I am a portrait and branding photographer who specializes in photographing women who prefer to not be photographed. There is no such thing as not being photogenic, everyone is gorgeous, and I set out to prove this with each and every client I meet.
What do you want our readers to know about you?
Being an entrepreneur is not easy. Choosing to make your lifelong dream career a reality is even harder. I didn’t just wake up one morning and decide to be a photographer. I have been doing this since I was 12 years old and when I had to decide whether to go back to a corporate job and put our children in daycare or to work for myself, I chose myself.
It isn’t an easy thing to balance working from home with children, but over the last 13 years I kind of figured it out, and remarkably with a lot of help from them. Our children are the reason I do what I do, so I can (for the most part) create my own hours and be there for them at the same time.
What would you like to see more of in the workplace?
I would like to see more respect and equality for women in the workplace. It is remarkable to me that I still hear stories from friends and former co-workers that they are still fighting for respect and equality.
What characteristics and/or qualities do you admire in the women you work with?
I admire strength, determination, and the ability to conquer anything they set their minds to.
What advice did you wish you were given earlier in your career?
Don’t compare yourself to others on the internet, you are the only you there is and no one can be you.
How do you think COVID-19 will change the future of work for women?
I think that COVID-19 will bring out the strength in women that no one has seen before. Women have worked too hard to get where they are to go back in time.
I also feel that we will see many more women working figuring out how to create the best way to work for everyone. Women have shown time and again that they can be the solution to getting work done (think back to wartime, when women kept the economy going).
How do you think we can increase diversity in the workplace?
Increasing diversity in the decision-making process and hiring more managers that are diverse will help increase diversity all around.
What is one example of a positive, memorable experience you’ve had in your career?
Changing one person’s life. A woman who did not exist in photographs because she thought she was too heavy, not pretty enough, not important enough now exists in all the photos. I spent two days with her, showing her how important she is, how beautiful she is, how amazing she is and now nine years later, she exists in all the photos.
She takes selfies, she poses for pictures with her children, she exists in photos for herself, her children, her future generations. If I don’t change one other person’s life, that is ok, I made a difference in one.
Why are you fabulous?
Because I see the beauty in everything and everyone and I will prove it.
Do you have a mantra or quote that inspires you?
“When you think of something beautiful, don’t forget to count yourself in.” – Anonymous
Where can people find you online?
Website: https://www.annaepp.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/AnnaEppPhotography
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/TheAnnaEpp