Today we’d like to introduce you to Alanna LeBlanc.
Hi Alanna, it’s an honor to have you on the platform. Thanks for taking the time to share your story with us – to start maybe you can share some of your backstory with our readers?
Photography is something that’s always been very dear to me. Growing up, I’d vacation with my grandparents and every single trip we took, we were taken to the store to grab disposable cameras. Everywhere we went, my siblings and I were clicking away. Outside vacationing, I spent a lot of time with my grandparents and still do. You wouldn’t really ever catch my grandfather without a film camera in his hand, snapping away at moments that could easily be seen as ordinary or mundane even. But he captured the essence of our part of Americana with those dang cameras. It has taught me the importance of truly living in the moments we are blessed to experience in life and to capture as much as we can. Life is so impermanent we’ve got to soak up what we can.
In terms of 35mmbliss, I began shooting digital when I was in high school and kind of hung out in the safety of taking as many pictures as I please– or as much as my card can handle. You have so much freedom with it, so much room for error. But in college, my love for shooting on film came back around because of my friends Lawron and Lawrson Pinson. Lawron is such a big champion of shooting on film and when we would hangout, he’d always have a different film camera on him. Learning about types of cameras and film he would have inspired me to start shooting again AND to step out of just using disposables. In which I still use them, I just can’t fight that nostalgia it brings to me. All of this to say, I have such a deep-rooted love and adoration for film photography. Every shot you take counts. I mean you only get around 27 to 36 exposures. You have to make a definite and intentional decision in what you’re capturing and once it’s done, it’s done. Locked in time forever.
So in short, I started 35mmbliss to showcase the other ways people have decided to capture the raw, unedited, and fleeting moments of life. Just like I used to watch my Grandfather do.
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?
The road for 35mmbliss has been pretty smooth, fortunately. It has taken off way better than I could’ve expected. It’s a smaller account in terms of followers, but if you check our hashtag or what we’ve been tagged in people are big fans it seems.
Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
I’d like to say I’m a multifaceted artist. I spent the earlier parts of my career as a freelance photographer. It was a passion that was awakened when I was in high school and I was fortunate enough to start shooting as a lifestyle photographer then. I would do senior pictures, weddings, events and engagements. It was a weird but satisfying feeling to take senior pictures for my classmates. I’ve also spent some time as a graphic designer/media person for various nonprofits. Good design is something that is so important for branding. it’ll get you far. Though I recently worked as an assistant editor at Moonshine Post Production, the focus for me when I get home at the end of the day is screenwriting and content development. One of my most recent accomplishments include having one of the first short films I ever wrote and directed premiere at the Atlanta Underground Film Festival.
It’s called Memorials and it stars my talented and dear friends Michael and Tabi Pollard. It’s about a young woman who reminisces on her relationship with her husband, after his untimely death. It’s a film that I always intended to have a significant impact on individuals, but to actually see it affect a room of people and see it take it’s own life outside of my imagination was very rewarding. I hope it continues to get selected in other festivals and make an impression on people and have them think about the way they interact in their everyday relationships.
Here are links:
– imdb.me/alannaleblanc
I’m the first to do my degree!
– https://www.westga.edu/news/academics/university-college/student-becomes-first-film-grad.php
– http://www.auff.org/2021-11.html
– https://www.atlantatrackclub.org/blog/finalists-revealed-for-ajc-peachtree-road-race-t-shirt-contest-2020
– https://www.westga.edu/news/academics-coah/student-peachtree-road-race.php
We’re always looking for the lessons that can be learned in any situation, including tragic ones like the Covid-19 crisis. Are there any lessons you’ve learned that you can share?
Nothing in terms of 35mmbliss, but yes personally. The time apart from my friends made me realize how much more I value the richness of my relationships with them.
Contact Info:
- Email: alannatakesphotos@gmail.com
- Website: alannaleb.wixsite.com/photography
- Instagram: instagram.com/alannaleblanc Instagram.com/35mmbliss
Image Credits:
Quianna LeBlanc
