To pick the new artist of the month was not hard at all this time. There was hardly anyone in the past weeks that blew us away with so many stunning images, filled with emotion and tones to die for. Florida based Twyla Jones is certainly on the way to become one of the best emotional connection photographers at the moment.
Good think she will be also teaching at our first ever LOOKSLIKEFILM workshop in New York this October. Head over to www.lookslikefilm.com/registration to sign up !
Tell us a little bit about you and your life.
I recently moved to Florida from Kansas with my fiancé Gary and two little boys Oscar and Ari. I have a degree in Human Biology and have worked in a pathology lab as a Histologist with all my best friends for the past 8 years or so. I am a dreamer and a seeker. I’m obsessed with light and looking for magic everywhere. I’m a pretty private person but photography has given me a better way to communicate the things i cannot find the words to say.
Her fiancé Gary with Oscar & Ari
How did you start with photography?
I began with a point and shoot photographing everything from metal bands to chickens. After my children were born I finally decided I was ready to take control and learn to make my images look the way I was feeling them. I bought my first camera, a nikon d5100, in December 2013. I quickly and obsessively began learning everything I could. A few months in, my friend Darcie asked me to photograph her son and was kind enough to love the photos. That really gave me the encouragement I needed to turn my love for photography into a business.
What gear are you using?
I now primarily shoot with a d750 and 35 sigma art. while i own other cameras and lenses, i feel this combo most accurately translates how what i’m seeing makes me feel.
How do you edit your images?
Lightroom and a bunch of presets i’ve created based off of Tribe Archipelago LXC which include names like: jungle boy, creek bed and old house. I’ve been experimenting with ASE lately and always love everything better with a little of that magic thrown on top.
Where do you see yourself in 10 years?
A very similar version of what I’m doing now…..loving my babies, making photos and exploring. i would love to travel more, meet more of the amazing artists that frequent LOOKSLIKEFILM and help educate growing artists to the best of my ability.
How would you describe the way you shoot?
I don’t work well with shot lists and clearly hate traditional posing. i shoot how the emotion, light and nature direct me. Any shoot i’ve tried to plan beforehand has never felt very authentic to me. If I ever feel stuck I just take a deep breath and really try to soak in what that exact moment feels like and translate it into a split second.
Where do you find inspiration?
My children and loved ones. I observe intently when i don’t have a camera in hand and i’m certain all my best photos are the ones i’ve never taken. I love watching the small exchanges between people who care for each other.I’ve never been very good at expressing my emotions verbally but have found a way to communicate through photography.
Although there aren’t a lot of photographs that exist of myself I feel like the moments I’m capturing are a better representation of who I am. i find myself translating meaningful moments i’ve had with my loved ones into photographs for my clients.
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