"Photography healed me by capturing others' love stories." | A Transformative Journey with Annika Do

How does one turn a simple digital camera into a tool for personal transformation? Join us as Annika Dobranina shares her incredible journey from mundane jobs to becoming a celebrated photographer. She opens up about how photographing couples in love served as a therapeutic escape during life's most challenging moments and how romanticizing everyday moments helped her shift her focus away from negativity. Annika's story is a testament to the power of finding joy and purpose in your work, even when the odds seem stacked against you.

Ever wondered what it takes to build a personal brand as a photographer? Annika spills the secrets behind her success, emphasizing the importance of showcasing the personality behind the camera. From navigating the complexities of staged versus candid shots to overcoming restrictions in tourist areas, she offers valuable insights and unforgettable anecdotes, such as an impromptu yet stunning session at Alice Beach. Annika also discusses her passion for tattoo artistry and how this creative pursuit has enriched her photography, proving that understanding art fundamentals can elevate any artistic endeavor.

Struggling with self-doubt and the pressures of traditional societal norms? Annika's candid reflections on her journey from traditional jobs to a fulfilling career in photography will resonate deeply. She shares heartfelt stories about connecting with clients, the emotional challenges of financial instability, and the invaluable lessons learned from past failures. This episode highlights the significance of empathy, self-reflection, and the audacity to pursue one's passions, offering an inspiring perspective on how personal and emotional investment can lead to professional success. Tune in to experience the healing power of work and love through Annika's artistic vision.

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Chapters

• 0:00 Photographer's Journey From Childhood Inspiration
• 10:35 Photographer's Process and Passion
• 23:21 Exploring Artistic Paths and Inspirations"
• 31:15 Navigating Traditional Jobs vs Creative Paths
• 37:56 Identity Crisis and Creative Discovery
• 49:05 Navigating Self-Doubt and Future Growth
• 57:55 Candid Conversations on Ideal Clients
• 1:12:19 Love Stories
• 1:17:43 Accents, Failure, Contracts, Client Relationships
• 1:31:51 Embracing Love and Artistic Vision

Transcript

Annika Do: 0:00

Action is the way to failure and to the win as well. That's how you're gonna grow.

Keno Manuel: 0:05

Could you have imagined yourself doing anything else other than photography?

Annika Do: 0:09

I had this thought on my mind for such a long time, like I think till the moment when I was in LA. I was like I'm not sure if I'm still good enough. Who would make a lot of money being a photographer. That was my thought. I was so into like expressing myself. I was so drained working on just regular jobs that I was looking my path like what should I do next? And I was thinking, okay, yeah, why should, why not? Like I can do that right.

Annika Do: 0:33

I remember my first feeling after shooting for like such a long break, even though when I was going through hard stuff last year, the moment when I saw these people, we just talked a little and I was like I forgot everything and after the session I felt so great. I actually loved shooting with couples because I didn't think that I would like it. It's like my therapy, honestly, because when I see especially when you're going through a breakup or something and you see people who are in love, it just reminds me how beautiful it is when you're finding the right person and I'm telling my clients, you're so lucky to find each other. You need to start romanticizing small things in your life and after that you will not be focused on the bad things anymore. It's just an amazing feeling and I realized I was just losing so much time for nothing. I don't know why, and I was just like, okay, I need to start doing something right now welcome back to another episode guys hello, hi, hi, uh, um, how do I say that in philippines?

Keno Manuel: 1:41

uh? I can say it in russian yes say I don't know, I don't know my language. I'm gonna say hi, hi guys, welcome back to another episode. Uh, with the one and only annika doe hi say her last name.

Annika Do: 1:58

It's dobra nina okay, it's anna dobra nina but just find me just with Anika Do, it's my name.

Keno Manuel: 2:07

Annie, annie, what's that sound from Michael Jackson? Annie, are you okay?

Annika Do: 2:12

Annie, are you okay, annie? It's not exactly Annie, but yeah, it's fine, I love it.

Keno Manuel: 2:17

I heard, I heard. That's what I heard. Okay don't make my hearing loss invalid.

Annika Do: 2:24

I find it pretty difficult for people with like Anika Do Like it sounds really unusual, I think right.

Keno Manuel: 2:32

Wait, your name.

Annika Do: 2:32

Yeah.

Keno Manuel: 2:33

It's dope.

Annika Do: 2:35

Okay, yeah.

Keno Manuel: 2:36

It is so cool, like, okay, I don't know if I told you my first and middle, my whole first name. No, kino is not actually my real name.

Annika Do: 2:46

Okay, it's a nickname. Okay, oh, so it's not your real name. Say it to us?

Keno Manuel: 2:50

No, no, kino is. I prefer that way rather than my real name. It's Kenneth Paul, kenneth Paul no, shut up, what was? It, that's it kenneth paul, it's like like fool.

Annika Do: 3:09

Yeah, yeah, kenneth paul is my first name. Wow, I don't like it. Why it sounds like uh from some fairy tale like some, I love kino kino is good. I like kino you know, what's kino means in russian film?

Keno Manuel: 3:22

yes, it's actually k I know, but my parents uh have always called me that since I was little, and I I would like to think that maybe it's uh destiny that I'm named kino and I'm doing this all right, it's your destiny, huh I don't want to sound narcissistic, guys.

Keno Manuel: 3:37

I'm just trying to be humble here, I'm sorry. Wow, in this episode, guys, today we're going to be talking about um annika do brina and her story as a photographer. You know, as always, you guys are going to learn a lot of valuable lessons and I hope you get inspired. So we're going to go into, like you know, those shows where it's like a flashback.

Annika Do: 3:58

Yeah, let's do it. Okay, let's let me.

Keno Manuel: 4:00

Okay, annika, we're going to recreate our conversation, okay, yeah, of course. Tell me, on the darkest night of your life what was your origin story like. Take us there.

Annika Do: 4:11

Oh my gosh, my photography story.

Keno Manuel: 4:13

Yes.

Annika Do: 4:13

Okay, so it all started 15 years ago, and it's not even a joke, because I was 12 years old.

Keno Manuel: 4:22

Yeah.

Annika Do: 4:22

That's how I remember it. Maybe I was 10. Honestly, it's really hard to tell right now, but around 10 to 12 years old. I think I got interested in really like some photography and just art in general.

Keno Manuel: 4:36

Yeah.

Annika Do: 4:36

Photography, art and movies, and I just was taking pictures of everything and everyone.

Keno Manuel: 4:43

Okay.

Annika Do: 4:44

And I don't know. Know, I was just bringing my camera. Not my camera was my parents camera, so it's cool and I was taking pictures of my friends and videos. I still have those yeah, it's so ridiculous to watch these because we're small and we're just running in the school and I was doing photo shoots like right next to like I don't know window and it was so funny and cringy and I love it honestly. It all started then. What camera was it it was like kind of digital camera, like really a small one.

Keno Manuel: 5:12

I don't even remember the model, but it's like a one, it's a film where you have to take out the film, or is it still analog but still tech?

Annika Do: 5:19

yeah, it's tech. It's like small digital camera.

Keno Manuel: 5:22

So I think it was 2007, probably. Oh my gosh. Okay, so you were running around with your friends, isn't that how our story started?

Annika Do: 5:34

I was doing photo shoots for free.

Keno Manuel: 5:38

Remember, people never do anything for free. When you're starting out, just have fun, yeah, just fun. How? What was one part of that story? Um of discovering that.

Annika Do: 5:47

Um, photos, the love of photography no, we did not talk about this, guys it's not like we talked about it a while ago. Yeah, go on so, uh, after that, so just along the journey, yeah, okay.

Keno Manuel: 6:00

Um, well, I mean like, uh, when you the story that you told me about how you were walking your mom, yeah of course, yeah.

Annika Do: 6:08

So maybe it started even before I was 12 years old, because when I was little I loved watching and just looking at the photos when I was really small, like baby, just like really small and pictures of my sister, my family, family pictures, like old pictures of my grandma, and it was all together really well organized in one photo album with small notes. My mom was just like really well organized with this thing. I wish I could be like that. I have 90 000 pictures on my phone and it's driving me crazy and I cannot just sit and delete it all. But they were just keeping it so well organized, so beautiful, so clean and I was just enjoying and delete it all.

Annika Do: 6:44

But they were just keeping it so well organized, so beautiful, so clean and I was just enjoying to look through them and videotapes and everything was just so fascinating. I just loved it. And I think it was just so amazing for me, young myself, to even the thought that you can capture some moment and some person just take a picture, and that you can capture some moment and some like like person just take a picture and then you can print it out and have this picture for like forever yeah, and this thought like actually I don't know just fascinated and I was just so excited by that.

Keno Manuel: 7:18

I think I just fell in love with photography was there a particular photo where you can um vividly remember that your mom took a view? Oh my gosh, there's so many pictures. I know you said 10 000 photos, but I think I think so, and I can even show it to you later.

Annika Do: 7:36

But yeah, we, we had a lot of pictures, okay, and it was a picture of me and my dad.

Annika Do: 7:41

I actually just posted it like a couple days ago for father's day, and um happy father's day, happy father's day and us dad, if you're watching this happy father's day yes, I love you yes it was me and him sitting in the kitchen and I was eating his mac and cheese with my hands and he was just like sitting and eating and I was just like I wanted to. You know, I was just two years old and I was just so cute.

Keno Manuel: 8:06

I looked like a boy with like really short hair yeah oh my gosh you know, I think, what photos like you know how we're, when we're just being present in life and being present in life, and sometimes it's hard to choose between being present or wanting to take a photo. So you can have that years later. So it's just like what was it that your mom did that made you fall in love? Because you said, you know, you were so fascinated with how she was able to write tiny notes and all that stuff.

Keno Manuel: 8:39

What was one thing that you can remember that your mom did that made you fall in love with the world of photography?

Annika Do: 8:47

I think it's just the moments when, like it was just so right, moments when she captured us like just as a family and it's just such a natural candid pictures. And I I'm still doing the same thing, like when I'm working I I'm mostly shooting candidates. Like I don't like post pictures, I prefer to have something real in the camera right and I'd love to capture like real moments and tell the story about, like, is it a family couple, whatever? Like I want to capture your story.

