January 8, 2017

Meet Anna Cicone

Local Stories

Today we’d like to introduce you to Anna Cicone.

Anna, let’s start with your story. We’d love to hear how you got started and how the journey has been so far.
My journey in photography started in high school when I took an introductory class as an elective on a whim. My instructor was hard to please, which pushed me to take good photos. This drive eventually turned into a passion that was planted in my mind, but that I wouldn’t actively pursue until later in life.

A few years later, I met a photographer named Xavier Nuez at an art fair. Xavier would travel into the darkest of alleyways in major cities throughout the U.S. at times of the night where most would be fast asleep. He invited me on a shoot in Detroit, MI, and I was completely inspired. I watched him take hours upon hours to scout his location, carefully set his composition, then keep the shutter open for as long as 8 minutes as he walked around the location planting his light. This is when I realized that photography was an art form that was capable of many different interpretations, but it still took me a few more years to truly pursue.

I learned digital photography from a man named Phil Holland here in Hollywood, CA. Phil taught me the technical side of photos, the importance of light, the ability of color to convey a story through tone. Finally, I was inspired to shoot for myself and find my voice. I was simultaneously involved, and still am, with training in circus aerials. I developed a very close community with people who became dear friends, and now amazing photography subjects.

I fused two passions over the course of about 10 years, but I still am at the very beginning of my journey. I currently take photos of aerialists and dancers and am hoping to expand to other niches of athleticism and movement.

We’re always bombarded by how great it is to pursue your passion, etc – but we’ve spoken with enough people to know that it’s not always easy. Overall, would you say things have been easy for you?
It has been challenging in the respect that, like many in their 20s, I had no idea what I wanted to do with my life. I have never been the type to be able to sit day after day behind a computer, but I often found myself in jobs that required this due to lack of direction. Photography has provided me with a way to both express my creativity in a way that, luckily enough, people are willing to compensate me for – it’s incredible!

So let’s switch gears a bit and go into the Anna Cicone Photography story. Tell us more about the business.
I specialize in session photography for dancers, aerialists, and any other masters of movement. I’m proud that I’ve been able to set myself apart in the realm of aerial photography while developing a distinctive style.

Has luck played a meaningful role in your life and business?
I do think I owe a lot to luck, as well as being in the right place at the right time. I am lucky that I worked for a company that allowed me to take the digital photography class for free, I am lucky that my first lens was a gift from a friend who no longer wanted it, and I am lucky that my partner has a space that he is happy to let me shoot in on a regular basis. I am so thankful for all of the above. I’ve had a fair amount of bad luck, too. But without that, I would not have ended up where I am.

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