Featured Photographer: Joni Burtt Photography

We are so honored to have had the stunning Joni Burtt Photography as guest judge for us this week!! Her work is absolutely amazing! Learn more about her below! 

Tell us a little about yourself (family, hobbies, etc.) 

I am a stay-at-home-mom in rural New Brunswick, Canada, to two adorable kids, Charles (7) and Rosemary (2.5).  When I'm not taking them for tromps in the woods and meandering down the river (with my camera in tow, of course), I work for provincial elections and I have a small photography business.  I have been married to my husband, David, for ten years, and he is my best friend.  I enjoy hiking, running (well, sometimes I don't enjoy that!), cooking, reading, and thrift shopping.  I also enjoy lazing around with a cup of coffee.  And naps.  I love naps.

What got you started in taking lifestyle images (or photography in general)?

We had some extra money from our tax return back in 2010, and I needed a new camera, so I bought a DSLR without knowing a darn thing about it.  The first couple of years were a very steep learning curve for me; I do not normally consider myself a creative person (nobody would ever hire me to decorate, for example!) so I found I had to really stretch myself to improve.  I also found myself drawn to lifestyle photography, especially once my second child arrived in 2012.  It has only been in the past year or so that I've felt more confident in my work - it took me a long time to learn, and I still have so much more to know!  In late winter I started playing with freelensing and fell in love with it, and was invited to be a part of a blog circle of amazing photographers in the late spring, which has been one of the highlights of 2014 for me.

Any photographers that you look up to?

Oh, so many!  Heather Robinson, Erin Konrath, Nicki Bosch, my local fave Kandise Brown, Ana Rosenburg - honestly, I could easily list fifty people here.

What is in your camera bag?

I shoot with a Nikon D600, and my nifty fifty 1.4 is usually on it.  I also get a lot of use out of my 24-70, and I use a busted up old Pentax 100mm lens for freelancing. 

If you could capture anybody in the world, anywhere, who and where?

I had to think a long time about this!  My dear Grampie has been gone for a year and a half; I took a few photos of him before he passed, but I'd love to have him back and really capture his day-to-day habits.  And, well, if Dave Matthews knocked on my door and wanted me to follow him around as a tour photographer, I don't think I'd say no. ;)

What wonderful responses!!! You can learn more about Joni at her Facebook page, https://www.facebook.com/JoniBurttPhotography or her webpage, http://www.joniburttphotography.weebly.com.