BE INSPIRED Session featuring Amy Dangerfield

Tell us a bit about your approach to the work you do, your time in the business and a few personal facts about you.

I am a family photographer because I believe family can be together forever so can memories be forever. It’s important to form a family bond and document it. That is how I approach all my sessions. I get to know the families I work with and build a relationship with them. Know what makes them happy and what they are struggling. This way, I can really document their important aspects of life. I love authentic connections. I love to see people being themselves. I love movements. I prompt the families into real connections and I just be the fly on the wall.
I started my business here in the US about 3 years ago. I am from China. My grandma is actually a documentary film editor in China so I think the idea of documentary is in my vein. I came to US for school in engineering and I met my husband, who is born and raised here in Arizona, a white guy, and now we have two little munchkins.

What makes you the most nervous during a session?

If there are many other people around at the location. We are all pretty self-conscious when we are watched or we might be watched so I would be nervous that my clients won’t be able to feel relaxed enough to totally be themselves and be intimate.

What about this session was most memorable?

This whole session was amazing so it’s really hard to pin down to one most memorable aspect. If I have to choose, I would say how the family totally trusted me with my creative vision. We really just had fun. We explored the area and we even got the chance to get into the river for a little bit. The kids were so happy to splash the water. Everything went as planned and beyond for sure.

Were there any hurdles?

This was a sunrise session so it was at 5:15am. The little ones were not warmed up when we first started but a good Baby Shark song got them happy pretty quickly.

Your best photographer/session advice?

Get to know your clients, like, really get to know them. Your clients have trusted you with their most precious memories, it’s your job to make sure that the right kind of memory is documented. 😉 Build a relationship with your clients. This way, they can trust you better too. And during the session, you can just go with the flow. It’s actually super important to go with the flow and be confident about your skills but at the same time, don’t be afraid to try new things and be honest and open about it.