Art & Life with Amanda Spirek and Jordan Olstead

Today we’d like to introduce you to Amanda Spirek, Jordan Olstead .

Amanda and Jordan, please kick things off for us by telling us about yourself and your journey so far.
Both of us have loved photography for as long as we can remember. When we met at the University of Arizona and instantly became great friends, we both learned we shared a passion for the same thing, photography. Throughout the next few years we each got our first “real” cameras, a Canon Rebel, and self-taught ourselves the basics of photography. This was just the start of something so much more. In 2018, we decided to turn this hobby into something more, which sparked the idea of J & A Photography AZ. Being best friends who both share the same passion and goals for a future in photography, made it an easy decision to start our business. Over the last year, we have further developed our skills through mentoring and more practice, and while we definitely have room to grow and learn, we are loving every minute of it and can’t wait to see what the future holds.

Can you give our readers some background on your art?
J&A Photography AZ is a photography business based in Phoenix, AZ focusing on family, maternity and senior photography. We love being able to meet new clients and capture memories from the important times in their lives. We love natural light photography and absolutely love real candid moments. Posed photography is a lot of fun, and we really enjoy it, but nothing is better than capturing belly laughs from a family having a dance party or the pure excitement of a new mom and dad just a few weeks before their baby is born.

Artists rarely, if ever pursue art for the money. Nonetheless, we all have bills and responsibilities, and many aspiring artists are discouraged from pursuing art due to financial reasons. Any advice or thoughts you’d like to share with prospective artists?
We both fully understand that choosing a creative or artistic path definitely can come with financial challenges, in fact, we think that might have been what held us back from jumping into a photography business years before we did. What we have learned is that you don’t have to dive right in. Baby steps are more than okay and as long as you are happy and enjoy what you are doing that is all that matters.

What’s the best way for someone to check out your work and provide support?
Our social media accounts are linked below; we like to update them regularly so that our follows can see our most recent work. The best way people can support our work is to like and follow us on social media. Being a small local business, we find that social media and referrals are two great ways to get in front of future clients and keep in touch with past clients.

https://www.instagram.com/jandaphotographyaz/

https://www.facebook.com/JandAPhotographyAZ/

https://japhotographyaz.passgallery.com

Contact Info:

• Email: JandAPhotographyAZ@gmail.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jandaphotographyaz/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/JandAPhotographyAZ/

Image Credit:
J and A Photography AZ and Samantha Davis-Happy Hippo Photography (headshot)

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