Meet Amanda Cantón of Amanda Cantón Photography

Today we’d like to introduce you to Amanda Cantón.

Amanda, let’s start with your story. We’d love to hear how you got started and how the journey has been so far.
Growing up, we had a big over the shoulder VHS recorder. I was drawn to it immediately. My sisters and I would create our own movies and music videos. We would write out our “story boards”, build our costumes and do our makeup and hair. I was obsessed. We also had your average point and shoot film camera. My sisters and neighborhood friends would dress up and be my models. We would use the foliage in our backyard, sheets from our beds, the pool, whatever we had around to set up our scenes. Waiting for the film to develop and receiving fresh prints was the best part. We would all sit down in a circle and look over what we created together. It was a feeling that was good.

I have been known to be the one who documents everything. I must always have a camera or camcorder on me or I feel like I might miss something. If I do somehow end up with neither one of those and I do miss something I die a little inside.

It wasn’t until I had my daughter a couple years ago that I realized that documenting is what I was going to be doing full time. I dove in. I stepped down from a leadership position at work and cut my hours so that I could put as much as possible into this business. I. Am. Obsessed. Photography has a very strong hold on me and it’s weird to say but since I have followed my gut I feel as though I have a better understanding of who I am and where I am meant to go. I keep my ears and my heart open to where God wants to place me and as I do this more and more doors keep opening. It’s a ride and I have zero desire to get off.

Has it been a smooth road?
It’s hard to say if it’s been a smooth road or not because even when the work load gets heavy it’s still not work. When I am meeting up with clients, creating with other artists, editing, whatever I am doing it is a dream job to me. I truly do love it all.

A challenge that I do have is the battle with time. I wish that the human body didn’t require sleep because then I could edit longer or work on a blog. To be honest I hardly sleep and that’s okay. As a new parent, there’s no such thing as sleep anymore anyway so I did my best to adapt. In the beginning, I would lay my daughter down for bed at 9:00pm, edit, go to bed at 12:00am, wake up at 3:00am, edit and then go to work at 6:00am.

It is hard at times when juggling a small business and a job on the side. It’s actually very tough. It can be overwhelming and I have broken into tears…many times. I received some great advice from a photographer who I am so very inspired by, Jessica Miller. She shared with me some great advice she received and it was “How do you eat a whale? One bite at a time”. That stuck with me. Honestly, I probably think of what she said at least once a week. What keeps me going is that I know I am doing this so that in time I will be able to have even more time with my daughter and we will be able to travel and take her around the world as we create together. It’s my dream.

So let’s switch gears a bit and go into the Amanda Cantón Photography story. Tell us more about the business.
I am a photographer and I document weddings. I also love collaborating and creating with other artists. I would like to think that I am known for my casual approach to capturing a passing moment or emotion. My goal is to make the person who is looking at the photo feel something.

Something that I am very proud of is that I like to give back. I donate 10% of what I bring in to different organizations. For a moment, it was the Free Arts in LA where they focus on the healing of abused children. It is the light and the purity that a child possess that can bring me to tears and I just can’t fathom why anyone would want to bring harm to such innocence. It drives me insane if I think about it for too long. I am always looking for organizations to help our children. I have always wanted to do something to help children but never knew how I could and now that I have my own business I want to do whatever I can to help out.

I haven’t mentioned this out loud much yet but part of my three-year plan is to travel around and document the lives of those in need of our help. Whether it be abroad or in our own back yard. My plan is to get a few passionate bands together and throw a benefit concert to raise funds and awareness to these areas and people in need. I would also sell photographs where 100% of the proceeds would go to these charities. I have to admit that I was very much inspired by George Harrison’s concert for Bangladesh. It moved my soul.

How do you think the industry will change over the next decade?
It looks as though wedding photographers are going after a similar approach and that is to go more of the documentary style of shooting and much less posed. It’s great! I feel as though I am seeing more and more beautiful and soulful work.

That’s what it’s all about in my opinion. Soul. I also see a lot of photographers expanding their business and sharing their knowledge through workshops and other learning get togethers. I have attending some really great ones too. If interested I would definitely keep your eyes peeled for “The Runaways Workshop” next year. I learned a great deal from some badass photographers. Twyla Jones and Chadwick Braithwaite are two people to reach out to for sure if you’re looking to grow and if you want to soak up some awesomeness.

I also see more and more people really caring about the photographer they chose and less about the materialistic part of their wedding day. I think people are realizing that it’s the photographs that you keep and what you have to look back on that beautiful day and not so much the glitz. I have seen a huge jump in elopements where people are saving more money by going to a killer destination and bringing along their closest loved ones and a photographer + videographer. I am not knocking big weddings by any means. I see how important they are as well. It’s just neat to see another side to how people are exchanging vows and making promises.

Pricing:

• $1700
• $2500
• $3400

Contact Info:

• Website: http://www.amandacanton.com
• Email: [email protected]
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/amandacantonphotography/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/amandacantonphotography/

Image Credit:
Model & Makeup Artist: Destinee Nicholson
Makeup Artist: Nicole Hefner
Model: Ingrid Marcellino Ousdahl
Model: Ashley Wilkerson
Model: Elliot Hebeler

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