February Member Photo Challenge Winner

Anna Hurley

About this month’s challenge:

Each month, our members are given a challenge to help push their creativity and have them learn and grow through new techniques and exercises! Those who participate have the chance to submit their results and win both a $25 gift card to Hello Storyteller, and a special blog feature with HS! For the month of February, our challenge was to shoot one subject 10 different ways! It’s as simple as it sounds… you choose a subject, and use different compositions and perspectives to capture a series of 10 images. Our Members were given a Challenge Guide created by Hello Pro Mentor Angie Mahlke giving them full instructions and inspiration to get them started.

Our February Member Photo Challenge Winner for the One Subject Ten Ways Challenge was our amazingly talented member and Hello Pro, Anna Hurley! We got a chance to sit down with Anna to get to know her better! She was a joy to chat with and we know you will find her as inspiring and fun as we do!

~ Holly & Angie

Anna’s Winning Submission

Q {Angie} ~ Hi, Anna! Both Holly and I are very excited to chat with you because we’re big fans. Let us know when you’re ready.

A {Anna} ~ Morning I’m ready.

Q {Angie} ~ So let’s get started! First off, congrats on winning the February Challenge! The challenge was 1 Subject, 10 Ways. Can you talk to us a bit how you approached this? And what was your inspiration?

A {Anna} ~ Yay, thank you Yea, so my daughter is a huge bookworm and I wanted to create portraits with her that would incorporate her love of books. I made the backdrop out of a bunch of her books using double sided tape so that they wouldn’t get ruined. They’re all stuck onto a large mirror. And then we set up in our garage to do a little photo session. I gave her the morning off from school which she of course didn’t mind haha.

Q {Holly} ~ That’s awesome, Anna! I loved seeing your beautiful series. My oldest daughter is a bookworm too, so I found it particularly inspiring. I would love to try to do something similar with her. Your shooting and editing style are so unique and recognizable to you. How would you describe your photography style? And how does your style influence your approach to your work?

A {Anna} ~ That’s awesome. I’m not a huge book reader so I love that my daughter is and enjoys it so much. Oh hmm. I think my style is a little all over the place honestly. I love learning and trying new things so I never just stick to one thing. And I think that is what influences my approach because I will give everything a try to see if I like it or not. I find so many different genres of photography interesting that I allow myself the space to give it a try.

Getting to Know Anna

Q {Angie} ~ You do a lot of different genres, notably your food, which is so whimsy and fun. I like that you don’t tie yourself down to one thing. It wouldn’t be a chat between photographers if we didn’t talk gear. So….what kind of gear do you use? And what piece of equipment or gear could you not live without?

A {Anna} ~ I use a Canon EOS R with a few different lenses. I shoot with mostly Sigma lenses, the 35mm, 105mm macro and the 150-600mm. I also use a Canon 24-105mm and sometimes my Lensbaby Sol45. And a piece of gear I couldn’t live without … probably my Sigma 35, that lens almost never leaves my camera body. I also shoot film sometimes and I use the Canon AE-1 with a 50mm lens.

Q {Holly} ~ I’m a Nikon girl over here but I do love my 35mm. It’s so versatile. And that is so cool that you shoot film! I’ve always wanted to try! Let’s talk about where you look to for inspiration. Both photography related and non photography related like movies or music. Who and What inspire you?

A {Anna} ~ Film is just so freeing, to let go of getting the perfect shot and being mindful of when to take it instead of overshooting. You should try it out for sure. My inspiration comes mostly from just the world around me, when I see interesting light or beautiful colours ideas pop into my head. Pinterest is also a rabbit hole of inspiration and I get sucked into browsing for much too long usually. Movies and music are my escape from the world and allow my brain to stop and calm down, so I don’t find that I draw a lot of inspiration from them unless I’m trying to create my Halloween portraits And I follow so many artists on social media, not just photography related, that inspire me to try new techniques or ideas all the time.

