Interview With Oahu Photographer Anna M. Kerns

Enjoy the following candid interview with Oahu, Hawaii based photographer Anna M. Kerns.

Q: Do you like to talk about yourself or your pictures? If yes, about what aspects of photography? If no, why?
A: I try to not talk about myself when it comes to the photography. I don’t want to say I don’t like to “Share” my techniques, but I am aware of what I share with the competition.

Q: How would you describe your attention span?
A: It would depend on what my attention is directed to.

Anna Kerns photographer hawaiian plumeria flowers

Q: When did you decide to become a photographer?
A: I have been doing photography about 7 years, I fully decided to be an independent photographer in 2008, when I was let go from a position that I fully thought that I had earned-and apparently being on vacation with my husband on leave from Iraq, took that away.

Q: What does photography mean to you?
A: Everything imaginable. It is the one thing that makes me happy and it doesn’t matter how frustrating the shoot may be, it always comes out worth every while.

Q: Can you recall the first photo you took that made you go WOW!?
A: It was a photo of a sunset that I took when I was in the 9th grade.

Q: Do you have any formal training regarding photography?
A: I do. I have 4 years studio training and 1 year school photography. Freelance, I learned my own way. I find it to be the only way to truly be good at what you love to do, is to learn from your own mistakes and learn what works for your style.

Q: How technical is your photography?
A: It is not.

Q: How do you feel about cropping?
A: If needed, I think that it is appropriate.

Q: Where is your favorite place to live and work as a photographer in the World and why?
A: Hawaii. I started my personal photography on Oahu, and it is the most beautiful place I have ever been.

Q: Define the word “beauty”!
A: Everyone has a different description of what beauty is to them. Could be a sunset, could be a picture of a child, could be a wedding portrait.

Q: What is your most favorite and least favorite word in photography or life? How do they make you feel?
A: White Balance – It is so confusing sometimes. Or when you cannot get the correct settings it gets aggravating.

Q: How does your personality change when you look through the camera?
A: I can’t really explain it.

Q: How do you feel about missed shots which cannot be recreated?
A: It bugs me, but I tend to always create a moment for a shot to replace what may have been missed, if it deems possible.

Q: Ever concerned about failure?
A: Never. When you leave a nation known studio, and customers follow,
to your own studio, or just you as their photographer, it means a lot and makes failure non-existent.

Q: Who are your influences?
A: Mrs Judy Jaggers, with Portraits by Judy out of Leitchfield, KY.

Q: What is your favorite image, either your own or someone else’s or both? Describe its creation or meaning to you?
A: My favorite image taken, is one by me. It is a shot of a pregnant belly, with moms hands and her daughters hand on belly, with dads dog tags. It reminds me of something peaceful and that there really is hope somewhere in the world.

Q: What are the biggest personal or professional challenges you face on a daily basis?
A: I do not shoot daily, as I have had some health issues recently that have prohibited me from doing so. A challenge in the past though, is from an un-cooperative child. One that knows that they are being bad, so to speak and knows that it will get to you.

Q: What has been the single biggest obstacle against growing as a photographer in whole?
A: Being criticized by someone who has no idea, what goes into photography or what a good photo is. There are good photos and bad. There are people who know how to take a picture and those who think everything they shoot is photography.

Q: What are your favorite subjects to photograph?
A: Children, flowers, animals, sunsets & large groups.

Q: Tell your funniest, scariest, most bizarre, most touching story from a photo shoot!
A: There have been multiple times that a shoot has meant a lot to me, I cannot pick just one.

Q: Have you ever thought about or actually stopped doing photography? What were the circumstances?
A: I have. It was this year actually. I had a stroke in May. I was in the hospital for a month, and on bedrest / 24 hour supervision for a while. I have recently gotten back into it though, you can’t keep me from something I love.

Q: Do you ever have photographer’s block and if yes how do you deal with it?
A: I sometimes do, but mostly when it is a couple, or just one person, such as an adult/teenager.

Q: What types of assignments are you attracted most?
A: I do anything that comes onto my plate.

Q: Describe what black and white photography means to you?
A: It sometimes just makes a photo that much more intense.

Q: Do you think of yourself as an artist and what do you think of the word artist?
A: Yes and No. Anyone can pick up a camera and take a photo, it takes some very special and talented to be a photographer and take such photos.

Q: How do you describe your photographic style?
A: Free.

Q: What has been the most surprising or most predictable reaction to your photographs?
A: I have never had one person disappointed.

Q: Tell a little secret about yourself that no-one knows …
A: It wouldn’t be a secret anymore then would it?

Q: Who or what would you love to shoot that you haven’t already?
A: Alaska.

Q: What would you have done differently during your photography career so far and could this be an advice to others?
A: I have no advice for anyone, I think it is best that everyone learn on their own, how to create their own style and get the hang of how they best shoot. If you shoot how someone tells you to, then you aren’t doing your own style.

Q: What are your thoughts on the paparazzi and their effects on photographers and photography?
A: They basically use it the way the government uses the whole nation. They have taken an art and made it into an aggravation.

Q: How do you feel about digital manipulation and to what extent do you utilize it?
A: I use face correction, red eye if any, skin smoothing, and color change.

Visit Anna’s photography website and MySpace profile.

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