Today we’d like to introduce you to Brittney Ezna
Hi Brittney, thanks for joining us today. We’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
So I’ve always been a fan of the arts, growing up I loved dancing, singing and acting. And through my church I was able to volunteer and learn how to be a videographer and photographer for our services. I received a camera for my 17th birthday and I had so much fun taking photos of my friends and family! But it wasn’t until 2020, after years of working in medicine, political science and non profit institutions that I decided to pick it back up. At first it was just for my blog and I needed some practice so I took photos of my family and posted them on Instagram! Before I knew it my DMs were blowing up with friends loving my perspective and wanting photos of their own! A year later I am being paid to travel throughout the south to shoot weddings and engagement photos. 4 years later I am living in Atlanta and make a living solely off of my business and I am so grateful for it. Can you believe that this is the first year I’m going to have to rely on SEO and marketing? I’ve been able to do this just by word of mouth!
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?
Ha! Definitely has not been an easy journey! Even now I run into some potholes. I was really sick in 2022. I was in the hospital and going to doctors appointments almost every week. My arms were so bruised by how often I was being poked and prodded, trying to find answers and to give me infusions and transfusions. This was a low point. I was so weak my hands would shake, leading to blurry images. I shot an all day engagement shoot in another state in the middle of the summer and I fainted and had to have the ambulance called! (My point of pride is that I fainted right after the shoot and I got all the shots) I had to reimburse for a wedding. Still my biggest regret how I handled so many things business wise that year. I didn’t put my health first and tried to work through it and ruined so many aspects of my life. But I learned from it. And luckily I got better! In my health and in business.
Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know about your work?
So as you know my business is called Onyx and Aura Creative Co. Even though it started as a photography business I always knew I wanted it to be more so I opted for calling it a creative vs a photography company. Currently I offer creative portraits and sessions. Creative direction and personal styling. I’m the person you call when you want something out of the box. When you have a vision or a vibe and you need help putting it into words. To create something cinematic out of the ordinary. I think there is so much beauty in the mundane. The things we take for granted are so extraordinarily rare. And I want people to leave with seeing how beautiful they truly are. I am probably most proud of the fact that people love shooting with me! My constant compliment is how fun I make sessions and how great they feel about themselves afterwards. I know what it’s like to hate yourself or feel like you’re worthless, I worked really hard to hype myself up and love myself and now I want to do that for everyone else!
Is there something surprising that you feel even people who know you might not know about?
I have an eidetic memory! Commonly mistaken as a photographic memory, I can retain memories and incredible details of past events. I remember smells, clothes, music that was playing. Phone numbers, dates, addresses, facial expressions and passing information like fun facts. I like to think it comes in handy when trying to direct a million things at once. When remembering what my clients want or prefer in posing or direction. When creating a project and referencing various decades of fashion history, film and music. I love it all and use my knowledge to the advantage of my clients!
Pricing:
- Creative Portraits start at $400
- Creative Direction starts at $500
- Personal Styling starts at $20 an hour with a 5 hour minimum
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.onyxandauracreativeco.com
- Instagram: https://Www.instagram.com/onyxandauracreative.co
Image Credits
The first photo was taken under Rivet Events, I was a contracted photographer.
