Check out Misty Gardner-Hajek’s Artwork

Today we’d like to introduce you to Misty Gardner-Hajek.

Misty, we’d love to hear your story and how you got to where you are today both personally and as an artist.
I discovered photography at age 16, when I needed an art class to graduate and thought it sounded fun. After picking up that first camera, I fell in love with it, and I’ve been doing it ever since. Throughout my college years, I took a couple of photography classes and would do photo shoots with my friends as models, but never really made the jump to being a professional, as I felt I was “good” but not “good enough” to compete with the heavily saturated market.

I was a photography major for all of one semester at my community college. I shot a lot of films and took a class on how to use Photoshop. While it was fun and I learned a lot, I didn’t have the heart to commit to it. I heard all the statistics about the over-saturated photography market, about how much money your average photographer made in a year, and I still had my first love to consider (teaching). Ultimately, while I still kept my camera and did photography as a hobby, I focused all of my energy on college to complete my secondary education degree. And while I absolutely love teaching teenagers about Shakespeare, there was still the thought of “What if?”

When I started dating my husband during my senior year of college, I showed him some of my photography, and he asked why I didn’t pursue it more seriously. I had some canned answers about how I didn’t have the time, I didn’t think I could make any money, I was “okay” but not “good,” etc. And he told me that I was being ridiculous and that if I really wanted to, I could definitely run a thriving business. So this year, at the ripe old age of 27, I decided to do just that. I shot my first wedding in September 2018, and have since done a bunch more creative projects.

We’d love to hear more about your art. What do you do and why and what do you hope others will take away from your work?
I like to say I’m a storyteller. Photography is just one of the mediums I can use to tell those stories. Whether I’m shooting a senior’s graduation photos, a wedding, or a surprise engagement, my goal is to tell the story of those people at that moment. I like to call my style of editing “life in HD” – it’s not the trendy styles you might see on Instagram, but I aim for true-to-life colors and light that allow clients to relive that moment later. While I have a great appreciation for fine art photographers, I prefer to avoid overly posed or “staged” photos and tend towards giving models a general direction and letting them be themselves.

My favorite thing to shoot is portraits. I’ve done a wide array of different portraits with different people, different settings, and different moods. Freezing that exact moment is one of the coolest parts of being a photographer! While my photos may not be the most technically advanced, if you can look at them and feel the emotion – the love, the joy, the sadness – then I think I’ve accomplished my goals.

Do current events, local or global, affect your work and what you are focused on?
There’s a lot of discourse about whether artists should be publicly involved in politics. Whether it’s Banksy or Beyoncé, an artist will make a public statement through their art and people will pull out the pitchforks. “Politics don’t belong in art!” “I used to like this person, but everything they do is so political now.” The fact is that art has ALWAYS been political. It’s not a recent change, but I do think it is more prevalent in mainstream media, which has resulted in a lot of backlash.

While I don’t think artists should feel like they NEED to make a political statement, I do think it’s important that we as artists stick to our beliefs. Since we live in a red state, I’ve had people suggest that I don’t include pictures of LGBTQ+ couples in my portfolio, as it might “alienate” potential clients who don’t agree with that “lifestyle.” But I don’t believe in compromising my beliefs in order to make more money. If that makes my art a political statement, then so be it.

Do you have any events or exhibitions coming up? Where would one go to see more of your work? How can people support you and your artwork?
I have a Facebook page (/mistygphoto), an Instagram (@mistygphoto), and a website (mistygphoto.com). I am always looking to tell someone else’s story. If you’d like me to help tell yours, that would be amazing!

Contact Info:

• Website: http://www.mistygphoto.com
• Email: mistygphoto@gmail.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mistygphoto/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/mistygphoto/

Image Credit:
Misty Gardner-Hajek

Getting in touch: VoyagePhoenix is built on recommendations from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you know someone who deserves recognition please let us know here.