Q {Angie} ~ I can definitely see light and color being your inspiration. It comes across in your work. What about photography or the creative process excites you? What gets you to pick up the camera over and over again?

A {Anna} ~ For me it’s just the need to be creative. If I don’t have the time to crochet or paint then my outlet is photography and it’s such a stress reliever for me that I feel like I need to shoot almost every day. It’s been part of my daily life for so long doing P365’s that it’s a habit and gives my brain a break from the every day hustle.

Q {Holly} ~ That’s great that you have multiple creative outlets. It really is a stress reliever for me too. This time of year is particularly hard for me (late winter) creativity wise. Do you find that you have periods of creative blocks? And if so, how do you overcome those creative blocks?

A {Anna} ~ Oh my, yep, winter here is so drab and wet that it’s hard to find the energy to create sometimes. I try to work on projects or at least take the time to think of some projects to do for the year. This year I’m doing a Self portrait P52 and then I also have food photography to keep me going through the winter as well. I don’t need to be outside to create for that haha.

Q {Angie} ~ I have so much respect for those who do a weekly self portrait project! I committed to a monthly one this year because weekly felt too intimidating. It feels like we put so much weight on honing our style and voice, something that is uniquely ours that people can pinpoint about our work. Do you remember a specific image or moment where you feel you found your unique artistic voice?

A {Anna} ~ Weekly is actually intimidating LOL, it’s been hard to find the time but with the weather perking up it should feel easier now. Oh hmm. I think for me it was more so just realizing I don’t have to shoot like everyone else and just shooting for myself, and also not getting caught up in how many people like an image I post. Social media is such a drain to creativity as so many people focus on getting all the likes or views. But also for me it was the moment I finally enjoyed my edits, even though it’s always growing and changing still to this day, once I felt good about what my images were looking like after editing is when my artistic voice felt more aligned and consistent.

Q {Holly} ~ Social media really is quite a drain on self esteem and creativity sometimes. It truly can be a double edged sword. It can be a place to find inspiration but its also easy to fall down the rabbit hole of comparison. I think that’s wonderful that you’ve come to the point where you find joy in shooting just for you. I think that’s part of why your work feels so unique and authentic! It’s refreshing! I love how your images always tell such beautiful stories… even in your images without a human subject. How do you approach storytelling in your work? What is your goal when you create a photograph?

A {Anna} ~ Thank you! I think everyone should take a break for a short period of time from Social media, it really does clear the mind and allow you the space to be inspired and not to compare. And also, if people are finding they are comparing themselves, unfollow those accounts until you can enjoy them and not compare yourself to them. I think it’s probably because I’ve shot mostly documentary over the years, so I have a pretty good eye for seeing a moment and how it might unfold. Waiting it out for that perfect shot. And with still life, it’s really about what feels pleasing to the eye when I style my scenes with my food, and making it a scene that other people can reach into.

Q {Angie} ~ That’s good advice about taking social media breaks. It’s healthy to step away when it gets too much. I feel like both documentary and still life photography take such patience and a level of awareness that is so inspiring. You do it all so effortlessly too. Ok, enough shop talk. Let’s talk Anna! Tell us a bit about yourself… including 3 random facts!

A {Anna} ~ Oh boy haha. I was born in Poland and moved to Canada when I was 6yrs old. I’ve lived on the East coast and west coast throughout my life. I work as a health records clerk for my day job. I have been married to my hubby for 18 years and we have two kids (13 and 11). We live in BC and I love to hike and be in the mountains.

3 random facts …

1. I hated my freckles as a kid and wanted to get creams to get rid of them Now I absolutely love them!
2. I traveled alone on a plane for the first time ever in 2022 .
3. I love the colours orange and teal even though they can be quite the tacky colours

Q {Holly} ~ I’m so glad you didn’t get rid of your freckles! I love them too! I traveled alone on a plane by myself for the first time in 2023!

A {Anna} ~ Thank you! It was fun