A glimpse into the lives of two photographers.

Story by Maddy Redman

Growing up, I often felt like I was the only one who hadn’t found my “thing.” I was less than average at sports and the opposite of musically gifted and stage fright kept me from participating in anything theatre-related. I had experimented with photography before and taken a class in my sophomore year of high school, but I didn’t really see what the big deal was. In an age where everyone with a smartphone can take high-quality pictures, photography didn’t seem all that special to me.

The summer after I graduated high school, I was preparing to move to Hawaii in the fall for school. I remember feeling nostalgic about leaving my tiny childhood town of Walla Walla, Wash. yet so ready for the adventure ahead of me. When I’m feeling overwhelmed or going through change, I like to drive to the mountains. On this particular drive I grabbed my mom’s Canon Rebel camera on my way out the door. As I blasted John Mayer and Vance Joy on the drive, I pulled over at every scenic spot and took pictures. I wasn’t planning on doing anything with them. I hadn’t ever used an editing software such as Lightroom or Photoshop before.

I took those pictures for the sheer experience of it. The drive, the music, the summer wind blowing through the windows. The pictures were what remained of the simple yet euphoric experience. I fell in love with photography after that and wanted to learn everything I possibly could about it. My friends became my models and I would try out different poses and angles. Photography had quickly become my new love. I remember staying up for hours on end reading articles written by photographers explaining their creative process and watching tutorial after tutorial. All the ideas for photoshoots and edits swirling around in my head kept me up until at least 1 a.m. for weeks in a row. It seemed like I couldn’t turn my brain off. After doing a lot of research, I downloaded Adobe Lightroom and I was hooked. It took hours on end teaching myself how to use it and trying out different editing styles, such as film style edits, warm, beachy edits and everything in between.

After a few years of trial and error, I’ve created a post-photoshoot routine that keeps everything running smooth and organized. First, I upload all my photos to my external hard drive, then I sort through them and transfer the ones I like to Adobe Lightroom, edit them and transfer the edited ones back into a separate folder on my hard drive. It took me a few years to figure out how to keep my photos organized and how to keep my hard drive clean to minimize clutter.

I feel very vulnerable when I put my photography out for the world to see and form an opinion. My work is a direct reflection of me. A lot of pride goes into my photography.

Heather Payne is a photographer whose work inspires me. Her photography is consistently unique and warm and inviting, something I strive for. Payne is based in Gig Harbor, Wash.. She also works at a local coffee shop,Cutters Point, and a kayak rental company called Gig Harbor SUP & Kayak Rentals. Payne was drawn to photography at a young age and loved looking through old photos. “I found myself wanting the photos I took in present-day to feel the same way old photos did to me. That’s when I discovered that time and photography go hand in hand and it’s such a patient and ongoing art process.”

Payne mostly photographs people and couples. Over the years she’s developed a personal editing style. “I love earth tones and natural light, so I really try to stay true to the original photo if I can and add little personal touches from there, pulling from inspiration and the feels from the actual shoot,” she said.

Like many other artists, Payne often feels vulnerable and nervous when sharing her work but reminds herself that her photography is unique and isn’t going to be for everyone, and that’s okay.

“The less my work is about me and more so speaks for itself or the specific story it’s telling, the more freedom and reward I can feel to just let it do its thing in the world and see where it goes!” Payne said.

I feel very vulnerable when I put my photography out for the world to see and form an opinion. My work is a direct reflection of me. A lot of pride goes into my photography. I pride myself in knowing the technicalities of the camera and being able to find unique angles and lighting. I don’t consider myself a perfectionist but when it comes to my photography, I feel like it could always be better. I think a lot of artists feel this way.