Annika Do: 9:20

I'm going to tell your story through my lens, and that's what I think my mom did and actually like maybe it's affected me some way.

Keno Manuel: 9:29

Actually, yeah, yeah. One more thing I have to say is really, like you, absolutely hate post photos oh my gosh, I trust me, I know really we're on the scale of zero to ten, ten being absolutely not zero. Wait, no what.

Annika Do: 9:45

That doesn't make sense yeah, zero, absolutely not ten you absolutely like it where, where, where would you place yourself?

Annika Do: 9:53

okay, I love posting pictures, but I'm so like picky I'm so picky, I'm professional. No, I'm perfectionist, professionalist I'm perfectionist and it's like it's not. It's not helped me like at all, you know, because when I'm trying to do something perfect, I know it about myself I'm working on it and I'm trying to do something perfect, and I'd rather do something perfect. I'm not doing it at all. So when I'm looking at my grid right like my content plan, I'm just like it's gonna look like that or it's not gonna to look at all.

Annika Do: 10:25

Like I'm not going to post at all.

Annika Do: 10:28

So, it's just like my thing and I think, um, I can, I can work on that. I'm still working on it, I'm posting more. And even social presence is like just the personal brand. Being like in front of the camera, like just recording videos and telling about my day. Yes, hello, it's my first experience, but it's just so hard for me because it's just a few maybe I don't know reasons. The first one, who would care about that? But other part of me was like people care, people want to see who is behind the camera, people want to see who's actually going to take pictures.

Annika Do: 11:05

Right, because if I would choose a photographer, I would choose a person who would probably be in the same I don't know the same vibe as me the same interests If a person has a healthy lifestyle interest in some movies. I want to know that. I want to know this person who is going to take a picture of me right, I want to trust this person, but if this is someone who's not like, who's living like opposite life, I will probably not find like connection yeah, yeah, dan.

Keno Manuel: 11:37

Okay, let's unpack here. Are you all ready for the roller coaster of unpacking what she just said? You just dropped a lot of great uh topics to go off of from first. So post shots um, so we can, I can't. I think we can come up with our own term professional perfectionist. Yeah, okay with the post shots. Is it because, uh, whenever I just remember doing post shots and I just can't for the life of, I have to manhandle the talent because it's so hard to it doesn't feel real, it feels fake. Where else would you? Because every time I see your photo, guys, actually can you drop your social media right now? Drop it.

Annika Do: 12:18

Drop it, drop it, drop it. Okay. Where can people find you? There's a reason why. Go okay. Where can people find you? Okay, go, okay. It's instagram anika doe dot ph. And the second one is your anika double n. And yeah, I have two profiles, two completely different styles, and it's pretty interesting too.

Keno Manuel: 12:38

I think we'll talk about that later too well, the reason why I braved that up is um, guys, when you're watching this, go to go to her Instagram right now, because it's really important. When you're watching this, set your photo site as a reference, because when I looked at your okay, this is how I discovered Annika. Okay, when I was scrolling through your Instagram a while while, while while back, I remember seeing one photo, I think it was in Seaside. It was like a green patch of grass where alice beach. I don't know it's.

Annika Do: 13:08

Yes, it was.

Keno Manuel: 13:09

There was a model that was sitting on a. Um, that was the first thing when I when I immediately saw it, I was like all right, I gotta get you on a podcast someday okay, and that one is like. That seems like a post shot. It's not candid, because you're really good at doing the post shots.

Annika Do: 13:26

It looks I know, yes, it's. It's not candid, of course not. What what's?

Keno Manuel: 13:32

your process on how how to get a perfect, okay, perfect is really strong word.

Annika Do: 13:37

We have problems with that because, yeah, we're still working on that okay but anyway, um, honestly, this story with this photo is pretty simple. Um, my friend visited me from illinois love her anna love you. Hey, thank you for being my model, um, but yeah, we, we just went to alice. I wanted to show her like just this area super beautiful and we went to the beach and I was just like let's take a picture, it's like under the shower you know, they have beautiful showers and just a few pictures in the swimsuit.

Annika Do: 14:07

And she's like yeah, let's do it. She loves taking pictures. And I was like okay, let's do it. And we were just walking around and I was just like I didn't plan this picture, like I was just walking around. I was like, okay, I love this geometry. It looks so beautiful, you'll sit here.

Annika Do: 14:21

I showed her how to sit yeah and she did the same thing and I did a couple shots and we just left because, like it's, it's not really good to take pictures at alice beach yes, yeah, don't worry, I, I, I relate to that.

Keno Manuel: 14:34

They actually kicked me out for a project too. They told me you have a camera leave okay, sorry, alice, no al. It doesn't make sense. You're a tourist area. You're going to have to expect people wanting to take one day.

Annika Do: 14:50

I know, but I think one day they're actually going to close this area, like with gates probably. I think so it's getting so crowded. Honestly, I see that too. I wish it could be so open for pictures, but people staying there and paying a lot of money to stay there and they probably don't want people to walk around well, if you want mark that's free market. Okay, I didn't know that back then actually I was looking around, I did not know either.

Keno Manuel: 15:17

I, yeah, it was scary, you know, when they, when they pull up with the gold card like I'm doing nothing, oh my gosh. But going back to that photo, just okay now, knowing that story, that was not planned. No, no cursing.

Annika Do: 15:31

Well, we could curse what the f wait really?

Keno Manuel: 15:35

yeah, you just literally pulled that shoot like. It looked like a professional shoot that deserves to be on.

Annika Do: 15:41

That's crazy thank you.

Keno Manuel: 15:43

So now going. Now flipping back to the candidate how, how do you? What's your process? You just tell them like a scenario hey, I need you to. To run like you're running across the prairie. You're in nashville, free-spirited, like you feel, like the world, the weight of the world is off of your shoulders. How do you? You've done it before, right yes, I, I always do scenarios okay, but it's so funny.

Annika Do: 16:09

But, yes, I'm like, I'm trying. We were talking about that before, right but, I'm um telling my couple, for example, let's take a couple yes scenario um, I'm just telling them a story, I'm talking to them. Uh, firstly, I get, I need to know them first. I I want to know how they. Firstly, I need to know them first. I want to know how they met.

Annika Do: 16:27

I want to know their love story and how long they're together and we're just taking a few like just the classic shots first. I even do post shots too, like I'm not going to be, like, okay, you not going to get any like posing shots. No, they're getting posing shots because I know they want to share with their families and things like that, but I'm not going to post it on my instagram because it's not represent my work like as I see that at the end, you know.

Annika Do: 16:53

But, um, once I get known them better, we're having, like we're on this level with, we are already trust each other. Yeah, um, I'm starting to create scenarios when they need to do something and I'm just like imagine that you're there and you're like running away from your family and you're getting loved and you're like catching her and you just want her to be with you and it's just like, yeah, we're just having fun, we're doing crazy stuff, and I think they like it.

Annika Do: 17:20

Yes, and most of my couples. At the end, I'm always asking if they want to trash the dress.

Keno Manuel: 17:26

They always ask to what?

Annika Do: 17:27

I always ask them if they want to trash the dress.

Keno Manuel: 17:30

Trash the.

Annika Do: 17:31

Dress.

Keno Manuel: 17:33

Trash the dress.

Annika Do: 17:35

Trash, trash.

Keno Manuel: 17:37

You can throw away the dress. No, trash the dress. That's what I heard.

Annika Do: 17:41

Trash the dress. It's like when you go in the water and you're like, oh, that's a term. Yeah.

Keno Manuel: 17:46

I have never heard of that term Really?

Annika Do: 17:49

Yes, I think it's a term I always use, that I've never heard of it, yeah.

Keno Manuel: 17:55

Well, you just learned a quick new term in the photography world. What was it again? Trash. The dress trash that dress even if it's fifty thousand dollars wedding dress yeah, wow, people don't care yeah, okay, the scenario that I typically would get for the couples. It's not like a realistic one. I okay, uh, there's one. Okay, I need you to pretend that your boyfriend is about to shoot you and you're gonna run away, but you're happy but you're happy that he's gonna shoot you.

Annika Do: 18:26

Yeah, but no no shooting. We're trying not to we're the shooters okay, yes, I know, but I'm running like kind of backwards, so I need to capture their faces when they're running.

Keno Manuel: 18:39

Yeah, yeah going back to oh my gosh, so what, what? Your passion in photography. It's like, wow, I, you, I can already tell you just love it so much. And it's like could you have imagined yourself doing anything else other than photography, even though you graduated from a university with a degree in marketing?

Annika Do: 19:00

go ahead okay, um, so as a plan b, just theoretically, I was thinking about that like in case if I'll get tired. I can't imagine that right now. Honestly, I like I don't see myself without photography at all, maybe professionally, like commercial wise okay, I would. I would probably it's possible to get burned out but, yes, you know what I mean, but in like I would always do that, for I'll do it for the rest of my life. I'm 100% sure it was always. I always knew that, since I was a kid, right yeah and but the plan B.

Annika Do: 19:39

I had this plan B a while ago that I wanted to be a tattoo artist a what that I wanted to be a tattoo artist. A what tattoo artist really? Yes, whoa, yeah what do you?

Keno Manuel: 19:51

have you ever thought about it from time to time?

Annika Do: 19:54

sometimes I'm doing that.

Keno Manuel: 19:55

Huh, sometimes I'm doing that, hmm, because, like, oh, you know, when we grow up as kids, when we have um a career path that we originally wanted to go with I don't know, maybe it's just me like I always think, no, I wouldn't be like, if I did that, what would you have you thought about it if you gone down, have you? If you had gone down, if you went down that route? Oh, my gosh, you already know what I mean. What. What would it?

Annika Do: 20:23

be Drink the water. You just spilled the water. That's why he screamed no ASMR, please. Okay, I need some water too.

Keno Manuel: 20:40

A little.

Annika Do: 20:47

Have you thought about what it would have been like if you had pursued that route full-time? You mean tattoo artists? Yes, I thought about that, but it was a few years ago. Yeah before I started doing photography again two and a half years ago actually exactly um. I bought tattoo gun. I bought everything. I started practicing.

