Jaime Patterson is a self taught professional photographer and proprietor of Hidden Exposure Photography in Richmond, VA.  Her work gives a dreamy-like view of the subject’s life and soul.  I keep threatening to hire her to take “tasteful” nudes of me, one day…one day!  Check her work out here: http://www.facebook.com/hiddenexposurephotography

  Let’s chat her up!

A Hidden Exposure Photography

Where do you draw your inspiration?  Truthfully, what doesn’t inspire me.  It really depends on the day and what I am involved I n at the time.  Being that I see what I do as story telling I am really inspired by and drawn to those things, in movies, music, books, that can very artfully craft a fantastic narrative.

 How many years have you worked on your photography? I have been taking snapshots since I was 5 but I really started working on my craft about 5 or 6 years ago after a trip to China.

 Who are your influenced by? I adore Sally Mann, Diane Arbus, and Annie Libowitz. All three women managed to take the mundane and make it magical. They also have a deeper connection with their subjects that reached beyond their time in front of the camera, they want to know their stories and that investment in the lives of their subjects really comes across in their photographs.

 What would you do, if you couldn’t create? HUSHAMOUF!! We will never speak of such things!  Being that my creativity is so entrenched in who I am for me not to have that ability would be almost be the death of a large part of who I am.

A Hidden Exposure Photography

 Describe your process: It really depends on who and what I am shooting. Lately I have been using a site called Pinterest to help me collaborate with my clients to come up with an overall theme and mood for their shoot. Using this has been so helpful in communicating wardrobe, location, and posing ideas before the shoot. They clients really like this idea and it gets them excited about our time together. 

 On the day of the shoot I generally am working to try to find the story. I try to get to know my subjects as best as I can before and during and try to incorporate as much of them into their photos to share with family and loved ones what their story is.

A Hidden Exposure Photography

 What do you want to get out of your art, what do you want to give to others through it?   What I want to get out of my art is that ability to craft a wonderful story of people’s lives, loves, and dreams. What I want to give others is a reminder of how great life is and how many stories there are out there to be seen and shared. Who knows maybe by seeing and hearing someone else’s story it may bring some healing and restoration to their own.

 NAMASTE!