May 1, 2017

Meet Aubrey Boonstra of Aubrey Jane Photo

Local Stories

Today we’d like to introduce you to Aubrey Boonstra.

Aubrey, please share your story with us. How did you get to where you are today?
I started my journey as a photographer shortly after college graduation. I had a friend who knew I enjoyed photography and she asked if I would be willing to shoot her wedding. In my head I could hear my college professor’s words of advice, “just because you have a nice camera doesn’t mean you can shoot a wedding.” I immediately ignored those words and said, “sure, why not.” Saying yes to that really opened the door for me and the business just grew and grew. I never intended to be a wedding photographer but I always knew I wanted to be an artist. This career sort of fell in my lap and I love what I do. I’m so thankful for all of the interesting people I’ve met and had the honor to photograph.

Has it been a smooth road?
On a whole, it’s been a pretty smooth road. I consider myself pretty lucky. I think with creative fields it’s easy to get discouraged, there’s a lot of great photographers in the world and it’s easy to fall down the rabbit hole comparing yourself to others. I always remember this quote from Cheryl Jacobs Nicolai, “Never compare your journey with someone else’s. It’s a marathon with no finish line. Someone else may start out faster than you, may seem to progress more quickly than you, but every runner has his own pace. Your journey is your journey, not a competition. You will never “arrive”. No one ever does.”

So, as you know, we’re impressed with Aubrey Jane Photo – tell our readers more, for example what you’re most proud of as a company and what sets you apart from others.
I run my own independent photography business, Aubrey Jane Photo. I specialize in wedding/portrait/engagement photography. The things I’m proud of and what sets me apart are kind of one and the same. I really enjoy connecting with my clients, developing relationships. I always say in order for me to create the most beautiful portraits I can, I kind of have to fall in love with my clients a little. It’s much easier to create beautiful photos when you have an emotional connection to your subject.

Let’s touch on your thoughts about our city – what do you like the most and least?
I love summer in the city, I love the food, and I love the vibes of all of the different neighborhoods. I also love that we have the best tacos of any American city I’ve spent time in.

I really dislike what little value our city seems to place on classic architecture. It always breaks my heart to see a beautiful old building torn down. I wish we spent more time preserving the rich history of our city.

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