Today we’d like to introduce you to Savannah Lingle.
Hi Savannah, it’s an honor to have you on the platform. Thanks for taking the time to share your story with us – to start maybe you can share some of your backstories with our readers?
I didn’t officially start my journey in photography until 2016 during my sophomore year of high school, but I’ve been told my entire life that I’ve always been drawn to a camera and had an eye for the art. My mom tells me that when I was only 5 years old, I picked up her point-and-shoot camera and captured a beautiful moment of her nursing my baby brother. Any chance after that, I would steal her camera and take as many photos as I could. I received my first “real” camera, a Canon Rebel T3, in 5th grade. When I was in 8th grade, I entered a black and white photo of marbles on my living room carpet floor for a photography competition for Beta Club. The depth of field choice and editing technique was honestly very impressive given that I was so young and completely amateur- I only used auto controls and had no idea what I was doing. I think that photo was really eye-opening to me because it was unique and unexpected. In 2016, I took a photography class at my high school, thus really sparking my interest in photography. Throughout the remainder of my high school experience, I ventured into portraits and began photographing my friends and capturing their personalities.
Come senior year, I had no idea what I wanted to do after high school. I found out about Nossi College of Art at a college fair. I actually only went to it for a friend and had no intentions of looking at potential schools. Nossi’s booth was the only one that attracted me- I felt the pull to check it out. When I walked up to the booth, the representative began to ask me about photography and prompted me to show him some of my work, even though I was really apprehensive to do so. Within a month or so, I toured Nossi. That was the only college I looked at. When I walked in and saw the studio and opportunity of growth for my future in photography, I had a gut feeling that I was meant to go there.
The rest is history from there. I graduate in April of 2022, and it has been four years of learning, growing, and soaking in everything that I can from a variety of classes taught by many wonderful, professional photographers and many amazing internships and assisting opportunities from other photographers in the Nashville areas. Throughout my time at Nossi, I have explored so many different genres of photography, including photojournalism, portrait, weddings, and more. However, I am most inspired and find myself to be more drawn to the commercial world of fashion, product, and food photography, as well as travel photography.
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall, and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
My journey in photography has not been a difficult one at all. I am really happy to have completely embraced and grown from every opportunity that I have been given.
However, I am very young. I’m only 22 years old. It has been extremely hard narrowing down a field of photography that I want to pursue as my career. On top of that, giving up a chance to have a college experience at a university was also a hard choice. After my first year in art school, I was really close to transferring to a university because I felt like I was missing out on some really important years of my life. It took me a while to realize that everyone’s paths are different and where I was at was where I needed to be. I’m thankful I stayed in art school. I’ve found a balance in my professional life and the stage of life that I’m in. It has shaped me into a woman that I am very proud of.
But the hardest thing to handle and prepare myself for is the road ahead. Photography is an ever-changing art that offers infinite experiences, and the industry itself is also ever-changing. Almost anyone can be a photographer these days. Basic cameras and iPhones have unprecedented potential to produce amazing images. On top of that, social media is flooded with extremely talented artists all around the world. While this is awesome, it can be really scary at times because the competition in the large pool of artists and the chance to stand out gets harder and harder to anticipate my role in the industry.
As you know, we’re big fans of you and your work. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about what you do?
I am a freelance photographer specializing in commercial fashion, advertising, and food photography. My style varies. I have work that is timeless and subtle, angelic and whimsical, as well as bold and vibrant. I’m really proud of my consistency to create clean and cutting-edge imagery throughout all my fashion, advertising, and food photography. I strive to create something that will trigger emotional responses, whether it’s connected to a memory or a feeling, or advertise a product that stands out to you in the midst of the sea of images created every day.
At the moment, what sets me apart is my creative direction and postproduction skills. I do everything by myself, like planning out the shoot and every small detail in between. Brainstorming new ideas, getting “the” shot, coaching my subjects and models throughout the shoot, directing the lighting, styling the props or the subject, collaborating with stylists and hair and makeup artists to create a unique look, etc, etc, etc. There is so much work that goes into making one amazing image, not to mention the amount of work that goes into postproduction afterward. I am extremely proud of my retouching and photoshop skills, and I typically feel most creative during that because it is where I can really control everything I do. Whether I composite different images together or retouch skin or change colors, this is where my idea completely comes together.
Is there something surprising that you feel even people who know you might not know about?
This is a really hard question to answer because I am an open book. I am outgoing and a glass-half-full type of girl. I take every chance that I get to go somewhere new and experience something different. I am passionate about traveling- I’ve been almost everywhere in the United States, along with Mexico, Spain, Switzerland, and France. What is most important in my life is making life-long memories beside the people that matter the most to me. I love trying new skills- even though everyone in my entire family is incredibly musically talented, I can barely play an instrument, let alone sing at all but I try to teach myself a new song every now and then. I am a major movie fanatic and I binge-watch TV shows at an impressively fast rate.
The one thing that most people probably don’t know about me as much is that I absolutely love to teach. I love helping people in general, but I find a lot of enjoyment in teaching photography, lighting, and photoshop skills to other creatives. I plan on creating a YouTube channel in the upcoming year that starts to teach people everything from basic camera techniques to planning shoots, postproduction, and all other aspects of photography.
I can also say my ABC’s backwards and I think that’s a pretty awesome skill.
Contact Info:
- Email: slinglephotos@gmail.com
- Website: www.savannahlingle.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/savannahlinglestudio/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/slinglephotography/
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC2rHo5li8dWC-YIHLbvqSyg
Image Credits:
Emily McGonigle
