Oh my gosh! Where has this week gone? I’m still hangin’ out here in Boise, Idaho……I have a super wedding tomorrow and a blog about last weekends wedding coming soon!….and it’s just before midnight here, I’m sitting in the hotel room finishing this post (so it’s still Friday!)
So last weeks FIRST “Feature Friday” went spectacular! Thanks to everyone who participated and congrats to Heather for winning the contest. Heather will have a pretty new Shootsac Cover and flash softbox coming her way very soon!
This weeks topic is the fabulous and totally inspiring photographer Johnna Brynn! I’ve been talking, Twittering, Facebooking and Forum posting about this awesome girl and her non-profit Star Shooter. I’ve had the opportunity to interview Johnna and here’s a little about her…..stay tuned for Monday when a BIG contest is going to kick off right here to support Johnna’s fundraiser for Star Shooter! It will last one week, so tons of people can have a chance to win and it will be loads ‘o fun!
1. Tell us a little about YOU Johnna, your background, your business, or whatever you want to let us know!
Well, I am 30. Single. No kids. Vegetarian. Live near a beach. Lovin’ Life. When I was about 12yrs. old I discovered my fascination with perspectives and began using a camera to record what I saw. I kept photography as a “hobby” for just about ever. I then pursued another passion of mine by helping abused/neglected children for about 6yrs. I received a Masters in psychology to be better equipped to help children. Four days after I received my degree, I packed my bags with a few plane tickets in hand of international destinations -and no return ticket home. I was in a desperate need of change. I grew up a missionary-kid, so extensive traveling is not an unusual way of life. After four months of traveling, I stopped in Myrtle Beach and haven’t left since. It’s been over a year now. I started a nonprofit in July ’08, Star Shooter: phototherapy for kids; and in March ’09 I made my personal photography business official.
2. What’s your secret to your crisp, vivid photos that are eye candy all over your website and blog?
My secret is no secret, because it’s everybody’s secret: hard work, decent gear and learning about digital tools such as Photoshop and Lightroom. *thanks for the compliment though! I still have a long ways to go in the simplicity of learning how to take better pictures!
3. Who inspires you?
That’s a question with a big answer, because just about everybody in this field is inspiring to me! Anyone with the guts to pursue their passion is my hero! After leaving the psychology field and entering the photography field… I have had only the internet as my learning tool and resource directory. Therefore, I actually only know photographer’s virtually! I emailed a photographer, Heather Armstrong , to ask her a question and she introduced me to “photoshop actions” less than a year ago -before that, I had never heard of actions before! Discovering great photographers like Heather, set me on a course to discover more… And of course, I came across the rock star photographer, Jasmine Star . Jasmine oozed of a freedom in her photography that compelled me to head down the journey of discovering a newly found freedom in myself! Dane Sander’s book, Fast Track Photographer, also has been a great tool in discovering the ME in my photography!
Other than photographers… it’s children and culture that bring an overwhelming amount of inspiration to my soul immediately upon contact! The moment I’m with any child, I can see their beauty instantly and handcuffs couldn’t keep me from photographing them! And when I visit other countries, I obtain the most stimulation ever and photograph anything -from fish stacked in a box at a Maltese market to a piece of door decor down Jerusalem’s streets! My old blog has a lot of fun travel pics http://jbrynn.blogspot.com.
Oh! One last inspiration… Zana Briski’s film, Born into Brothels. Briski is an amazing photographer that taught photography to children in Calcutta’s red-light district. The film is a must-see! More at http://www.kids-with-cameras.org.
4. What’s in your camera bag?
I like this question, because just a few months ago I was looking at so many photographer’s “What’s in my bag” link as I was going to purchase new gear. This is one of those “resource directories” that I derived out of the internet source which helped me figure out what to buy for my new “Johnna Brynn Photography” business. Just last week I created my own little “What’s in my bag” link! http://tinyurl.com/moyek9 I am in love with my new 5D Mark ll and 85mm f/1.2L.
