Meet Trailblazer Iris Blanche

Today we’d like to introduce you to Iris Blanche.

Iris, let’s start with your story. We’d love to hear how you got started and how the journey has been so far.
I grew up in Phoenix, Arizona. Some of my best childhood memories is where my Nana and Tata lived in one of the original barrios, “El Campito.” 7th Street and Tonto. I remember their adobe home and the hum of the cooler lulling me to sleep. My Nana would show me old family photos of days gone by, this is where my passion for photo preservation, photo taking and photo storytelling came to rest in my 8-year-old imagination and curiosity. To me, a family album is more valuable than gold. You look at a photo of a great-grandparent and you try to imagine what they were like, what they were doing or if they had a sense of humour. One can only imagine, but it is a moment captured in time. I got started in photography while in high school. I bought myself a Pentax K1000 from Kmart. I eventually joined the yearbook. I still have my Pentax. I spent many hours in the darkroom creating images from the film, seeing these images come to life on paper. I believe the solitude and quietness of that High School darkroom was my salvation from the hullabaloo of High School.

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?
Photography was a career path I was seriously thinking of taking at A.S.U. But, I didn’t have the money for the chemicals and supplies. This was back in the day of film. I didn’t think I could afford to take that path. Also, after Princess Diana died, there was a lot of bad press concerning Photographers. This dissuaded me into venturing further into the field of photography. I basically talked myself out of it. I couldn’t think outside the box of how to earn a living as a photographer. My advice is if you are passionate go for it, even if your friends or family don’t encourage you, as long as you are happy and love what you are doing, pursue it. Research it. Learn every day, but don’t forget to put the camera down and be part of life. Some things are worth seeing with the naked eye.

We’d love to hear more about Iris Blanche Photography.
I am a natural light photographer. Photography has made me appreciate the beauty of Arizona that I have taken for granted in my native state. You can travel 2 hours north and you are 20 degrees cooler and enjoying green hills or snow or on your way to Roosevelt Dam and every 15 or 20 minutes the scenery changes vastly from one prickly saguaro to green Pinyon Pines, and deep valleys. I don’t limit photography to anyone specific subject. I capture family photos, children, maternity, babies, quinceaneras, landscapes, night photography, landscapes and my favorite and illusive milky way. I enjoy photographing those candid moments where you capture a person’s personality for that split second. I’m most proud to step away from the standard family poses and tell a story through my photography and most privileged when a family lets me step into their world if only for a short time. There are times I am happy to provide photography services to families that may not be able to afford the normal range price Photographer’s charge. I am also easy going with my style and try to find a uniqueness to the person or person’s I’m photographing that may sometimes be overlooked.

So much of the media coverage is focused on the challenges facing women today, but what about the opportunities? Do you feel there are any opportunities that women are particularly well positioned for?
From my own perspective, the main challenges for me were my own insecurities and perhaps a lack of finances. I have a son and I think that there needs to be a balance for both male and female. I believe men face challenges too. If you label your challenge to the fact that you are a male or female, then you will face many challenges ahead and you will limit your opportunities. I believe you can never be the person you were, only the person you are today. Society is now moving past binary stereotypes and more into a dynamic allocation of responsibilities and roles. Gender as far as roles in the societal norm are transforming, so I don’t believe there is a particular position for neither gender.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://irisblanche25.wixsite.com/mysite
• Email: irisblanche25@gmail.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/iris_blanche_photography/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/IrisBlanchePhotography/

Image Credit:
Iris Blanche Photography

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.