Today we’d like to introduce you to Tina Strickland.
Hi Tina, thanks for sharing your story with us. To start, maybe you can tell our readers some of your backstory.
Like many photographers, I always had a camera in my hand while growing up. I would take pictures whenever I had a chance. I also loved pouring over our family photo albums. I was able to see the faces of relatives who were no longer with us or revisit happy events. It was so special to me.
I started learning the technical aspects of photography in 2010 when I took a film class. The class further cemented my love of photography. I joined several photography clubs while living in Arizona and attended as many hands-on conferences that I could to soak in as much knowledge as possible. When I began, I photographed everything – landscapes, architecture, street, and portraits. It was in my fourth year of being a photographer that I began to concentrate on portraiture. I bought books, classes and shadowed whoever would allow it. To practice what I learned, I started self-portraits. This allowed me to learn lighting, composition and posing. It also afforded me the understanding of how clients feel in front of the lens.
Personal projects enabled me to further develop my skills. I handled everything – wardrobe, makeup and hair choices, location, and model selection. I loved it! Several of my personal projects were published in magazines. The rush of knowing that editors found my work worth printing was amazing.
Over the last two years, I found that my niche was photographing women. More specifically, I focus on women’s empowerment portraiture. I love working one-on-one with a woman to make her feel as beautiful and special as she was. I love seeing a woman’s face when I share the images that we created during a session. We decide on wardrobe, clothing, location, and make-up choices. I create a playlist based upon her preferences, and I have a backup Spotify station just in case she doesn’t have a set station. We laugh, dance, and create beautiful images together. It is truly a rush.
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
Initially, I had challenges. I often compared myself to others and became discouraged. I had to realize that everyone begins somewhere, and I should not belittle myself for what I didn’t know. There were also conversations with a few male photographers who felt the need to offer unsolicited critique. Some even challenged my knowledge of photography. Initially, I thought these events were isolated only to me, but in speaking with other women photographers, I found out this wasn’t uncommon. I learned how to tune out the noise.
Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
I specialize in women’s empowerment photography. I help a woman look beyond her pronouns – wife, mother, daughter, caretaker, and rediscover herself. From the beginning, we concentrate solely on her. The questionnaire that I send it is dedicated to getting to know her. During our telephone conversation/Zoom call, I get to know her better, and we began planning her session. I’m good at making people comfortable and homing in on their feelings. This is very helpful during the consultation and definitely during the session. I love making people laugh because I love to laugh. It helps us both to relax.
Is there anyone you’d like to thank or give credit to?
I was blessed to have an amazing photography family in Arizona. I met them at the beginning of my journey. My first outing was a night shoot at the Phoenix Botanical Gardens. I was shooting on Auto, and they helped me to learn other shooting modes. This was done without judgment.
Another group that I belonged to consisted of models, makeup artists, and photographers. There would be photo challenges and group shoots. It was here that I was really able to exercise my creativity. I was also able to assist in professional photoshoots.
I cannot forget to credit my husband and children. They were my initial models before I gathered the courage to work with real models. They were also my biggest cheerleaders.
Pricing:
- Retainer $250.00
- Packages start at $900.00
Contact Info:
- Email: hello@tinastrickland
- Website: https://www.tinastrickland.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/_tinastrickland/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/tinamstricklandphotography
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/_tinastrickland
