Today we’d like to introduce you to Bethany Harbison.
Bethany, we’d love to hear your story and how you got to where you are today both personally and as an artist.
The funny thing is that photography was the last thing I ever wanted to get into. I had always been a writer and got my degree in print journalism — for which one of my requirements was an Introduction to Photography class. I waited until the last possible second to take it and went into it all but kicking and screaming, but to my surprise I ended up finding it interesting and even enjoyable.
That didn’t immediately drive me to pursue photography further, though. What actually happened was that I graduated around the same time that Instagram entered the scene, and I spent the next few years training my eye without realizing it. Eventually, I recognized that I wanted to make better images than I would ever be able to produce with my phone and bought a camera and a few lenses secondhand from a friend who was upgrading her equipment.
My technical skill took a while to grow (and is very much a work in progress still), but what I was complimented on right away was my ability to create photos that made people feel like I had truly seen THEM for who they were — and that’s still my favorite part of being a photographer.
The more I work at it, the more ways I find to tell the stories of who people are, what their relationships are like, what they’ve overcome, what they’re proud of, and so on, not only through the moments I capture, but through subtleties like how I compose a shot or how I edit. I’ve worked harder at learning how to do this than I have at anything else in my life, and it’s so rewarding not only to see the progress paying off, but to be able to give people the gift of seeing the best versions of themselves, the way I see them.
We’d love to hear more about your art. What do you do you do and why and what do you hope others will take away from your work?
I feel like my answer to this question ties in closely to my last answer!
What I create, practically speaking, is primarily lifestyle or documentary-style portraits. I keep the amount of posing and directing I do to a minimum, because I prefer to just make my subjects feel comfortable to be themselves while I capture those real, raw moments as they happen naturally.
A huge part of my philosophy is that I want the EXPERIENCE of being photographed to be just as special, or fun, or meaningful as the photos themselves, which is something that I realized I wanted to be a priority based on my own experiences being photographed. I realized what a powerful and meaningful experience it can be. So many people say they hate being in front of the camera because they can’t get comfortable or they don’t think they’re photogenic. I think the underlying implication of this, whether they realize it or not, is that they don’t DESERVE it.
But everyone does! Everyone deserves to spend an hour or two having a special, distraction-free time with their loved ones, or celebrating the person they’ve become, or overcoming a fear of vulnerability, or simply feeling beautiful. And everyone deserves to preserve memories of both the meaningful and mundane parts of their lives. That’s the experience I strive to give everyone I have the privilege to work with. I want the photos to be a gift, but I want the experience of taking them to be one, too.
The sterotype of a starving artist scares away many potentially talented artists from pursuing art – any advice or thoughts about how to deal with the financial concerns an aspiring artist might be concerned about?
Honestly: just do it. Photography in particular can get expensive, it’s true. But you don’t need to make a huge investment to get started. Fancy equipment doesn’t make a photographer; a good eye does. Shoot with your phone. Shoot with cheap disposable cameras. Just shoot. Save up for the fancy stuff and know that by the time you can afford it, the talent you’ve grown has EARNED it.
Also know that it’s okay to do it just for passion’s sake. I’ve made hardly any money off of my work so far, but I love it enough that lack of payment isn’t about to stop me from shooting. Keep your day job as long as you need to and do what you love in your free time. (For me personally, I find that NOT making my art my source of income keeps me from burning out.) It’s okay to grow slowly because you can only squeeze in time to create in tiny bits at a time. It’s not a competition and it’s not a race. Do it because it fills your soul, wherever, whenever, and however you can.
Do you have any events or exhibitions coming up? Where would one go to see more of your work? How can people support you and your artwork?
You can find my work at www.houseoffigsphoto.com, on Instagram @houseoffigsphoto, or on Facebook by searching House of Figs Photography.
You can support my work by, well, booking me! I’m based in Orange County but deeply love the beautiful San Diego area and am always excited to have a reason to visit.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.houseoffigsphoto.com
- Email: hello@houseoffigsphoto.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/houseoffigsphoto/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/houseoffigsphoto/
Image Credit:
Photo of Bethany courtesy of Chris Koeppen Photography
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