We had the good fortune of connecting with Yvonne Min and we’ve shared our conversation below.
Hi Yvonne, we’d love to hear more about how you thought about starting your own business?
I’ll be honest, I never had any intention of starting my own business. I’m a math girl which finally led me to getting an MBA in Finance and then a long career doing financial analysis at a number of corporations in the Denver area. At about the exact same time that I bought my first DSLR camera, my company’s financial group was relocated to Minneapolis and my finance career came to an end. After long talks with my husband, we decided that this was one of those rare opportunities where you can try something else and if it doesn’t work out the way you planned, just go back into finance. And that was over ten years ago and I’ve never looked back. I love math and I love the concrete behavior of numbers. But I am so drawn to photographing people, whether they be high school seniors, corporate headshots or adorable families. Photography is a surprisingly intimate experience and I’m just obsessed with taking images of faces that make my subjects feel seen.
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.
I believe that one of my strongest skills is my ability to relax people during a photoshoot. We all know that getting in front of the camera can be an intimidating experience. I use humor to help people loosen up and have fun shooting with me. I have also spent countless hours studying my craft. Every face is different and every subject is unique. I really pride myself on bringing out the best in my subjects and creating images of themselves that they will simply love.
If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
If my best friend was coming to visit for a week, we would definitely be heading to the mountains. A drive up to Estes Park to eat salt water taffy and then drive through Rocky Mountain National Park would be key. We might even stay at the Stanley Hotel although we would not participate in the Ghost Tour as I inadvertently brought a ghost home with me on our last trip. Seriously. Then we would head over to Vail and stay at the Four Seasons. We would ride the gondola up to the roller coaster and then hike around that gorgeous area. Finally, we would wrap it up with a quick stay at the Broadmoor in Colorado Springs. Sunday Brunch is a must and then paddleboat around the lake.
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?
I cannot thank my husband John Min, enough for being endlessly patient with this crazy endeavor. I wish I could say that photography is not an expensive pursuit but that would be a lie. Thankfully, he rarely questions my purchases. Even though we all know many of them are not required. And my closest photography friends, Joe Gabbard and Junmo Lee, provide endless emotional and technical support to me. I would not be the photographer I am without their friendships.
Website: www.yvonneminphotography.com
Instagram: yvonneminphotography
Linkedin: Yvonne Gingras Min
Facebook: Yvonne Min Photography