We had the good fortune of connecting with Audrey Schaffer and we’ve shared our conversation below.
Hi Audrey, what led you to pursuing a creative path professionally?
In every job I have worked there has been no room to be creative. It was mindless work with one way to do it and the same outcome every time and I lacked a sense of purpose. I wanted to do something that would cause someone to feel emotions, whether that’s a photo I’ve taken that sits in their house for years and they smile when they see it or a video showcasing someone’s best moments that they can rewatch with pride.
Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
I feel that I have accomplished a lot in the past two years. I started out taking photos for free for my friends and then slowly started getting paid jobs. My real break came when I started taking photos for bands. There were no other band photographers in the area so I was able to shoot for multiple bands at once. One band hired me full time as their photographer/social media person which was huge for me. Despite my sucess there I could never shake my passion for hunting and wildlife photography as I am an avid hunter/outdoorswoman. This past October I went and shot my first waterfowl hunt and it solidified my love for capturing people doing what they love outdoors. It is extremely hard to break into the wildlife photography world and I would love to work for a small guiding service in the future, so the next few months I am going to be putting all of my energy into finding people to go on hunts with. I believe what sets me apart in this field is the fact that I have grown up hunting and know how to safely shoot a hunt. One lesson I have learned that has stuck with me throughout this journey is that there is always something to learn, you will never know everything and that is what makes photography enjoyable for me.
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?
Being from Kearney, Nebraska, there is not much to do. I personally believe though that you can find fun anywhere that you go. With that in mind, I would take someone from out of town to our local grocery store called Boogarts and we would get sushi, and then I would give them a little tour around Kearney, and I would show them Yanney Tower, Cottonmill Lake, and my personal favorite spot which is this hill out in the country that I have dubbed sunset hill and I would take them out to watch the sunset!
Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
My mom has probably been my biggest mentor. She has been extremely supportive and ready to help me with anything that I don’t fully understand, not just in the photography world, but in every aspect of my life.
Website: https://ajsphotograph.mypixieset.com/
Instagram: ajsphotography_0