Ana Taylor is a Brazilian born portrait photographer specialising in families, babies and children.
I actually can’t remember a time when I didn’t love photography. I would spend hours and hours looking at old family albums. Then I was given my first camera on my 11th birthday. It was a Kodak and I loved it. Strangely enough for a portrait photographer, people was not my first subject of choice. My mother used to be quite angry at me every time my photos came back from the lab, saying there was no one in them! I went on to get an Architecture degree because my mum said I should have a proper profession – and photography was not it! It backfired though as I took photography classes too and fell in love with the process of developing your own films and the smell of the darkroom. After leaving university and having a few proper jobs, I ended up moving to Britain and decided to take up photography as a profession – best thing I’ve ever done!
Everything inspires me. Big, famous photographers, random people on Flickr and Twitter. My family, my daughter and husband. The people I work with. Architecture inspires me. When I have time, I go on Google and type something like Wedding Photographers in North Wales. I always find amazing photographers like that – I’m not too good with keeping their names though. Do I really have to name anyone? Some I found through Twitter and whose photos always make me go ‘wow!’ is Danny North. There are a few Brazilian people I admire too, Sebastião Salgado is the obvious one but I also love Marino Pietro - he’s a wedding photographer, great not only with taking photos but also with passing on the knowledge. I’m a big big fan.
Ah, the future. I don’t usually think about it much but when I do, I think I’d still like to do something architecture-related. I’m not sure I’d like to be a full-time architectural photographer though, I quite like the close contact with people you get when you do portrait. And children are great to work with – no, seriously! I have also been (informally) invited to teach photography basics to kids in a project, not sure that one is going anywhere but that’s definitely something I’d love to do – darkroom and everything!
To learn more about me, you can find me in the following places:
