Today we’d like to introduce you to Lindsay Berndt
Hi Lindsay, we’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
I started taking photos back in early high school, my stepdad had a camera that was collecting dust in his office. I made my friends go to any local park we could reach by bike or walking to do photoshoots (I wish I could find those photos today). Fast forward through being glued to my camera and Photoshop, 2 different colleges, very long hiatuses, shooting shooting shooting.. I feel I have finally just scratched the surface of my photography career. It feels fulfilling to be at the start of something so important to my life while also being at the start of truly understanding myself as a person, friend, family member and partner.
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
Quite a bumpy road actually. I grew up in an environment where I never really had a base for self assurance, confidence or consistency. It took me a whole lot of time to gain even a glimmer of self awareness to see the path of destruction I was going down. I really had to pick myself up and understand that leading a life of blaming literally anything else but yourself for shortcomings and wrongdoings will end me up right where I escaped from when leaving behind the tumultuous childhood I endured.
As you can see, none of this is directly related to photography, but it is. I was completely unable to feel like the things I could provide for people in my life held any importance or value. After years of forcing myself to choose what is uncomfortable, I finally feel like I have made enough progress that I can look in the mirror and be thankful for my mind and body for not giving up and carrying me through a kind of healing that is now directly reflective in the work I do.
Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
My work has varied a lot over the years, trying a lot of different styles or even mediums within the craft itself, but it has always come back around to portraiture. I love spending time with new people, taking them outside or being in the spaces of those gracious enough to let me intrude. Really my whole photography practice revolves around creating community and empowering those I surround myself with.
I focus a lot of time honing in on creative lighting, and I’d like to think peers notice this the most in my work. I try to make my images look as dreamlike as possible with a touch of unsettling.
I am very proud of my resilience to keep trying new things over and over again until I get the result I desire. I think having a strong work ethic and the ability to focus directly on my own work sets me aside from who I was in the past, I feel confident in my word when I say I’ll go 10 extra miles to capture the perfect moment that lives in my head.
Can you talk to us a bit about happiness and what makes you happy?
Every precious moment I get with my kitties and boyfriend, weekly dinner dates with my dad, ladies night with my best friends, my home, 4:30 opens at Cherbourg Bakery with co workers who have become family to me, taking photos and meeting new people along the way.. just a few things that come to mind, the list goes on 🙂
Contact Info:
- Website: https://lindsayberndt.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lindsay.berndt/
