Today we’d like to introduce you to Anna Craig
Alright, so thank you so much for sharing your story and insight with our readers. To kick things off, can you tell us a bit about how you got started?
Hey there!
I’m Anna Craig – I have been a wedding photographer for 8 years now, 5 of which have been my full time job which is absolutely wild! While growing up my mother & grandfather were never seen without a camera in hand — My mom was always snapping pictures while I fingerpainted in the kitchen and my grandpa rifling through old boxes of printed memories.
I always admired them and thought how special it must be to be the creator of a photograph that your kids, kids would look back on. They are continually an inspiration to me and I can’t help but believe that I was meant to carry out their legacy.
I started out like most newbies & picked up a $300 camera from my local camera store and began shooting just about anything and everything. After a couple months, I wanted to start photographing people so I started doing family sessions, seniors and just about anybody that would give me a chance. I took some really bad photographs and some really good ones and kept growing, learning, watching SO many YouTube tutorials. I was finally able to get to a point where I started charging a little bit of money for sessions and from there, my business launched! In all honesty, I made pennies but I was the happiest 15 year old out there. People were beginning to trust me with these once in a lifetime memories and that was the coolest feeling!
When I was 17, I ended up dropping out of high school and getting my GED – story for another time but high school was just not it LOL. I spent my last year of “highschool” traveling to Las Vegas, Nepal & India helping aid in the relief of Human Trafficking! It was a really neat experience and lot of self discovery!
When I turned 18, I made the move from Chicago to Ohio with my dad which was tough – I left all my friends behind and any connections in the photo industry. I know Ohio is only 6 hours away but it felt like I was moving to the other side of the world. I moved to Youngstown OH which if you don’t know is right in between Cleveland & Pittsburgh! I had no idea what I wanted to do with my life and felt like the most lost 18 year old. I had just spent the past year traveling the world, my friends were getting accepted into colleges, and I just had no direction.
A few weeks after the big move, I ended up booking a Mentor Session with a local Youngstown Wedding Photographer just to try and make some connections. We talked about gear, weddings, getting clients & everything under the sun! Her spunk & drive inspired me! I continued on with photography and started second shooting for a few other photographers which was exciting! During the week, I worked a full time job & on the weekends, I second shot weddings – It was the one thing that brought me so much joy! In the search for what I was supposed to do with my life, I did a semester of College at Youngstown State and quickly realized, I am not someone that can just sit in a classroom ( hence the GED degree, so you think I would’ve known better ) I ended up job hopping quite a bit working as a receptionist, home health care aid, fashion boutique, you name it, I did it. Second shooting weddings increased more & more but I still wasn’t where I needed to be.
I felt like life was turning out to be okay until another photographer who had taken me under her wing to teach me, said I wasn’t good enough & dismissed me from second shooting with her again. I was moritifed & so heartbroken. I wanted to just give up entirely but my boyfriend at the time ( now husband ) encouraged me to KEEP GOING & so I did. Now looking back, I wouldn’t be where I am today if that photographer hadn’t knocked me down. I needed that to grow, to push, to get BETTER. I wanted to prove everyone wrong and I was determined to make it happen!
I quickly turned 21 and was working a job I hated until I got let go unexpectedly – I had started booking my own weddings but I was terrified to make the leap to full time because everyone I talked too said I needed to have BIG money in the bank before I took such a risk. But I wouldn’t be me, If I didn’t take risks, so I went FULL TIME, cold turkey & I haven’t looked back since!
I have been so blessed to make photography my full time job while being able to support my family. It has not been easy. The wedding days are long, the editing, the emails are time consuming, but it is the best thing I have ever done for me. I give all credit to the Lord because it is crazy to fathom that I am 26, running a 6 figure business, supporting my family, married and able to own a home. I started from NOTHING.. Quite literally nothing. I taught myself, never gave up, and people trusted me, continue to and share my name with their friends & family. It has been such a journey but it has been so fun and good for me!
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?
covered this in the last part I’m sorry!!
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
I specialize in couples & weddings! I am a wedding photographer first and foremost but I will take on small family sessions specifically clients who I’ve photographed their wedding & who are now starting families.
I am huge on creating a calm atmosphere on wedding days, feeling like another sister – I love creating a relationship with my couples instead of it feeling like I’m just a “vendor” they checked off their wedding to-do list!
If someone inquires with me & I don’t feel like we’re the best fit, then I’ll refer them to another photographer who will better suit their needs. That is how big I am on human connection – Comfortability & vulnerability is essential to the work I produce so it’s essential that my values align with the couples I take on.
I take a very FUN approach to shooting weddings from the engagement session to the wedding day. My work is very real with a photojournalistic style. My goal is to take genuine photographs of my couples so they can look back and say “this is so us”
What do you like and dislike about the city?
I love Youngstown!!
I love the community aspect and how I’ll see the same people at the grocery store continually haha. It’s goofy to me & I never had that in Chicago because it was just so big. Also Mill Creek is absolutely phenomenal, you can’t beat it!
I wish there was more to do and that I didn’t have to drive an hour to Cleveland or Pittsburgh for more date night activities lol!
Would love a top golf, or a big arcade!
Pricing:
- Weddings start at $6000
- Lifestyle starts at $700
Contact Info:
- Website: https://annacraigphoto.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/annacraigphoto/