Annika Do: 21:02

I got courses um yeah everything, but the thing is I loved doing that and the reason why I actually had the thought being tattoo artist because I was practicing hannah tattoo for a little while I mean, we're in florida, what do?

Keno Manuel: 21:19

you want guys, if you want some hannah arts, uh, tattoo art or whatever that's called yes, I can do everything honestly, like anything, with it. Okay, we're gonna we're gonna split up for a second you like tattoos yes, what are? I, I think, tattoos. Are you the type of person that only gets tattooed meanings, or you just want to be like a fridge. You just put whatever is cool on your body?

Annika Do: 21:45

I think it's cool both ways okay yeah, I, I see the possibility of this, just an art piece of art of your body and also as a meaning, like meaningful piece of art. On your body it could be meaningless and meaningful whatever you want. Honestly, you're free to do whatever you want with your body. I, I think, I think that's the thing honestly.

Keno Manuel: 22:05

Just know your limits. Okay, Just don't get.

Annika Do: 22:07

Yeah, for me personally, I prefer to have meaningful tattoos. That's why I don't have a bunch. If I would have more money when I was younger, I would probably tattoo right now, from here to there. So yeah.

Keno Manuel: 22:22

All of these are all meaningful tattoos never, ever ever get anything. I'm gonna get covered my hands. I'm gonna get more here. I'm gonna get tatted up and make my mother cry in disappointment.

Annika Do: 22:36

Love you, mom I love you so much I'll get one tattoo for you.

Keno Manuel: 22:41

It's on my face love mom, yes, but okay, so what the photography? So the tattoo artist now I don't know. This is an easy question to answer, but could you see some elements of being a tattoo artist that could be transferred into the art of photography?

Annika Do: 22:58

I think because it's a piece of like it's art in general as well like, like tattoo artist, photographer, whatever you do in, like this industry. I think it's different types of art, but at the same time, it's all art. You can't deny it, because I think it's so crucial to have art in your life. And I think I really like those. Like three and a half years ago I was so into like expressing myself. I was so drained working on just regular jobs that I was looking my path like what should I do next?

Annika Do: 23:33

And I was thinking about being tattoo artist. Because a lot of people told me, like you have a steady hand, you can do henna Like you should try, like tattoos. And I was thinking, okay, yeah, why not? Like I can do thatna like you should try, like tattoos. And I was thinking, okay, yeah, why should, why not? Like I can do that right, and I started practicing and it was actually was still covered like time okay and it was pretty hard getting like license and go to the tattoo studio.

Annika Do: 23:57

I used to live in la back then. I mean, I lived in the late back then and, yeah, I was just doing it at home, you know, practicing on fake skin, and I did a few tattoos for my friends. It was fun, but it never got to the stage where I was like, okay, I need to go to the tattoo studio and work.

Annika Do: 24:15

I never worked in a tattoo studio so I'm doing it kind of for fun still, but I think at some point in my life I would do that full time. I would even try to do that, maybe, like trying to do it like 50-50, like photography and tattooing, and I think I could do that.

Keno Manuel: 24:35

That's a hell of a creative combination as a career.

Annika Do: 24:39

I know, especially because, like, I have two different styles in my photography, like I'm doing commercial, like brands, yeah, really like open, I would say even provocative. You know, with the swimsuits and everything bodies, I love aesthetics like of the body, like men or women, whatever, and at the same time I'm having weddings, engagements and families and I don't know, like I don't want to choose just one thing. You know I'm enjoying all of it. Like why should I choose only one? Like I don't want to choose just one thing. You know I'm enjoying all of it. Like why should I choose only one thing? You don't have to choose only one thing. You can do whatever you want.

Keno Manuel: 25:10

So, yeah, that's what I I mean, there is a saying if you choose one thing to focus on, you can uh, you know how like, if you focus on so much things, you might not. You will have a less chance of success if you keep focusing on multiple things. But if you focus just one thing, the chances of becoming more successful in that one thing becomes exponentially higher. For sure, but going back to go on.

Annika Do: 25:33

No, I completely agree. And if you choose only one, like you have one goal and you'll be like okay, I want to be wedding photographer. I want to be the toppest, but I think I'm right now at the stage when I'm still experimenting with styles, with different like photography techniques and even like um, for example, when we are talking about tattoos.

Annika Do: 25:55

You need to learn how to draw yes for learn how to draw, you need to understand how art works pretty much. You need to read the art too, and it all kind of works together and for me it works pretty well because, again, like if you know more about art, you're like I don't know, you're just exploring more and it actually, like just affects your work yeah photography, so I think it kind of like works pretty well for me right now. I don't know what's going to be after, because right now I'm again trying to get more into wedding photography you know like I'm old and like everywhere, trying to try different things, and it works pretty good for me right now.

Annika Do: 26:36

I don't know what's going to be later but, I don't want to jinx it or something, but I have a lot of plans in my future.

Keno Manuel: 26:42

So we need to get a magic eight ball, magic eight ball. But uh, you have, oh my gosh, oh I love it when people like you guys just dropped so many golden opportunities. Yes, um, first of all, um, would you say, if you had continued the path of being a tattoo artist, what style would you have gone with? Would you have gone with like, uh, like I know, there's like black and gray, there's american traditional, there's line work? Um, just this multitude, what would you have gone with?

Annika Do: 27:14

I would go with uh, line work and fine lines, because it's just reflection of me. I would say even like myself, I have like line works pretty much. And this one too. The areas are pretty simple, but I would prefer to do my own sketches and create whatever a person wants to. If you would come to me and say I want this meaningful tattoo. It's me and my career or my goals in life, it's my destiny or something. You're explaining what do you want and I'm just creating something out of my head.

Annika Do: 27:48

So it's going to be something unique and beautiful, so it's not just like picture from the Pinterest because, that's what makes me not to do like not to tattoo, because there's so many the same, like sketches and work.

Annika Do: 28:05

It's fine when, at the beginning, when you're practicing, you're doing that. But if you're creating something yourself, just out of your mind, even though you can be inspired by a lot of things, but if you're creating something new or I don't know, taking a few inspirations and mixing it together, you're creating something unique, right? Because we all know, like the art is all Stalin, Like we're all, still the art it's just what are your thoughts on?

Keno Manuel: 28:35

is there such thing as art being original at this point?

Annika Do: 28:39

No.

Keno Manuel: 28:39

Yeah, there is no original art. Wow, straight to the point.

Annika Do: 28:42

Guys, there is no original art anymore, and it's totally fine because, again, we still create right.

Keno Manuel: 28:52

Right.

Annika Do: 28:53

It doesn't have to be something just crazy and super original. If you're doing beautiful work, you're still bringing something out of your personality to work right yeah. If you're going to put like two person and you're going to show the picture like recreate this picture, for example, just draw something, and they're going to draw something, but it's going to look still completely different you know, Because we all have different experiences Like we have different, I don't know, just backgrounds and it's going look different and how we interpret the world is also different, of course so that's interesting because, like, uh, you're saying, um, you would rather create scratch, everything from scratch vs original.

Keno Manuel: 29:36

Then where does that come from?

Annika Do: 29:38

from experience, okay from inspiration, from when you're watching movies and you don't, don't even realize that you catch that moment. You know.

Keno Manuel: 29:47

Yeah.

Annika Do: 29:48

You caught that moment and you're just like, oh wow, and you forgot about that. But one day you're like, oh wow, I have this idea and I don't know where it comes from, right. And then probably you will realize that it was from this movie or from this story, from these people from this day, and it's somewhere like it from this day and it's somewhere like it's unconscious, but it's still. You're putting into your work, you don't have to think about this, it's just part of you already, you know that makes sense, like when you watch certain movies, and, yeah, it feels so impactful.

Keno Manuel: 30:18

Yeah, it's because that person, whoever made that art, literally lived through it yes oh okay, wow, I'm learning today that's good.

Annika Do: 30:27

Thank you so much for sharing that. Actually, that's such a great information to share.

Keno Manuel: 30:31

Oh wow, if you like this content, um wait, wait oh my god, chupa chups chupa chups.

Annika Do: 30:39

I really like your lollipop there is a bubble gum inside well, it will not, it would we're never gonna make it all the way to the middle by the end of this conversation.

Keno Manuel: 30:50

Uh, chubba chubs, please sponsor me. Um, if you like this content, don't forget to uh follow, like and follow this. Follow this on instagram.

Annika Do: 30:57

I don't really like doing call to the actions, I think I'm not sure if they're legal right now here what I don't know. I I got it from Eurostore, like from Russian store.

Keno Manuel: 31:07

Okay.

Annika Do: 31:07

I don't see it anywhere here, like in Walmart or Publix or anywhere.

Keno Manuel: 31:12

It's really good.

Annika Do: 31:13

Yeah, it's pretty good. It was my favorite one when I was a kid. That's the thing. Yeah that's why I brought it, and this one too. This one is my mom's favorite chocolate.

Keno Manuel: 31:23

I almost forgot about the chocolate guys.

Annika Do: 31:26

Oh my gosh she loves this one and I think I love this one because she loved it so much and right now, when I eat it, it reminds me of her.

Keno Manuel: 31:35

Have you heard of the Ferrero Rocher chocolate?

Annika Do: 31:38

Oh yeah, of course.

Keno Manuel: 31:44

We had this one Every Christmas.

Annika Do: 31:48

well, when I was a kid, my parents would buy me like the whole circular uh package of ferrero throughout christmas night by half.

Keno Manuel: 31:53

By the next morning I would eat at least half of it that's so bad now. I don't like it anymore of course not okay, okay, okay. We're gonna take a break here, guys, uh from our conversation, okay.

Annika Do: 32:06

Okay, I'll drink the water.

Keno Manuel: 32:07

This is the proper chocolate. Wait, is it water? What is this again?

Annika Do: 32:13

So it's like dark chocolate, or yeah, it's like dark chocolate with sesame seeds inside.

Keno Manuel: 32:20

I don't know if you guys can see it, oh, you can see here. Yeah, okay, I don't know if you guys can see it, oh, you can see here.

