Today we’d like to introduce you to Vivian Arnold.
Vivian, please kick things off for us by telling us about yourself and your journey so far.
I wouldn’t consider myself an artist. I’m a wife, mother, and photographer. I came to America from Vietnam when I was 5 years old with no English background. It was very tough in school. I had no friends. I was bullied. I had many embarrassing bathroom accidents. I cried every day in school. School was just a nightmare for me. I was afraid. I kept telling myself that I can do this. Never give up. FAIL means first attempt in learning. This is the reason my parents bought my sister and I to America so we can have a better lives. I worked hard to learn English and pushed through every day. Fast forward, I graduated from Loyola University with a bachelor degree in Psychology. After I graduated, I never did execute my degree. I worked at Walgreens as a pharmacy technician for a long time until I met my husband. After marriage, I want to do Cosmetology and I did at Mario Tricoci School. And again, I didn’t make use of that degree either. I then became pregnant with our first son. This is where my passion for photography started in 2006. I became the stay at home mom with our newborn. Every day, I took TONS of baby pictures with my regular camera (no DSL). Everywhere we go, I would be the one behind the camera. Same thing with our 2nd and 3rd kids. Then one Christmas, I received my first DSL Canon camera from my husband. I was super excited. I started using it on Auto setting because I had no idea how to use manually. I did some research on YouTube on how to shoot on manual, how to set my ISO and Aperture. It was confusing for me to get it straight. I decided to take some Photography classes to learn like a real photographer should. Knowing what is ISO, what is Aperture, and the rule of third. Since then, I would use my kids and my neighbor’s kid as my models. I do it so often to the point where they would run away from me when they see me with my camera. I’ve always enjoyed taking pictures but never thought of putting it into business, until my friends and family talked me into it. This is how Viv’s Photography came to be.
Can you give our readers some background on your art?
I do all type of portraits work but specialize in kids and families. As a photographer, I want to create a beautiful piece of artwork for my clients to cherish down the road. A piece that can be hang on their walls or keep in the album book generation after generation. Photographer are storyteller! Every pictures has a story behind it and I want to tell that story with photos. I want to be there for that special moments in life whether it is a milestone, an engagement, birthing, communion or just a celebration to document it.
My inspiration to my clients is that everyone are beautiful. Size and shape doesn’t matter. Just have confidence in yourself to get in front of the camera and let us photographer do the rest. I want people to love my work and knowing that I work hard in every photos I do to create something unique that my clients can look back with a smile in the years to come.
In your view, what is the biggest issue artists have to deal with?
The biggest challenge I face today is that there are too many excellent photographers out there. I struggle with pricing. I want to stay in the same market as everyone else. I don’t want to be too high that no one wants to hire me or too low that I’m not making any profits. Everything needs to be balance. When I price my packages, I looked into all the aspects that are accounted for. For examples, my time shooting, hiring MUA, transportation, the costs of my equipment’s, clothes, the software I use to edit and deliver images, and time I spent editing. Overall, running a small business isn’t easy.
What’s the best way for someone to check out your work and provide support?
I usually post my new work on Facebook at Viv’s Photography https://www.facebook.com/Vivians.Photography/
On Instagram @viv_a_photography and on Smugmug at https://vivianarnold.smugmug.com/
Check it out! Please support my business by liking my page and referral to friends and families. I love new and old clients.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://vivianarnold.smugmug.com/
- Phone: 773-892-8892
- Email: vlu73@hotmail.com
- Instagram: @viv_a_photography
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Vivians.Photography/
Image Credit:
Viv’s Photography
Getting in touch: VoyageChicago is built on recommendations from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you know someone who deserves recognition please let us know here.