5. What’s the best advice you’ve ever gotten for your business?
Honestly, I feel like I need advice -so bring it on, anyone!
I guess the best advice so far I’ve had is… “Do It!” I believe we just can’t live right with ourselves if we stifle part our creative self and not let it express. We will do ourselves, our friends, our family and the world good if we just “do it!”
6. You’ve started a new non-profit called Star Shooter, tell us a little about what Star Shooter is.
Star Shooter: phototherapy for kids has a mission to equip children with a tool for expression using photography and allows them the opportunity to discover the “star” within themselves; and the vision is for all children to be emotionally healthy to live out their destiny with confidence. My Board members and I have laid a foundation for at-risk kids to be involved in our workshops, to learn how to shoot DSLR’s and gain Mac computer skills with a little photoshop experience. All to equip the child to express what they haven’t been able to express before. Producing healing for the child and change for their future.
7. What was the motivation behind starting Star Shooter?
The motivation actually began when I was 8yrs. old. I knew I wanted to help children at a very young age. Coming from a “broken background” myself, I knew there must be other hurting children in the world and I was determined to HELP. I pursued it the traditional direction via education… but until now, I knew I had to put my own “twist” on helping. So here it is… and I’m excited to see what it will become and the impact it can have on children!
8. On the Star Shooter Website you talk about bringing this vision to other countries. Anything planned for that?
Yes, my ultimate desire would be to take a Star Shooter workshop into the Gaza strip in Israel. I believe these children to be on the top of the list of hurting and traumatized children in our world today. I personally have visited a few refugee camps in Israel, and the terrorism-stench lurks thick among these people groups. I would love to teach children how to shoot a camera rather than a gun!
As of now, I have been given the opportunity to take a Star Shooter workshop to South Africa this October, to work with aids-affected orphans. I’m very excited about this, as I will explore a whole new way of working with children as I’m thinking about using Holga cameras to capture their raw state of living.
9. Tell us how your vision of how these workshops, will affect and benefit the children who are participants.
Great question. Using “phototherapy” with a child provides them the opportunity to not only learn a skill that could become a career, but enables them to express emotions they haven’t been able to express. I have worked with so many hurting children that have been emotionally paralyzed, and providing them with a simple tool, such as a camera, can miraculously transform their mind’s eye -releasing creativity, hope and life.
10. Star Shooter is running an AWESOMELY fabulous contest right now to raise funds for the workshops. Tell us a little about the contest.
Yes, the photo contest is our first fundraiser. I knew I had to get the word out about Star Shooter to be able to make it go forward. So I thought, “go big, go all the way!” -and here we are, with just about one month left of our photo contest. I knew a big prize had to be in place to attract participants, so the contest has a grand prize of a Canon 5D Mark ll or $2,000. All ages welcome, anywhere in the world, theme is general and just $25 submission fee per photo. Unlimited entries allowed. Deadline is August 1, 2009. More details: http://starshootercontest.org.
11. I’ve heard through the grapevine that there are SO many photographers around the world that are willing and ready to help out with Star Shooter. What can interested photographers or individuals do to help out?
Yes, I’m very excited about the support, so I made a simple “how to help now” link on our blog: http://starshooterblog.org/how-to-help-now. We have a new way to help by “sponsoring a child.”
12. Tell us 5 quirky things about you.
1. I love to get toys out of bubble gum machines – like those sticky, stretchy, rubbery “hands” that you can twirl up to umpteen feet long!
2. I love (and make) dehydrated kale chips!
3. Will die if I don’t have Qtips.
4. Have a translation widget on my computer, to help when my foreign friends forget to speak english.
5. Always push “Home” on my GPS, even if I know the way home. It just feels safer if someone else is leading me in the right direction.
Bonus: I once shaved my head. Yep, bald.
WOW! Thanks so much Johnna for sharing a little about yourself and your vision with us! I’m SUPER excited about the future of Star Shooter!
~Katie
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