Annika Do: 32:30

Yeah, you either like it or will hate it. It's like Reese. Maybe I never actually tried original Reese.

Keno Manuel: 32:43

Yeah, don't be surprised.

Annika Do: 32:44

I know this is good. Yeah, yeah, you like it, and it's super healthy, like there's no chemicals or anything that's another deal.

Keno Manuel: 32:52

Say gatorade, no sugars added I don't drink it this is healthy, even though it's no, I mean it's not healthy.

Annika Do: 33:05

Healthy, but it's not like you know, they don't put any chemicals in this one.

Keno Manuel: 33:09

It's pretty clean ingredient lists I would say no acid, no battery acid or anything like that.

Keno Manuel: 33:15

Yeah, I don't know yeah, anyways, as you went through life and you experience a lot of things, I'm sure you have come across, um, multiple fork in a road kind of thing, where you've always thought about traditional jobs and then the career paths, mainly because the traditional jobs would offer financial security. Um, you have all of these things, the benefits. How benefits all of that? Whereas creative path it is so hard. You have all of these things that benefits. How benefits all of that, whereas creative path it is so hard. You have to work, you literally have to maintain so many aspects of your business, but that's just business alone. You still have to take care of your personal life too. What was going through your mind when you had multiple moments like that?

Annika Do: 34:01

so I had a lot of jobs like traditional jobs here in us and back in russia too. Not a lot, I was pretty young, but still um I I think I worked everywhere. Honestly, I worked in restaurant, like in water park, big kahuna's, you know this one in destin, the water place. Yes, I hate that place I can't say the same thing. Last time I've been there actually it was a year ago.

Keno Manuel: 34:27

It was not that bad.

Annika Do: 34:28

Yeah, it was fine, but still, I worked there as a photographer actually. Wait what yes, and I convinced my manager to transfer me from admission like from tickets to photographers because I couldn't stand my job and I was like I know you have photographer position, put me there please. And he was like okay, let me give you like two weeks, I'll see how you work, like and if you have good language skills if you can talk to people because you need to walk around the park and talk to people and take pictures of them in the water, like under the water, like everywhere and I was like okay, let's do it.

Annika Do: 35:03

And after like a week and a half probably, I was like so what can I be photographer now? And he was like yeah, yeah, okay, yeah we'll transfer you and I was the only russian girl among all american girls in photo booth because they didn't like to put um like students from other countries for this position really yeah, because I don't know, probably they thought it's pretty hard for, like foreign students, because you need to talk a lot, but I love talking, so I was like I can do that and I love to take pictures.

Annika Do: 35:37

So, yeah, it's how it worked for me and it was perfect. Honestly, this position was just such a blessing for me because I was the only one who was just walking around the park taking pictures and my friends were working and manager was all the time just like looking at like their workers right and my friends, so they're always under like someone who was watching them yeah I was just by myself at the park just walking around taking pictures, selling them, you know editing, and it was pretty nice.

Annika Do: 36:09

They didn't pay me much but I didn't care. It was my first summer in the. Us and I was just like I'm here for all the experience, for everything Like I don't care about it was just like nine or eight dollars per hour or something.

Keno Manuel: 36:30

The one thing I love about what you said was the fact that you asked for what you wanted, because not a lot of if you don't ask for what you want, you're never gonna get it. It's like that, that, that audacity to like, hey, mr manager or miss manager, put me in the. I know you guys have a photographer position. Do you think that by having that help your business as a photographer get to where you want it to be, by being able to be direct, assertive and ask you for what you want?

Annika Do: 36:52

I think so and I think as I got older I realized if I'm not gonna ask, like what I want, if I'm not gonna be direct with people, or with my, or with myself, even, because some people they don't even talk to themselves, I reflect a lot. I have a lot of thoughts on my mind. Let's take some water.

Keno Manuel: 37:15

We're having Topo talk today.

Annika Do: 37:19

Yeah.

Keno Manuel: 37:21

We're just really excited, guys, we're just really excited.

Annika Do: 37:23

Please edit this part out. I'm'm just like, I'm just dying here.

Keno Manuel: 37:32

Let me drink, okay, drink I'm not going to spill or spit over my expensive equipment, so don't make me laugh. I swear, okay, oh you're crying already.

Annika Do: 37:48

No, I'm just fixing my makeup.

Keno Manuel: 37:49

You see that, guys, tears are coming out of her.

Annika Do: 37:52

Yes.

Keno Manuel: 37:54

Go ahead. So, you were talking about the audacity to get what you want.

Annika Do: 38:00

Yes, but firstly you need to realize what you want. You need to talk to yourself first. Okay, so I wanted like I knew that I wanted something.

Annika Do: 38:11

For example, I wanted to be a photographer yeah even though I got here I was an exchange student and I was like they have photographer position, I'm gonna, uh, go and ask for it, because if I'm not gonna ask for it, I'm gonna stay here under the sun and I'm gonna work as just a mission, like working with the tickets and money, and I didn't want that. And I was just like, yeah, I should go and ask like what I'm gonna lose? What are you gonna lose? If you're not, if you're gonna do that, you're gonna lose more. If you're not gonna do that, you're gonna regret it like after and I think after, maybe when I turned 18, I started learning more about myself and what I want in my life and it actually helped me to being honest with myself and accepting more different parts of me, because sometimes I think that I have few personalities and when I was younger, it was driving me crazy because I was thinking how, how is that possible that I can assimilate in the group of people so easily with such a different people?

Annika Do: 39:17

yeah and I was like where, where the real me, you know, like why it's so easy for me. Is it the real me when I'm with these people? And when I'm with these people, like why it's so easy for me, you know? And for me it was like I'm just different, like I can't be different and I'm really like adaptive, I would say yeah, I say that right.

Keno Manuel: 39:39

that's like wow, that's a hell of a word. I didn't pass the language. I'm sorry. That makes sense. That's a good word, yeah.

Annika Do: 39:46

Yes, and I think I just accepted it as a part of me and as I started like getting to know myself better, I think it worked. Right now it works differently, of course, like I know that I want to be with this group of people, for example, and I'm not going to go to other group of people because I know what my beliefs are, and if this is not my group, I'll be like I don't care, I don't want to go there, because what do I need from there? We're not going to find any contact with these people. But back then, when I was just learning about myself, I was like maybe actually, I just got a thought that it was the way of finding myself.

Annika Do: 40:31

Like actually like communicating with different type of people, different groups of people, and I always had friends from different groups. My friends are so different, even still, and right now, when I'm having, like, birthday parties you know once in a year- oh, by the way, guys send her a message.

Keno Manuel: 40:50

It was a happy late birthday a while ago at this time of recording. Continue.

Annika Do: 40:52

Yes, my friends like gathering together from such a different like companies, and it's just so, so amazing to see everyone together right now, and it's so nice to see people actually getting friends too Like they're becoming friends too, you know, because I'm the one who brought them together and it's just so nice to see people actually becoming friends after that, and right now it works that way. But I think back then, when I was like probably 15, 16 years old, I was trying to just learn more about myself and trying to put myself in different situations and positions to see how I'd feel.

Keno Manuel: 41:30

Probably, and probably that's how I found what I want wow, I am so glad you shared uh that story seriously, because I was I. Now I want to know oh, it's time for uh, it's time for the real raw stuff, guys. Now, how did you deal with it sounds like uh. Did you have moments where you had to, where you felt like um, because you belong to so many groups? It's like a paradox where, if you belong to so many groups, you couldn't feel like you belong at any at one place. I'm assuming you have a trouble, a lot of trouble, finding a sense of belonging and also like a personal um, identity crisis, like you couldn't find who, who you were, who you are as a person that's really difficult.

Keno Manuel: 42:18

That is such a difficult yes and 100.

Annika Do: 42:22

Like you said, it was like kind of identity crisis okay and I think when you're 15 years old, you still don't know who you are for me was a thing that I was like I don't know what I want.

Keno Manuel: 42:33

I knew that I love photography that's the only thing that one is for damn sure yes, I 100% sure about that.

Annika Do: 42:39

But other than that, I was so lost because, I've been told by my father I love you, by the way, like I don't hold anything against my parents, honestly, but I was told by my father that he, I'm just checking.

Keno Manuel: 42:56

Okay, I'm just checking.

Annika Do: 42:58

Okay that when he asked me when I was 15, probably I don't remember what I want to do with my life.

Keno Manuel: 43:06

Yeah.

Annika Do: 43:06

And I was like I want to be a photographer, so I knew that all my life right. And he told me that's great, that's a great like hobby.

Keno Manuel: 43:16

But what do you?

Annika Do: 43:18

actually want to do, like what's going to be your future profession, like, yeah, you should choose something, like you should choose the university.

Annika Do: 43:26

It's like it's such a traditional way of what we do in russia and pretty much here. But I think people here pretty like chill about going to college after high school. They could be, they could go to work and take a few years off after high school and then go to college in russia. It's really bad if you don't go anywhere after high school like you should go somewhere like college or university, whatever I don't know, it's just.

Annika Do: 43:49

It sounds like they have a very linear it's like society thing probably we don't have like it's such a small percent of people who don't go anywhere after high school, is it's almost impossible that you don't? Go anywhere, like every single person, somewhere goes and studies something, even though if he's not sure if he's gonna actually like this path later on?

Keno Manuel: 44:11

oh my gosh, yeah, how did you? Okay? When was it? Did it feel like a deflating moment when, um, your parents, especially your dad, telling you, yeah, that's great, but that's just a hobby you need to be. That's not going to guarantee success, because when we want, you know, as young creatives, we feel so empowered by what we love. But especially when it comes when we hear stuff like that from a figure, a parental figure, and hearing that it's like the only one person that you want to hear a full support from will be your parents out of the role model.

Annika Do: 44:48

Everybody else, yes, but to hear that yes, yeah, I know it kind of, I was probably unconsciously. I had this thought on my mind for such a long time like I, I think till the moment when I was in LA.

