Behind the Lens: Patti Anne Photography
WRITTEN BY ALYSSA QUACKENBUSH
Anybody can take a pretty picture. Let’s face it, the unprecedented access to decent cameras and endless digital space for photos allows for anyone of us to grab a cool sunset picture or portrait of a pet or a friend every once in a while. And as great as it may feel to take photos like this, that doesn’t immediately make us all great photographers, regardless of how it feels.
To be a great photographer, it’s imperative to have the educational background and professional knowledge of processes, techniques, equipment, and more. But this can easily be lost, effectively trivializing photography as a profession, when anybody with an iPhone or digital camera can call themselves a photographer. Professional photographers know that scoring a pretty picture just isn’t enough.
PHOTO CREDIT: NICOLE BROWN OF PATTI ANNE PHOTOGRAPHY
BEHIND THE LENS WITH A PRO
If you’ve been in Marshfield for any amount of time, it’s likely you’ve heard of (or even worked with) Patti Ann Driscoll of Patti Ann Photography. Patti is a senior portrait monolith, you can open up any of MHS’s yearbooks from the past few years to a myriad of photos taken by Patti. She’s also a dance and newborn photographer. Patti’s photography began as a hobby, back when her kids, now 21 and 23, were just toddlers playing recreactional sports. A single mom working full-time, through the years Patti never failed to capture photos at these games. She quickly fell in love with photography.
Here’s where her hobby turned into a profession; Patti began taking every single photography class that she could, always hungry for more. Over the years, she has had two mentors, one of whom is Ann Lyle in Framingham who specializes in newborn photography. Patti has worked with her for three years and now gets to work with her as an assistant. She’s joined organizations such as the PPA (Professional Photographers of America), PPMA (Professional Photographers of Massachusetts), and ISPWP (International Society of Professional Wedding Photographers). She’s attended the Evolve convention for five years in a row and was invited to the inaugural dance photography conference Pas de Deaux, and countless other intensive photography courses on posing, lighting, photoshop, cameras, and everything in between.
PHOTO CREDIT: PATTI ANNE PHOTOGRAPHY
[CAROUSEL PHOTO CREDITS: PATTI ANNE PHOTOGRAPHY]
AREA OF FOCUS
You’ll often see photographers specializing in one particular area, but Patti just can’t choose a favorite focus out of her senior shoots, dancers (especially her ballerinas), and her newborns. She’s been in the game long enough now that she’s seen many returning clients, watching them all grow up one photoshoot at a time.
After Patti got married to her husband Tim, about five years ago, she decided that this photography was something that she should be doing as a full time business. So, she opened up a studio here in Marshfield and she’s been thriving since. Her 2,000 square foot studio has everything she needs and more, all that’s missing is a shower and she could live there, Patti joked over the phone. There’s a newborn room, a garage/warehouse space that lends itself really well to dancing shoots, soon there will be an infinity wall, and a whole lot more. Patti always tells her clients to expect to be at a shoot for a while, because she’s always finding new inspiration with the subject as she goes and people begin to open up and become more comfortable.
PHOTO CREDITS: PATTI ANNE PHOTOGRAPHY
PHOTO CREDITS: PATTI ANNE PHOTOGRAPHY
[CAROUSEL PHOTO CREDITS: PATTI ANNE PHOTOGRAPHY]
SENIOR SHOOTS
This is especially true with the seniors, she says, since most aren’t used to posing and being in front of the camera in this way, it often takes some time to warm up to the process. Once they’re there, though, the magic starts to happen, and the collaboration between the subject and Patti’s camerawork results in some beautifully personal and authentic photos. With her senior shoots, Patti makes a point not to make all of the focus on the photo that’s going to end up in the yearbook, especially considering all of the restrictions and guidelines that come along with a yearbook photo. Instead, she likes to get a variety of other shots along with the one yearbook photo that really allows the senior’s personality to shine through. Whether that means a photo shoot at the barn for a lifelong 4-Her or hanging out in front of the JFK Library for the passionate bookworm, Patti wants to get these seniors in a position that is not only comfortable for them but in a location that they can be authentically themselves. The photo shoots then result in photos that serve as important reflections of the kids’ early lives and transitions into adulthood, with pictures that they can be excited to post on Instagram for their friends to see or to send out to family.
BEHIND THE SCENES PHOTO CREDITS: NICOLE BROWN OF PATTI ANNE PHOTOGRAPHY
[CAROUSEL PHOTO CREDITS: PATTI ANNE PHOTOGRAPHY]
BEHIND THE PHOTOGRAPHER
Patti even has the help of an intern-turned-assistant; Nicole Brown, who is a Sophomore at Chapman University in California, captures a lot of behind-the-scenes photos at her shoots and works closely with her at a variety of shoots and events.
What really sets Patti apart is her commitment to understanding each of her clients on a personal level, and this priority shines through in her work. She makes a point to get to know each and every person she shoots before their session so that she can guarantee a personal experience that allows both Patti’s creativity and the subject’s personality to effortlessly come across in the final photos.
Ironically, as well-educated and passionate as Patti is about her photography, she admittedly takes some of the worst iPhone photos. She laughed about it over the phone, citing her kids oftentimes having to take the phone away from her because of how poorly those photos turn out.
And as great of a gig as photography seems, not all aspects of the process are particularly exciting. Before I had the chance to ask what the negatives of the job were, Patti mentioned how much she loathes the editing process. Some people have a knack for it, but Patti says that even after lessons and classes in Photoshop, much of it simply doesn’t click. Because of her technological struggles, Patti tries her very best to get the photos as near-perfect as she can during the shoot. She does a lot of smoke-bomb shoots with dancers, and never touches the smoke in Photoshop--it’s all real. She’s a believer that if you know your camera and your techniques well enough, extensive Photoshopping is not an essential part of the process. Think of it like this; a great photographer can be great at Photoshop, but being great with Photoshop doesn’t immediately make you a good photographer. The two are separate arts.
[CAROUSEL PHOTO CREDITS: PATTI ANNE PHOTOGRAPHY]
INVESTING IN YOURSELF
Patti’s greatest advice for anybody interested in improving their photography skills is to enter in competitions. She herself has entered many competitions at the different conferences and conventions she’s attended over the years, and she recounts how absolutely heartbreaking and painful it is to hear the criticism of your work by the panel of judges. But, as tough as the heartbreak is, it helps tremendously with improving your work.
BEHIND THE SCENES PHOTO CREDITS: NICOLE BROWN OF PATTI ANNE PHOTOGRAPHY
If there is one thing to learn from Patti’s story, it’s to never stop learning and pursuing knowledge. Improving yourself and your work, in photography or in anything that you’re passionate about, never let the spark to continue educating yourself die out. You’ll never run out of things to learn, and the more you learn the more of an edge you’ll have in your field.
As with anything, the more you put in, the more you’ll get out.
