Today we’d like to introduce you to Gina Maxwell.
Gina, please share your story with us. How did you get to where you are today?
I know this isn’t unique, but once I started having children, I had this strong urge to want to document their lives and capture moments that I knew I couldn’t get back. My husband bought me my first digital camera back in the early 2000s. I didn’t buy my first professional camera until eight years ago when we moved to Atlanta. I found another professional in the area and started training with him to gain more knowledge and experience from an award-winning photographer in the Atlanta area. Over the years, as I’ve crafted my skill, I mostly photographed friends, family, pets, engagements, etc. for fun. I would say in the last three years, I have felt this calling to use photography as my ministry to others. In today’s world with all the technology that exists, I feel that human connection is lacking and so my goal is to use my photography as a way to “connect” with others, to be real, to be vulnerable, to share and to “capture” a person’s true being.
Has it been a smooth road?
I would say it hasn’t been a smooth road. It’s hard to work on a business while you’re raising kids and all the other responsibilities that come with being a wife, mother, daughter, friend, volunteer, etc. There are always people vying for your time and that makes it hard to just focus on yourself and your personal goals. I think as women, in particular, we are givers by nature and it’s so easy to put everyone else’s needs in front of our own. I would also say it’s difficult when you have your “own vision” for your business and somebody else has a different vision. If I was going to offer any advice I would say, “Find your “why,” and be TRUE to your vision!”
Please tell us more about what you do, what you are currently focused on and most proud of.
I consider myself a natural light portrait/lifestyle photographer who specializes in families, seniors, couples and pets. If you were to ask others what I’m known for, I would say it’s my warm nature and ability to connect with others on a real level which allows me to capture the true essence of there being. I had a client, who’s daughter I just photographed this past weekend, sent me a text after the session and said, ‘thank you so much for this morning! As with Ethan, the experience is as much a blessing as the pictures!” I think Maya Angelou sums my philosophy up perfectly. She said, “I’ve learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.” I hope when people leave a photography session with me they walk away with a “warm embrace” kind of feeling knowing that their true beauty will shine through in the moments I’ve captured.
Which women have inspired you in your life?
My grandmother… she lived life to the fullest, sang the loudest and prayed the hardest. She was such a loving, beautiful role model.
My mom… she has always been by side. My biggest supporter. My loudest cheerleader. My forever shoulder to cry on or lend a helping hand in any situation. I couldn’t be who I am today without these two women in my life.
Friends… I have several women friends who have been by my side for all the things that life “throws” at you. So many of them have offered words of positivity and encouragement.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.ginamaxwellphoto.com
- Email: gina@ginamaxwellphoto.com
- Facebook: www.facebook.com/ginamaxwell2015
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