Annika Do: 45:03

So it was pretty much like three years ago it was, this thought was unconsciously in my mind somewhere, somewhere back there, holding me from starting doing photography again, because I was so I don't know, not sure that I still want to do that, if I'm still okay, if I still should pursue this path as a career, you know, and just hobby in general, because I was like I'm not sure if I'm still good enough, you know, and even like as a full-time job. I was thinking that's impossible because, like, who would make a lot of money being a photographer? That was my thought and this was my thought like much for probably 10 years, since my dad told me that and I think that actually stayed in my mind, of course, because he's my role model for sure, as a parent.

Annika Do: 45:53

And after I was just probably really drained after one season working just on a regular job. I remember I was like like I need to find a way express myself. I really want to do something, create whatever draw. I just was like, please, let me put my energy somewhere because, like I'm it's driving me crazy, I need to express myself right yeah and I remember I was like okay, what the hell the hell, I'm going to Best Buy, I'm buying a camera and that's it.

Annika Do: 46:24

And one day I just went there, I got a camera and I started taking pictures pretty much of everything and everyone. My friends and I was finding models through Instagram, texting them the idea with mood board, already created mood board and the idea of the session, and then they were answering me like we were doing beautiful sessions. I still love these sessions like so much.

Annika Do: 46:50

It's just such a good like I don't know such a good project. And yeah, I was. I remember my first feeling after shooting for such a long break. I don't know how to describe that. You probably have this feeling too. You're creating a lot and you know this feeling when you're like, okay, it's been a while that I didn't shoot. And you're shooting again and you're just like, oh, I remember right now why I love it, Because after you're coming home, you're putting this sd card in your laptop and you're just like okay, I'm so excited to see what's in there. I really wanted to see how it's gonna look afterwards. And I was just like sitting and working on pictures and yeah, it's just an amazing feeling. And I realized like I was just losing so much time for nothing. I don't know why. And I was just like, okay, I need to start doing something right now. Like I realized I need to start and going like faster, as I was walking before you know, like metaphorically.

Annika Do: 47:50

So I just started taking pictures a lot and, just you know, texting girls and boys on instagram, just like let's take pictures together, let's collaborate. I'll take a few beautiful pictures, we'll post it.

Keno Manuel: 48:09

And yeah just, annika, I have to say seriously, all the photos. I just want to let you know that all the photos that you put out, the work that you've literally invested into making every single project that you've put out, look as good as it can be, you're on the right path and you're on your way to. I'm not saying that to I know.

Annika Do: 48:29

I'm serious.

Keno Manuel: 48:30

Like seriously, I know it's really difficult to hear stuff like that with people that you thought would support you, but I just want to let you know that you're on the right path. You're getting closer to there and I'm sure your mom and your dad everybody will, will you know, turn around say you know what, I'm sorry, I didn't realize. I, I should have taken more. Uh, I should have paid more attention. And when you have, when you show them that you know what you're doing, that is a feeling that would you know.

Keno Manuel: 49:00

Yeah, so you're doing good. I just want to let you know. Okay, thank you, hell.

Annika Do: 49:05

Your freaking photos is the reason why I want to put you on here no, that's amazing, honestly, thank you for saying that, and I I don't actually, right now I don't have any like. I don't need any validation from my parents, even though I don't get a lot of compliments from them or they don't say much about my work. It's not that I'm waiting for something from them. I don't expect anything. Honestly, I already realized that I want to do that and I'm going to do that. I'm not waiting for anything from anyone.

Annika Do: 49:37

It's just like the only critic it's me and it's sitting in my head and it's not letting me post pictures on instagram and what the hell I should do that tonight I have so many projects that I want to post. So many projects that I want to post all for tonight, not tonight probably but I'll post something tonight, but not all you have a lot of good shit, bro.

Keno Manuel: 50:00

Again, guys, again, guys. Remember, follow her account, annika, which one is the name of?

Annika Do: 50:04

Annika, annika ph.

Keno Manuel: 50:08

Yes, follow.

Annika Do: 50:09

And you're Annika too, like it's two completely different. Whatever you like, just follow whatever you want.

Keno Manuel: 50:16

Support her. Please Do her journey. Okay, seriously, you're on the right path to greatness, but okay, so, like it's very brave that you don't search for that validation as well. I just want to let you know that too. And going into the projects, oh my gosh, now that you got your, you had the audacity to buy a camera from Best Buy. You walked in there with your head held high and high. Be like I'm getting this shit today and I'm gonna get started. I don't care about what y'all say, I'm gonna, I'm gonna do this, do this, do that. Now that you, now that you've done that, and the reality.

Annika Do: 50:56

I was just like oh my gosh, should I do that you? Were terrified a little yeah because yeah, because for me it was a lot of money back then and I was just like, oh my gosh, should I do that? You were terrified. A little yeah because. Yeah, because for me it was a lot of money back then and I was thinking like, should I invest that much money right now, you know, into the camera yeah, I was not like oh yeah, get me this camera.

Annika Do: 51:12

I was actually thinking like I was still doubting damn, really, even up to that point.

Keno Manuel: 51:17

What about now?

Annika Do: 51:19

no, no, that was right now. I got a new camera now, just like that. Yeah, give me that camera how do you work?

Keno Manuel: 51:26

how do you work through moments of doubt, bro?

Annika Do: 51:29

that shit is hard, it is really hard. I think it's the hardest part of being an artist and not doubting yourself yeah especially because we like to compare ourselves to other artists, and that's what I'm trying not to do, honestly, and I'm not even scrolling Instagram anymore. That's the thing. If I need to find something, I'm going there and I'm looking for something. I don't have time for scrolling. I don't have time for reels. I don't know how people find time for that.

Keno Manuel: 51:55

I know, it's just.

Annika Do: 51:58

Yes, no time for that.

Keno Manuel: 51:59

Five minutes you could have just put towards something that you could put actual work into. But go on.

Annika Do: 52:12

But I think, because I was comparing myself even before I started doing photography again. I was looking at the beautiful photographers and their pictures and I was thinking, oh, I can't do that. I'm so far behind right now. I'm so far behind right now, I'm so far behind right now. How can I be the same level, you know? And then I was thinking I don't have to be the same level. I was just. It's constant like dialogue in my mind. Probably that's the thing I'm always talking to myself. I'm a Gemini. I don't know if you have the same problems how does your, how does your thought process?

Keno Manuel: 52:44

uh, what is your thought process like when people say, anika, your word, I love it so much. But then you have this dialogue and you're like no, shut up, it looks terrible. I see the sploss this here, here and there. How does that?

Annika Do: 52:56

I I like to take compliments honestly if I like, even if I know the person, if it's my friend or family or anyone who's just texting me on Instagram. I take it as a compliment. Honestly, I'm not saying I'm shit Sorry.

Keno Manuel: 53:13

Oh, she just cursed for the first time. Oh bad yeah.

Annika Do: 53:21

But I'm not saying I don't deserve it okay of course we all have not. Okay, I'm not gonna say we all have, but I have imposter syndrome sometimes and I'm working on that too, and, um, I'm just trying to compliment myself too, you know, sometimes I'm just like, okay, great job, great job, that's a good work and when clients texting me back saying like that was beautiful, we love it, we were like, looking at these pictures and we were crying, you know, and I was like, oh my gosh, I'm gonna cry right now too.

Annika Do: 53:55

Like it just makes me emotional, and when I make people emotional, it makes me emotional. So it's kind of synergy, we're exchanging energies and I think it works pretty well me like for me, like I'm pretty emotional person, empathetic to you and it's really hard for me not to like get close to my clients.

Annika Do: 54:15

I think it's a part like this part of me actually helps a lot in a lot of ways actually, because like when I see my couple and I'm reading the room yeah you know and I'm just reading a person in front of me, I know the way how to like, kind of start the conversation, how to find a way to like each different person, maybe because I was was assimilating in different groups when I was younger too.

Annika Do: 54:44

And it's not fake. It's not fake at all. It's just like it's part of me. Like I said, I accepted it and it helps me so much right now because I honestly I'm not bragging or something. It's just like for me it's the best thing to work with people, because I know how to work with people. I love working with people. I love the connection, because I know photographers would rather to work with like as a group, like they have a producer.

Annika Do: 55:12

Like a clique or what yeah like they have someone who's contacting the clients and they're doing the job, but for me it's such a crucial thing to have connection with the clients, so they know that I'm gonna take pictures. I'm this person who's gonna take care of everything for me. It's really hard to delegate, like anything really but yeah, but I still like because I need this connection with my clients I cannot delegate like emails or like phone calls.

Annika Do: 55:39

it's gonna be all on me, because I want them to know me first and I want to know them as well. I want to make sure that we have like this connection, you know.

Keno Manuel: 55:48

Well, have you thought about what, if you scale, you start bringing someone that you trust and even though there's, I knew listen. Delegating is really difficult, I know, but just walk through this with me for a second. Have you thought about that as an option in the future? Yeah, yeah.

Annika Do: 56:07

I would say that it would be so hard to find a person who would be like the same as me, probably. I'm just so picky to my work and everything. But I think later on that's possible. There is a possibility to grow into something bigger and maybe to have some people who work with me as a group like photographers if it's a big wedding or something.

Annika Do: 56:32

I'm open to big weddings as well and I think that's great when you have people with you as a second search shooter or whatever. I know there's a lot of big and huge weddings, like in the us and europe, anywhere pretty much, and they have like a big group of photographers like there's a lead photographer, of course, and, like I know just a story about one girl.

Annika Do: 56:52

She's from russia and she's doing like beautiful, huge weddings, like like 500, 2000 people. And it's not that I want this type of weddings, but it's possible. Those weddings are real and they have photographers, they have a lead photographer and they have this photographer hiring some other associates and there is 5 more photographers who are just taking pictures.

Keno Manuel: 57:22

How many pictures after the wedding day I I can't imagine but it reminds me of the movie the crazy rich asians, but go on, I watched it. Huh, you watched it, yeah I don't want a wedding like that.

Annika Do: 57:36

Oh, thank you yeah, that's a lot.

Keno Manuel: 57:38

That's a lot, I don't know really so you don't want to do that, or I would try that, what like?

Annika Do: 57:44

I would try, because I've never done it before so I can't really say if I don't like it, you know see now, if you have multiple photographers, what did that mean?

