or outdoors. You wear a costume and have props, and I lightly pose and guide you. No online galleries, I’m a print-only photographer.”
The looks I get are either really confused, like, why would anyone want that. Or, they light up and say Wow! I want that!!
What’s the look on your face when you light up? Or when you hear what I do. That's the same thing I found for myself, again. Let's find what lights you up.
If you're new here: I'm Annette, and I create fantasy fine art portrait photography. This is basically a diary entry with better lighting. Ha!
Want to check out my portfolio? Click here.
Want to book a call to learn more? Click below.
Cheers,
Annette
