We had the good fortune of connecting with Hannah Malloy and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Hannah, what led you to pursuing a creative path professionally?
I’ve always been an artistically inclined person, ever since I was old enough to hold a pencil. I was constantly doodling during class while in school and dreaming up my next project. Although I went to college for a career projected in a non-art direction, I felt a constant tug to pursue photography more seriously. I leaned into that intuitive feeling and wound up going full time after figuring out how I was able to support myself through that type of work. The realm of photography combines several of my favorite things including visual arts, people, and story telling. Knowing I could pursue that career field full time, I decided to take the leap!

Can you open up a bit about your work and career? We’re big fans and we’d love for our community to learn more about your work.
My passions in life include story telling, art, people and finding the joys in life, both big and small. I’m able to incorporate all of those components into what I do for a living which is documenting weddings and other season’s of people’s lives. It all began with a small point and shoot camera which snowballed into a nicer DSLR. At school, my peers found out I had a nice camera and so they asked if I would take their senior portraits. Little by little, my name began to spread in my domain and I became the go-to for senior portraits which eventually turned into wedding photography. I began my journey with photography 13 years ago and since then have weathered an increasingly saturated market, stronger competition and cycles of trends. With that, I’ve made it my mission to remain true to my work and trusted that in doing so I would attract the right clients. My goal with my work is to document snippets of life that act as a portal back to a particular time and place.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
I am based in Richmond, Virginia, which is home to a portion of the James River and a thriving arts community. If a friend were to visit, we would likely spend the day lounging on the river rocks (maybe take a dip!), followed by attending an outdoor concert at Browns Island. Richmond is a wonderful spot for people watching which we would do at a coffee shop or eatery in any one of the districts around the city- the Museum District being my favorite. There would likely be a stop or two at one of the many breweries and restaurants dotting the city. We would top off the week/night at the Libbie Hill overlook to watch the sunset over our humble city skyline!

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
There are so many people in my life who have positively encouraged my journey as a photographer- from family members to teachers to my peers and beyond. My mom pursued a similar route as I did in that she opened her own bakery specializing in European pastry and studio cakes. The expression that she’d consistently tell me any time I was hesitant about making the leap to full time with photography was “leap and the net shall appear!”. The net appeared for her as it did myself. She was passionate about her craft and believed in how it would positively impact her community. Her encouragement is a tremendous reason I had the confidence to follow my gut.

Website: www.hannahmalloyphoto.com

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/hannahmalloyphoto/?hl=en (@hannahmalloyphoto)

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/hannahmalloyphoto/

Image Credits
Hannah Malloy

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