Speakers of Snap : Sam Hurd

Sam Hurd is a professional wedding and editorial photographer based in the Washington DC area. He photographs 40+ weddings a year, press events, commercial portraiture, and regularly hosts workshops in his Baltimore MD studio and around the world. His work has been published internationally including the Wall Street Journal, the NYTimes, and the Washington Post. 

He will be one of the Speakers at the SNAP Photography Festival this April in Wales (UK) ! Get your hands on one of the last tickets available for SNAP at http://www.snapphotofestival.com.

Speakers of Snap : Paula O´Hara

“I truly believe that the decisions you make in life, the experiences you have, the places you’ve been, the skills you acquire, all collide to make you the photographer that you are today”

— Paula O´Hara

Image by Paula O´Hara - www.paulaohara.com

I took the long way round into wedding photography after a career as a designer for 12 years. My interest in weddings began whilst working as a designer on bridal magazines. Around that time my children were born and everything changed.

Image by Paula O´Hara - www.paulaohara.com

I picked up the camera again, purely to document as a mother and realised the impact photographs could have on the heart when loved ones were in the frame. 

Image by Paula O´Hara - www.paulaohara.com

Some of the staff on the magazine noticed my photos and I started to get commissions. Since then I’ve never looked back.

Image by Paula O´Hara - www.paulaohara.com

With photography I felt something more than I ever felt as a designer, a fulfillment, a bliss, a heart-racing need. The fire was sparked, and it was deep within my soul. I have always struggled with words. It’s a discovery of pure joy when you realise you can communicate a feeling or a story with images alone, and others feel it too.

Image by Paula O´Hara - www.paulaohara.com

That universal connection leaves me in awe everytime. That’s not to say there aren’t vulnerable days when photography breaks my heart, and I’m walled up in frustration. It’s that ever-elusive perfection, always just beyond your grasp. And I can’t imagine a life without it.

Image by Paula O´Hara - www.paulaohara.com

I truly believe that the decisions you make in life, the experiences you have, the places you’ve been, the skills you acquire, all collide to make you the photographer that you are today.

Image by Paula O´Hara - www.paulaohara.com

I’m forever grateful for my life as a wedding photographer and being part of an ever- growing community who feel the same. I’m looking forward to sharing those passions and lighting some new fires in the forest.

Image by Paula O´Hara - www.paulaohara.com

Selected by Rangefinder Magazine as one of the top Rising Stars of Wedding Photography 2013, Paula has been commissioned to shoot weddings and bridal editorial all over Ireland and internationally. Her work has been featured in numerous magazines and online publications. She loves tea from the pot, Nutella, good books, big hugs, old photographs, fresh blooms, and long rambles in wild places. 

---

The SNAP Photography Festival is getting closer every day. The final schedule is ready and we will bring you informations about all the speakers !

Paula will be teaching at SNAP on April the 14th. For more Information about SNAP and the schedule, please visit www.snapphotofestival.com/looks-like-film

Kickstarter: "New Zealand & Beyond"

Portrait by Gavin Hardy

“I hope to inspire people who want to break free and do what they love, that with the right mixture of positivity, will power and hard work, it CAN be done. I want to empower people to take that risk and turn dreams into reality.”

— Ellen Richardson

Hi everyone! I'm Ellen Richardson, a portrait and lifestyle photographer from England, and writer of the Image of the Week and Artist of the Month features here at the Looks Like Film Blog. It's a such privilege to be part of a hugely talented community and nothing beats getting to browse all of your work in the incredible VSCO Film Users Group every week to seek out the best of the best!

I want to share with you a huge personal project I'm taking on this year: 

On March 12th I’m moving to New Zealand to travel the country for a year and will be creating a book of my photography taken over the 12 months! To make this possible though, I need your help.

I’ve launched a Kickstarter campaign, which is an online crowdfunding service that enables creative projects worldwide to exist, through pledges in return for rewards. So far they've raised more than $1.5 billion for independent artists just like us.

I'm self-publishing a 120-page book of portraiture and personal travel photography from my 12-month journey around New Zealand, via crowdfunding service Kickstarter. I need your help to turn my dream into a reality - pledge here now

It runs on pledges rather than donations, so you don't actually pay anything until the goal deadline (March 12th), and only if my target is met. If it's successful, then you receive a cool reward based on how much you pledged, such as a copy of the book or prints and posters from the series. If I don't meet my goal then you don't pay a penny - win-win!

By essentially pre-ordering a copy of the book or some artwork for your home, your pledge will go towards funding the printing and shipping costs of the first 250 copies of 'New Zealand & Beyond'. The book won't exist without your support, so please pledge and help turn this dream into a reality.

If you can’t pledge money, you can still have a huge influence on the success of this Kickstarter. Simply SHARE the project or this blog post wherever you can and you'll receive a free eBook version of 'New Zealand & Beyond' - just like that! Be sure to let me know you've shared it and provide your email so I can add you to the mailing list.

For lots more details about the book and my journey, visit the official Kickstarter page, and you can keep updated about my progress by joining the 'New Zealand & Beyond' Facebook group.

Thanks so much for reading!

- Ellen

P.S - If anyone is located in New Zealand or planning to visit, let's meet up for some portraiture and fun! Email me at ellelouise2@gmail.com

Follow me