Today we’d like to introduce you to Annette Ferraro.
Hi Annette, so excited to have you on the platform. So, before we get into questions about your work-life, maybe you can bring our readers up to speed on your story and how you got to where you are today?
Someone once told me, “There’s a softness in your photos…you have the ability to capture the emotion from within.” It’s a compliment I’ve held close to my heart over the course of my professional photography career. Whether shooting commercial clients, an emotive fine art family session, or senior or larger-than-life portraits, I am dedicated to documenting the full human experience. I shoot with intention and creativity that is unique to my heart while authentically capturing and honoring my client’s story.
Growing up, my dad would film my team sports and special events for our school and deliver a highlight reel to families. I was surrounded by his creativity and dedication to capturing moments and turning them into tangible memories. This exposure spiked my interest in photography and video and the first time I held a camera, I very quickly realized I needed this form of art to be a part of my life. At that time, I wasn’t sure to what extent, but the process felt natural to me – like an extension of who I was. Throughout High School, I enjoyed learning the technical aspects of shooting film and spent long hours developing photographic film in my school’s dark room.
Shortly after 9/11, my family and I took a trip to New York City and visited ground zero. The extreme pain, sorrow, and loss were so heavy in the city it felt hard to breathe at times. I brought my parent’s 1975 Nikon camera with me and captured the mourning city just as it was. This raw and painful human experience exposed me to the broad range of feelings photography has the ability to capture. From then on, I opened my heart up to capturing the world around me and my client’s stories in a very real way.
After graduating from Ohio University in 2007, I moved to Los Angeles, California, and worked in Major and Planned Gifts in the Foundation Department at Children’s Hospital Los Angeles. Always with a camera in hand, I loved exploring and shooting those west coast vibes and landscapes. After a couple of years in the sunshine state, I moved back to Ohio and worked in Community Inclusion and Public Relations for Developmental Disabilities of Clark County. From there, I transitioned into a Content Marketing role and then into the Visual Marketing Lead for the Marketing Agency Upward Brand Interactions in Columbus, Ohio.
All along the way, I never put my camera down and in 2010 I officially launched Annette Ferraro Photography – shooting on nights and weekends and working as a marketing professional during the day. When my first daughter came into the world in 2015, I made the exciting yet difficult decision to step out of my role as the Visual Marketing Lead and pursue my professional photography career full-time.
My experience in Marketing and PR inspired me to combine that portion of my career with my photography business. I do this through connecting with businesses and developing a customized annual visual plan that may include commercial photography, website or product photography, team portraits, and/or headshots. I also offer a variety of commercial video services to clients such as explainer and promo videos, as well as client testimonials. I love how different every business and client are, yet the ultimate goal is always the same: to develop a visual plan that brings the business to life and elevates its brand, so it can most effectively connect with its customers, patients, or clients.
Another area of offerings that I absolutely love is AFP’s emotive fine art family and portrait offerings. Parenthood is one of our greatest adventures and I love capturing the poetry in this life-changing, perfectly-imperfect human experience for my clients. Every shoot I have the honor of capturing, I strive to capture the family’s joy, love, and gratitude towards each other so they can forever carry those feelings close to their hearts.
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?
Being an entrepreneur has its own set of unique challenges, but I would say the most memorable learning experience was when the world shut down due to the global pandemic. At first, there were feelings of uncertainty I think we all faced – how does each business operate within the walls of this new normal?
Being an emotive photographer, shooting with a mask on from 6 feet away really stripped the human connection out of this meaningful experience. During that time, I left shoots carrying a bit of sadness with me – a yearning for what we had and the desire to connect again the way we used to.
However, during this time of uncertainty, a personal project unexpectedly catapulted a new business offering – Larger Than Life Portraits by AFP. These portraits were able to spark a renewed sense of joy and excitement in my clients (and in me too) during those long days of quarantine! I set up an outdoor, open-air studio in the backyard of my home and put on my longest lens, 70-200mm so my clients and I could safely socially distance. Larger Than Life Fine Art Portraits are designed to capture and celebrate each unique and beautiful, larger-than-life personality within us. Set against a white backdrop with a custom black and white edit, these sessions are all about the subject and capturing the essence of who they are. It has evolved from individual portraits only, to now offering sibling and family sets, pet portraits, empowerment, athlete, headshots, and even senior sets – you name it! This has been such a vibrant and fun new offering to pursue and I hope my clients continue to find joy in it for years and years to come!
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
I’m a photographer located in Columbus, Ohio who specializes in Commercial Photography, Emotive Fine Art Portrait Photography, and Family Photography.
I believe the main attribute that set my work and the AFP experience apart is that it’s really important to me to truly connect with my clients and understand their needs and vision from the first outreach to the final product. Being thoughtful, punctual, and responsive is a top priority of mine. Clients often share how comfortable and at ease they felt during their session – I do this by making the experience fun and meaningful, providing gentle prompts and direction. This is so important in cultivating a positive experience and producing portraits that are rich with emotion and truly celebrate the human connection.
I have a unique editing technique that is comparable to the process of hand painting. I am very intentional and thoughtful throughout the editing process, honoring each client, their moments, and their memories.
My commercial photography offering is unique in the way that I’ve combined my professional marketing experience with my photography and video services providing clients with forward-thinking and effective visual marketing plans. An example of this is AFP Elevate Bundles – a collection of monthly and/or quarterly packages for businesses and brands. Elevate Bundles allow business owners to focus on other aspects of their business while confidently knowing their visual marking is covered and thriving with AFP.
Within AFP, I am most proud of being able to deliver the gift of memories to others – a tangible moment that will be cherished for generations to come. I am also so grateful to have happiness and harmony within my career and extremely appreciative of the people who’ve believed in AFP over the years and provided me with the opportunity to capture their families, story, businesses, and journey.
How do you define success?
Success is not what we have but what we give. To have the opportunity to help elevate a business through commercial photography and video or capture life’s endless beauty through fine art portrait sessions for my clients ~ that’s truly a gift ~ and success in my book.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://annetteferrarophotography.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/annetteferrarophotography/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/AnnetteFerraroPhotography/
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC48HjSBe6DbL3pduXmKKNQg
- Other: https://www.instagram.com/afcommercialphotography/