Keno Manuel: 57:51

you lose like a sum of the level of.

Annika Do: 57:55

That's the thing you ask if I'll delegate, like in the future, when you're a top photographer and you know, like you're choosing the person who's gonna help you through the wedding and you trust this person. Of course it's not like some random person from the street. You're choosing, like you're seeing the work, and it's probably top photographers as well. You just work together yeah and, of course, at the end of the day, you're probably the one who's editing and putting yourself on this work.

Keno Manuel: 58:21

Wow, delegation, you don't okay, yeah that's a big delegation.

Annika Do: 58:25

Okay, we were talking about different stuff probably here, but okay, yeah, it was, it was tough, it was the toughest probably thing and it's. It's a different market completely yeah, and it's possible yeah I I'm sure that I want to try that at least once in my life, just to see if I like it. But I love intimate weddings like small weddings are my favorite which weddings?

Keno Manuel: 58:47

intimate weddings like small weddings so yeah, see those like crazy rich asian weddings. No, I don't want to, not that well see, that's just extravagant. Like, have you thought about doing destination weddings that?

Annika Do: 58:59

are. Oh yeah, I want that.

Keno Manuel: 59:01

Have you done it or you?

Annika Do: 59:02

work. No, actually next year not not in europe.

Keno Manuel: 59:09

I live in this. No, no, no. Destination wedding, not destined weddings. First of all, I love dust. Well, I don't like the beach, because I hate the beach. But what, dude? Okay, I'll take you a long story short, long story short. Every time I hang out with my friends to the beach or we go into the water or go into the pool, like picahuna park, I have to take out my hearing aids, and when I take out my hearing aids, I cannot hear anybody. Therefore, I'm rendered socially awkward because I don't know what they're saying.

Annika Do: 59:34

That's why, anyways, going to the beach you don't have to talk on the beach, huh, you don't have to talk okay.

Keno Manuel: 59:39

First of all, annika, if I go far, how am I supposed to know they're yelling me, that there's a? You know the shark attack? Okay, okay, we're gonna use this. Okay. Okay, I go with my friends. Okay, I take out my hearing aids. Okay, I'm like hey guys, I'm gonna go over there. I'm all the way over there and I look over there. They look like they're cheering to me, but I can't hear. They're like yeah, when in reality there's a freaking shark right there.

Annika Do: 1:00:05

I'm like yeah and I get you, come on no, absolutely not I.

Keno Manuel: 1:00:09

I don't want to no it's a bit of a struggle okay, yeah, I see that, but um shit, you didn't even lose, my thought. What was?

Keno Manuel: 1:00:16

it, oh yeah beach weddings, the destination weddings like uh, I'll lead into that, but weddings like the one in Dustin, the beach weddings, it's too formulaic. Here is the sand that represents love that I have for you. Each grain of the pebble in the sand represents the vast deepness of my love that I will share for you from now on. It's too formulaic. You pour the sand, you take photos, boo, with the sunset, cool but whereas destination wedding it's so, such an experience, so I don't. I guess what I'm asking. I'm asking. What I'm asking is what does an ideal wedding look like for you?

Annika Do: 1:00:56

okay, but firstly I need to uh comment on something. Uh, for someone this national wedding isn't destined, you see yeah like some people coming here for this national wedding have you thought about that. There's a lot of people like all these people who are having weddings here.

Keno Manuel: 1:01:14

They don't live here okay, you know what you're right, I'm sorry, maybe Okay, I did not think of that.

Annika Do: 1:01:20

Okay.

Keno Manuel: 1:01:21

Oh, I'm sorry your. Your sand is very meaningful.

Annika Do: 1:01:26

And they take this and it's really sweet. That's what my clients do, okay.

Keno Manuel: 1:01:32

I did not. You're the first person to actually made me think that way. I'm so sorry Now to change my perspective. That's okay. Your money is worth investing.

Annika Do: 1:01:41

Come to dustin, come to dustin, come to santa rosa, ellis beach, where you can shoot. Um, yeah, so my ideal wedding. Um, I would say it's not exactly ideal wedding, but it's more ideal clients if I could say, because I don't care how your wedding is going to look.

Annika Do: 1:02:02

It's more, I don't care where it's going to be. How many people. Once I connect with a couple and we have this phone call or video call and we're talking through all the details, they're telling me what they see're like, how they visual their day special day yeah and um, I'm telling them about myself and about my experience and how everything works from my side.

Annika Do: 1:02:30

And if we have this connection, like if they are telling me oh, we love your work, we want you to shoot our wedding, and only you, because your style represents our love, like that's what. That's how we want to see our wedding pictures just through your lens and I've had this experience.

Annika Do: 1:02:48

People were saying that to me and it's the most amazing feeling, honestly, because I don't want people to choose me because of my price, because of something else, because I was available, the only me, or something. I want them to choose me because of my work and because they like my editing, not because they want, like, just the raw pictures and edit themselves after that you know, like change everything.

Annika Do: 1:03:10

No, I want them to choose me because they love my work and it's just. They see themselves through like my work and when it's like that, once I hear this phrase or I'm realizing that's the couple the couple, the couple okay um, yeah, after that I was like, whatever you're gonna do, I'll really love it. You know, like I don't care, it's gonna be like florist planner, whatever, like I will help you go through that because I'm the one who's taking care of the like visual part of your day you don't have to think about anything else like like I don't know.

Annika Do: 1:03:48

Whatever you want to like see through your day, whatever, like um final result that you want to get, let me know now. I'll be prepared, I'll get everything. What I like, I'll. I'll take so many pictures like so many good pictures. I'm not talking about overshooting, which is not bad too, but still I'll take all these pictures and you'll have every single picture of the most like precious moments, pretty much so. That's the thing. For me, it's more like about the couple than just wedding in general. Of course, it's nice to have a couple when they have a planner, they have everything organized, and it's pretty nice because you don't have to worry about anything. Because there is a small wedding too when they don't have, for example, a planner or florist or anything like that, and it's fine too. Some people don't want that and it's not specifically a. Some people don't want that and it's not like, it's not specifically financial thing that they worry about, it's just like their choice, which is fine too.

Keno Manuel: 1:04:48

I'm more concentrated if these are my people you take the personal connection to your clients too hard because you're literally there from start to finish and, yeah, wow, guys, if you want to hire someone that really truly cares about your wedding, you know it takes. It takes a lot of that kind of level of care and wanting to get them because it's the most intimate and, uh, personal day for them. A lot of photographers at least for the ones that just want to get the money, they don't just see that he's yeah five thousand dollars nice, but it's the fact that you put in you taking the time to do that for them.

Keno Manuel: 1:05:27

I think that's a really good thing for you to do for them.

Annika Do: 1:05:31

Yes and, uh, I care as much as them during the wedding, honestly, and I think it's that's why I told you empathetic part of me, that's why it helps me through my work, because I think couples, those couples they feel it too. That's why they want me to like actually shoot their wedding. They want me to capture it, not someone else after like phone call or something. Even if they'll decide it's not me, it's fine too too. I'm okay with saying no, it's fine with me totally. I'm even saying to them you don't have to choose right now. Don't choose me right away. If you want to search the market or something, do that. You're so free in your actions. I just want you to understand I'll do everything. But if you understand it's not me, it's totally fine too.

Annika Do: 1:06:20

I wish you an amazing day Like it's because it's your wedding. If it will be me, like I'm fully responsible for all visual part of the day and I'll do everything. So it works perfectly. Of course, sometimes my empathetic like part is just like it's not that I take a lot of things like too close, but when I go through the day I think I'm having the same emotions as a bride, because I was, like I'm, so emotional at every part of the wedding. Still, I don't know, maybe it will go away eventually, but even right now, with proposals, I'm showing so many proposals right now and maybe it's really bad. Maybe it's a bad advertisement right now, but when but?

Annika Do: 1:07:03

when guy actually kneeling and proposing to a girlfriend. I'm just starting shaking. I'm just like please say yes, oh no, yes, I'm really excited. It's like, um, like happy anxiety yeah like it goes through my body and I'm like a little shaky and happy and I'm just like almost right. Yeah, that's, I'm that I'm really empathetic and sometimes it's really hard because, like after wedding day.

Annika Do: 1:07:25

I'm coming home and I'm sitting at least 10 minutes in the car yeah because, like I need time to like come back like you know, because I'm just like I'm still there and I need time to go back to the normal me because, like, I can't bring it home too, because for me it's like wedding hangover, if you heard about that.

Keno Manuel: 1:07:47

No.

Annika Do: 1:07:48

There's a thing as a wedding hangover.

Keno Manuel: 1:07:50

Wedding hangover.

Annika Do: 1:07:51

Hangover. Oh okay, it's not that you're drinking, it's just like when you're working as a vendor at the wedding you probably have it, especially if you're a photographer or videographer. You're like on the next day you're feeling like you have a hangover, actual hangover.

Keno Manuel: 1:08:08

Oh, okay, okay, I got that. Yeah, lots of hangovers.

Annika Do: 1:08:11

Woo, yeah, okay go on. And the next day usually I don't have energy for anything, like I'm just laying in a bed and just like I need time. I need to time to, I need time to recharge because I gave so much I. I got some energy back, but I still it's still not enough energy to like to go do. Yeah, just to go and do, like my something, what I do in the day you know, like go to the gym.

Annika Do: 1:08:40

I cannot go to the gym the next day because I'm just like you're just emotionally exhausted from, even though it's such a great environment. Yes, absolutely it's, maybe, maybe it's a good feeling just to give yourself time to recharge yeah it's really good.

Annika Do: 1:08:55

You don't need to ignore that. I believe you should like feel your body and listen to your body whenever you feel like I can do that. Just don't do that. Give yourself time. Just relax for a second. Go for a walk, like vitamin d, whatever gym. Gym is good. Gym is good gym is great gym is great to relax or yoga, whatever it's. Uh, that's what helps me, but yeah this day after the wedding is crucial for me, like I'm just wait the day after or the day after oh, oh man.

Keno Manuel: 1:09:27

Yeah, you know, I think a lot of uh creatives tend to forget their self-care after doing such emotional taxing yeah and fiscal, fiscally taxing day. They don't. It's like they go straight to work. The fact that you have that system in place such a healthy thing that I think we're all jealous of.

