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Rising Stars: Meet Scarlett Walker of Ohio

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Today we’d like to introduce you to Scarlett Walker.

Hi Scarlett, thanks for sharing your story with us. To start, maybe you can tell our readers some of your backstory.
I have always loved photos. I rememer looking at old family photos when I was a kid and knowing how special it was so have those memories. I had a little izone camera, like a polaroid, and I’d carry it around everywhere. When I got my first digital camera, it was like the floodgates had been opened. I took pictures of EVERYTHING. I took it to school, to family functions, truly anywhere. It was mostly selfies and wannabe artsy shots of fall leaves on the ground, but that love for photos and art only grew as I got older.

In high school I was gifted my first “real” (dslr) camera and I went to town. My stepdad taught me a few photoshop tricks and I thought I was hot shit. I rallied my friends to model for me all the time. We’d go to abandoned buildings, open fields, even my bathtub was the backdrop for some artistic vision.

I didn’t think of photography as a realistic dream to make a living off of, so I went to college with no real direction. After two years at OSU I decided I wanted to go to art school and give it a shot, and it was probably the best thing I ever did. Getting out of my comfort zone to go somewhere new for school where I knew no one really helped me grow as a person and an artist. I started to pivot toward a more high fashion, editorial style. I learned more of the technical side of my camera and editing software and had access to lighting and studio equipment I’d never used before. Honestly some of my favorite images are from that time, it was so fun to create weird, fun stuff with no rules.

After I graduated, I started searching for any photography jobs I could find and I ended up finding a small business in Florida that focused on newborns, children, and families. My husband (boyfriend at the time) and I moved to Florida so I could finally have a “real” photography job. After three years in the Florida heat, we decided we weren’t cut out for that life and wanted to be closer to our families, so we headed back to Columbus at the end of 2018 and shortly after I officially started my own business. It was a very slow start as I was pregnant for most of 2019, gave birth October of that year, then covid hit 6 months later. But, slowly but surely, I built the most amazing clientele that I am so so grateful for every single day.

Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
Starting any business is hard! Photography is SUCH an oversaturated market, I was really scared I wasn’t going to make it. It’s true that anyone can take decent photos and even edit with a phone now. And though that’s true, I still definitely believe the artistic vision and experience a professional brings to a session is unmatched.

I found my niche with bold, colorful, candid images. I live for laughing through a beautiful sunset with my clients. I truly get so excited to go to sessions, edit, deliver, and keep watcing these families grow with me year after year.
I can’t fully describe the feeling of gratitude knowing that some of these families started with me over 8 years ago and have stuck with me while I found my style and learned how to navigate the business side of things. I will never not be so blown away that people choose ME to document their lives and keep coming back. It is truly the biggest honor.

Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know about your work?
Photographer, specializing in bold, colorful, and candid family photos that don’t feel stuffy and posed.

What’s next?
My only future plans are to continue working with and meeting new and returning families every year. I love this job so so so much. I do want to try to get back into some more artsy, fun, weird personal projects as well!

Contact Info:

A family walking on a path surrounded by blooming bushes and trees, holding hands, with a bridge in the background.

Child in pink dress walking along flower rows in a colorful tulip field, with a bicycle nearby, under a cloudy sky.

Group of people holding hands outdoors during sunset, walking along a dirt path with trees and bushes nearby.

Two children in baseball uniforms kneel on a baseball field, touching the ground with their hands, with a blurred background.

Family of five holding hands in a colorful flower field under a cloudy sky, with trees in the background.

Person in a blue dress standing outdoors with trees and sunlight, holding a large white heart-shaped object.

Person holding two sunflowers in front of their eyes, smiling in a sunflower field at sunset.

Woman in white dress standing among sunflowers, smiling and looking upward, sunlight behind her.

Two people, one adult and one child, stand on grass beneath large orange and yellow autumn trees.

Group of five people standing and sitting on a stone bridge in a forest with autumn leaves.

Child sitting on a tree branch with pink blossoms in the background, wearing a striped shirt and beige pants.

A couple standing in a river, embracing, surrounded by trees and greenery, with sunlight filtering through the leaves.

Two people stand on a sandy area inside a large cave with layered rock formations and trees outside visible at the entrance.

A woman and a young girl walk hand in hand in an open parking lot during sunset, with two people in the background.

Four people lying on grass, two adults and two children, with heads close together, smiling and relaxing outdoors.

Two people smiling outdoors with sunlight and a rainbow in the background.

Baby sitting in a wooden box outdoors, wearing a checkered outfit, with a neutral expression, green background.

Adult holding a smiling baby outdoors during sunset, both looking at each other happily.

Close-up of a young girl with blue eyes and blonde hair, smiling softly, outdoors with blurred background.

Child with red hair smiling, holding a tablet, between two adults, indoors.

A pregnant woman in a red dress holding hands with a man in a gray sweater in a yellow flower field.

Woman with dark hair smiling in a red dress outdoors with pink flowers and greenery.

A couple stands close together in front of a large ornate mirror, holding hands, in a bright room with white curtains.

Group of five people, including two children, standing and interacting in a bright, minimalistic space.

Two children playing on a sandy beach with rocks and a cloudy sky in the background.

Young girl with curly hair wearing a floral headband and colorful top, holding a dandelion outdoors at sunset.

Close-up of tiny baby feet held in an adult's hand, showing soft skin and small toes.

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