Annika Do: 1:09:43

Wow, annika wow, I'm so jealous. Right now I'm still working on that, okay, okay, but the fact that you are openly working towards that.

Keno Manuel: 1:09:53

For some of us, like now, I don't need that. I'm just gonna work, work, work, work that I can't do that you are one. You're ahead of the curve when it comes to the self-care.

Annika Do: 1:10:02

Shut up, shut up but honestly, even like gym, gym time, right, okay, I wouldn't do that. I wouldn't go through 10 hour wedding without gym exercises and everything through the year, because like I'm exercising not just for like health and the future. I want to. I want it when I will be old. I want to be fit, I want to like move a lot, you know that's, that's my main goal.

Annika Do: 1:10:24

I want mobility in my body. I want to like. I don't want to have like pain in my knees or something, even though I have my knees are cracking already, but it's not the thing. Um, but still, I think a gym helps me like especially when you're doing squats or something like that.

Annika Do: 1:10:42

It's crucial for photographer and videographer to go to the gym because you're like having this like gear and you're walking all day long and your back is just screaming. Please do something because like it's so like unfair to your body to ignore the fact that you're like all day working and like holding this camera. It's so heavy and you don't work out like on your regular days.

Keno Manuel: 1:11:08

Yeah.

Annika Do: 1:11:08

It's really hard. Like you should do that.

Keno Manuel: 1:11:11

Dude, yeah, all right.

Annika Do: 1:11:13

At least massages, at least some yoga, like stretching, whatever, like it could be at least 15 minutes a day. It's just going to like make such a huge impact in your life, especially professional life too.

Keno Manuel: 1:11:25

I think I've already, I'm already starting to feel my back hurting, hurting, oh really it's not so castle.

Annika Do: 1:11:32

But I just heard I mean it's obvious, you're sitting a lot, you're editing, you're walking and working like with cameras really I didn't know I was doing that we're all doing that. That's the thing, like no wonder you have a bad day, wow I had.

Keno Manuel: 1:11:49

No, completely I did not know you were doing just that okay, we're doing sarcastic things together right now can you walk us through a story a a favorite story of yours, where you had an awesome client and how that experience has left you so emotionally happy with the outcome of that specific project?

Annika Do: 1:12:09

It's so hard because, like Pick, one Manica. Okay, Jess pick one. I love all my clients. Pick one. Okay, I think it was my first couple session. I still remember that and it was a couple and I'm just so grateful for all my clients, but my first clients, like for a couple session, engagement session it's just so amazing that they chose me Because, like I didn't have a big portfolio back then for a couple session Like.

Annika Do: 1:12:39

I started doing couples and weddings and families only here in florida I didn't do that like back in los angeles and back in russia too, because in los angeles I was doing mostly like solo portraits fashion and things like that. That makes sense yeah, but here's market is different, right, like people want different things. People are coming here to have couple sessions, engagements, weddings, families, and it's all that, and I just started doing that and I loved it pretty much. And my first couple. I remember they got an engagement session.

Keno Manuel: 1:13:16

Yeah.

Annika Do: 1:13:17

And it was just really beautiful. It was not a proposal or anything, it just it was in Rosemary Beach. It was not a proposal or anything, it just it was in Rosemary Beach. And such a beautiful couple, they were so nice. We just had this connection instantly you know, just no words needed, just went through all the sessions, just so fun, like we were popping the champagne in the end. Yeah, I'm still using these pictures, actually like for some like pricing guides and everything.

Keno Manuel: 1:13:43

Wow, okay.

Annika Do: 1:13:44

And I just remember like how happy I was that I actually loved shooting with couples because I didn't think that I would like it.

Keno Manuel: 1:13:55

Really.

Annika Do: 1:13:55

When I moved here, I was thinking, okay, market is different, I need to change what I shoot now, because I was shooting mostly portraits in Los Angeles Right now we'll see how it's going to work out for me and the way they chose me. I was like, okay, yeah, let's try. And I loved it. I loved being a part of people who are in love, because when people are truly in love, you can see it like, you can feel it. It's just um, being a part of it and you're just so close to them when you're shooting and just such an intimate moments and, uh, when I like it was like an hour and a half session, probably it was a one hour session, but we were shooting for almost two hours, I think because I was just like let's, let's take these pictures.

Annika Do: 1:14:42

I was just so excited and, um, I remember at the end I edited everything. In the end it was like probably 500 pictures, like full gallery, and I sent it all. I was just like I don't care, like get all these pictures and yeah, I think it's this one. I was pretty emotional on this one because I realized at this moment that I want to do that.

Keno Manuel: 1:15:04

Oh, wow, yeah.

Annika Do: 1:15:05

I want to do a couple sessions and shooting love stories. Love stories are like one of my favorites now, actually.

Keno Manuel: 1:15:13

You know what I'm? Jealous that you could say that, because every time I hear a love story, I'm just like wow, you are so in love, aren't you too?

Annika Do: 1:15:21

Wow, you're're gonna get married. Oh my god, yeah, I'm just jaded with that much.

Keno Manuel: 1:15:26

So, yeah, I actually have a question after doing so many love stories, have you been able to identify parts of what you've seen other people's love towards your self-care?

Annika Do: 1:15:37

maybe, yes, I would even. I would even say seeing people love and it's not always the same love, right, Some couples for them. It's really hard to open up the first session for a stranger, and I totally get it. They don't have to be my best friends or something, but I want them to feel comfortable, I want them to trust me, and when I get to this point, then when they trust me, I'm just like oh yes, I can feel it.

Annika Do: 1:16:07

They are laughing, they're having fun, and that's what I want, honestly, and I'm creating those scenarios and we're having fun and I'm shooting like, like a movie and their main characters. That's what I want that's that's, that's it. You know like, and uh, once I'm getting to this point when we can actually shoot something intimate, more than just like oh, put your hand here, put your hand there. Um, yeah, I'm just like okay, from this moment we're gonna take pictures yeah, oh my gosh, now we're gonna flip the script here.

Keno Manuel: 1:16:36

Okay, can you walk us to a time where you learned a valuable lesson through a mistake? Oh yes, uh going forward disclaimer uh, the persons that have now been mentioned in this story is, uh, fake. And to protect your identity and to protect your business, continue if you are about to drop names.

Annika Do: 1:16:55

I'm just oh yeah, of course I just want to protect your business thank you, I don't think I'll drop any names, honestly, maybe because I don't remember all the names but, yeah, I don't hold like anger or anything against people, even if, like something bad happened before, like any bad experience, it's really hard to remember like actually bad experience, but I would say I had an experience which is not bad I just this person who believes like every experience is crucial and necessarily, like you cannot grow without experience okay even like with, if you cannot grow without failure.

Annika Do: 1:17:35

I would say that, like that, like you need all these failures, failures.

Keno Manuel: 1:17:39

Failures, failures.

Annika Do: 1:17:41

Failures, failures.

Keno Manuel: 1:17:43

I gotta say your accent throughout the entire episode. It's just. It's so interesting to listen to, like with the hearing I wish people. It's so hard to explain to people with hearing hearing aids like there are so many accents like the british, the british accent. I'm like, oh gosh, if you go to the bar and I've had someone just talking up in the british accent, I'm not gonna order anything, I'm just gonna. Can you? Can you read the appetizer?

Annika Do: 1:18:09

yeah, I love it too.

Keno Manuel: 1:18:10

Honestly, english accent's so good but I have to say your accent is just, it's so intriguing intriguing when I can say failure failure failure failure god so you said something about failure, scott yes, I think it's such a necessary thing to go through that, because you cannot grow without that.

Annika Do: 1:18:34

I believe that if there is a stagnation, if you have a stagnation as an artist, you don't have growth.

Keno Manuel: 1:18:41

Yes.

Annika Do: 1:18:42

Only by making those mistakes, going through different and really hard maybe, paths through your career. I would say you cannot grow without that.

Keno Manuel: 1:18:55

Great yes.

Annika Do: 1:18:58

I've been through a lot of good experiences and I would say I don't have really bad stories that I could share. It's just so funny because actually I have fun stories. It just some of these stories um bad because, like my fault there is, there's a lot of my faults, okay. Uh, like I had one project, really interesting project for a brand we're supposed to shoot, like for a new loungewear. Okay, it was super cool, like and intriguing for me. I started like doing model scouting, location scouting, that in this location transferred to new york, and I was like, yeah, we'll travel to new york, right?

Annika Do: 1:19:44

yeah, it's so good and I was just like yeah, let's do it. And I created like a huge pdf file with like models that I found like location, scouting everything. There was like every single detail there. So I made all this preparation, took me hours. You know like it's really hard to find models that would like actually represent your brand like I need to understand the brand to find the models and like it's a huge research, but I have a marketing degree so it kind of helped me too.

Annika Do: 1:20:14

Like it helps me to work with brands, but anyway, this session canceled.

Keno Manuel: 1:20:20

Oh, it does sound like a punchline.

Annika Do: 1:20:21

I know what you're laughing at, yeah, but it was just like I understand the part of like this situation is on me because, like we didn't have a contract.

Keno Manuel: 1:20:31

No. Oh, no Don situation is on me because, like we didn't have a contract.

Annika Do: 1:20:37

Uh no, oh no, don't work without contracts. No, always have a contract, even if it's your like friends of friends of family or anyone else, always have a contract. Oh no, yeah, I know, it was really like I was really excited about this project and then it was just like yeah, sorry, like this guy who's owner of this like brand, he already had a session with someone else.

Keno Manuel: 1:20:58

Oh man, all that work uh, and only to find out it's like uh I was wondering if they actually used my like research I would love them to use my research bro, if they did that I would be livid dude.

Keno Manuel: 1:21:12

I can't imagine the number of hours you put into doing that. I would be pretty livid if you saw that sex, same person with the exact same vision that you had. So just some contracts, guys. Um, make sure you have the revisions clause. Uh, make sure you have all the um. Do you have yours in the contract where? Um? Make sure you have all the um. Do you have yours in the contract where you own the photos but you they own the deliverables.

Annika Do: 1:21:37

What? Yeah, so I own photos like uh, it's my photos, but they have the right to print those pictures.

Annika Do: 1:21:43

They could do pretty much whatever, but they can use these pictures to advertise something so they can get money out of these pictures you know like if they have something, some product or anything like, for example, like if it's a couple session or anything they can put, they cannot use those pictures for advertising anything because they will get money out of it. Like if they want to do that, like if they have like their goal to have some money out of those pictures, we need to go through that and change the contract then.

Keno Manuel: 1:22:13

So that's going to be different negotiation completely okay, is there, uh, speaking of the uh the photos to how you deliver? Are there any? Is there anything that you do? That's uh special for the couples because I remember when I did okay, I did my first wedding, it was, uh, it was just literally across my house. Okay, I got drunk with the bridesmaid and they had to drive me home you're shooting the wedding and you get what a video camera.

Keno Manuel: 1:22:44

I was like I was doing like yeah, but anyways there's a reason why there's a reason why, um, I felt so embarrassed, but, whatever, one of the things that I did, um, to make it more special when it comes to deliver, delivering their, uh, what they're looking for. I actually ordered a wooden box filled with, like, uh, broken pieces of wood and a usb in the middle and a handwritten letter saying thank you, and that's how I delivered when I was doing weddings. That's how I delivered to the clients. Now, is there anything that you do to make it more special for them?

Annika Do: 1:23:19

oh, that's that's so great that you started talking about that, because I'm working on that right now I don't have anything like special like that yet. But I've seen um other photographers actually creating like those for their future, even future clients, not even past clients to send them a gallery or something like prints or anything.

Annika Do: 1:23:42

It's for the future couples who you're going to shoot with in the future, like weddings pretty much, and it's a box with some small presents or something. And I was like, okay, that's an interesting idea pretty much, and it's like a box with, like, some small presents or something. And I I like I was like, okay, that's interesting idea, like it's really nice because it's part of your personal brand too. They'll remember about you, they'll probably post it on instagram, they'll tag you. It's like advertisement, but it's like it's nice because you're still building relationship with this couple and they would love this kind of attention and especially if it's sincere and you already like each other. You're like they chose you, you chose them and you're sending them a present.

Annika Do: 1:24:18

They're really touched of course it's a nice start to building a relationship with clients because they will like feel that you're not just interested, like you said, in money, like you'd be like, oh, just five thousand and I'll go you know, I'll forget about. You know you're putting attention into like every detail through all the process and it's really interesting. I think I would do that. I don't think I'm at the point right now where I'm getting um financially, when I'm getting as much money that I can put like invest money into boxes, like with presents yeah but I think eventually, when my pricing is going to change, uh, I will do that.

Annika Do: 1:24:56

I think it's something that I would do, that honestly well with the marketing.

Keno Manuel: 1:25:01

I mean, it makes sense like if you want, uh put, if you want to push a brand to at least make yourself stand out, I think that's one way to do it. But you're you, you're a big girl, you got your own business, you do what you want to do. All right, guys, we're almost out of time, so we're going to run through this. Uh, we're going to have you on another episode. Is that a yes or no?

Annika Do: 1:25:22

oh yes, oh my gosh, did you hear that?

Keno Manuel: 1:25:26

wait for part two in the near future part two, but unfortunately for this episode we're almost running out of time. Uh, so we're gonna run through the remaining questions. We'll save the rest for the part two, but okay so ah, so many questions.

Annika Do: 1:25:40

I know I want to. I want to share all the information. I hate when people gatekeeping like it's just such a like i't know. I feel in this industry and in pretty much any industry there's like I don't believe in gatekeeping because if you think that we're all competitors, it's not going to work Again. Like you know those videos, or even like I had this experience when you had a session and there's a few photographers they're shooting the same models, the same people the same weather conditions, pretty much everything. The same.

Annika Do: 1:26:15

And outcome is different, such different final results. Because you again have different experience, background, everything and you have. Why would you gatekeep things from other people, especially the ones who are just starting out? Because where would you get this information? Like people should share information. Like, how would you grow without sharing with people and without people sharing with you? You know if it's going to be oh, I know this and I'll not tell anyone. Like, no, it's not going to work. Like that, like if you're not okay to share, okay, like, sit silence, like and don't do anything. But you're not okay to share, okay, like, sit silence, like and don't do anything, but you're not going to grow too. Because only by synergy we can help each other and grow together. Then you will stay there at the same level, just by gatekeeping. And what are you getting from it? Like you're not getting more clients by gatekeeping. You know, like it's not how it works. Market doesn't work like that.

Annika Do: 1:27:15

So you believe and give them back and that's how you build community with the people that you want to work with. I believe, like our artist community, like photographers community, should be more like friendly. I'm not saying like not, people are not friendly, but people are not friendly. But, uh, some people are actually gatekeeping and and it's fine too, I guess. Just go to another person if you have questions.

Annika Do: 1:27:34

Like if someone has questions, check like my Instagram, text me or anything Like. I will answer you. But I would say like, if you want to start, like for you said, like this podcast for people who wants to start.

Keno Manuel: 1:27:47

Yeah.

Annika Do: 1:27:47

Because all of that, like we talked before, it was my background and my like don't know, like my thoughts on things. But if you want to start, I would say, just practice more, don't be afraid of experimenting with different techniques, style and talk to people, go to stranger and ask to take a picture. It's such a good exercise to work, like with your communication skills, because if you want to work with people, like with weddings, couples, just portraits, solo, whatever you just need to find this strength, because for some people it's really hard to go and actually go and ask a stranger like would you like to have some pictures. It's a really good exercise. I'm still doing that, honestly, if I see people on the beach. It recently happened I was shooting family and they wanted just 20 minutes and I was like we have 40, why would you leave? And they're just like no, we're fine, we're going to watch the sunset. And I was like, okay, if you're happy already, they were happy like 100%.

Annika Do: 1:28:51

They got their pictures and everything. But I was just like it's such a beautiful sunset and I saw a group of girls running on the beach in such vibrant, colorful dresses and I was just like I'll go and check if they need any pictures. And I was like girls, do you want any pictures? I'm a photographer and I just had a session and I have time like five, 10 minutes before sunset goes down. And they were just like, oh, yes, yes, let's do it.

Annika Do: 1:29:17

And we were just shooting for five, 10 minutes and they were so happy, I made them so happy and I was just like, oh my gosh, they made me happy too, and pictures were great and they were running on the beach and there was sand on them and it was so great. Honestly, I believe like you should do that. You should like see, like, go to your fears, like, honestly, you're going to get so much from that. Like just of going and doing, not just sitting and comparing yourself to other photographers. You should go and start doing something. Action is the way to grow, like action is the way to failure and to the win as well.

Keno Manuel: 1:29:56

That's how you're gonna grow, not by sitting and gatekeeping and comparing I was, I was hold, I was, so I was holding in my excitement because you just gave the biggest. Oh my god, somebody used this for the intro. No, seriously, I'm happy that. Oh my, oh my god, I am so excited. Holy shit, oh, this episode is gonna be a bigger. Oh my god, this is gonna be so. No, I love, love, love, love, love, love that advice. You have just heard a, a lot of actionable advice, but that one you just heard. Guys, please take that to heart because we, you said action uh leads to growth action leads to failure and to the wind as well 100 uh certified banger right there.

Keno Manuel: 1:30:44

Okay, a few questions. I one thing I wanted to know is this how do you keep your emotional side separate from business?

Annika Do: 1:30:56

Oh, my God.

Keno Manuel: 1:30:57

Bro, that shit is hard.

Annika Do: 1:30:59

Okay, you know, like you can tell, it's really hard for me.

Keno Manuel: 1:31:04

That's why I want to know how you'd go about this.

Annika Do: 1:31:06

So it's not that I'm changing roles. Of course, like when you're going to work, you're different. When you're with family, you're different.

Annika Do: 1:31:15

Like you're a completely different person in every like different aspect of your life and it's completely normal. You should do that because, like you can't be the same person when you're home and when you're with people who you like work with. And I think I just have this thing, as I said, like few personalities. And it helps me right now because when I'm at work, I'm working, Even though when I was going through hard stuff last year, like through separation and everything I remember on the day of separation, I was going to a session and I was like I don't have energy, I need to give love.

Annika Do: 1:31:51

I need to give love to people but I don't have energy like I need to give love. You know, I need to give love to people but I don't have anything inside. But the moment when I got there, the moment when I saw these people, we just talked a little and I was like I forgot everything, like I forgot every my, like problems, like any thoughts.

Annika Do: 1:32:09

I was at work, I was working oh my gosh, I was yeah yeah, I was working, uh, and I didn't think about anything else, I was just completely into the process and after the session I felt so great. Honestly, it was my it's like. It's like my therapy, honestly, because when I see especially when you're going through breakup or something and you see people who are in love, you're just like. You're just like, wow, this exists. This is such a great thing, you know, there's hope, yeah, of course, and it's just every time. It just reminds me how beautiful it is when you're finding the right person. And I'm telling my clients you're so lucky to find each other, because it's such a precious thing to find someone who loves you and who cares about you. Just hold to that, because it's the most important thing. Honestly, if you don't have people around you who loves you and who you love too, what's the reason of everything? Money, money who loves you and who you love too, like what's the reason of everything? You know?

Keno Manuel: 1:33:13

Money A.

Annika Do: 1:33:18

Ferrari.

Keno Manuel: 1:33:20

Ferrari A FX3. Oh wait, Wait, what do you shoot A?

Annika Do: 1:33:26

Canon Canon EOS R 300.

Keno Manuel: 1:33:30

Canon 5D Mark V, I don't know. 't know a lot of things to be happy for yes, but on the top of that is love, love is everything, love is everything I love, romanticizing, romanticizing you love romanticizing whoa, romanticizing you love romanticizing Whoa.

Annika Do: 1:33:52

Things Like and life in general, Just seeing love everywhere. It's a good habit and it's something that you can exercise. I think it's something that every person should do, because there's so much pain and so much horrible things, so many horrible things that are happening in the world and it's really easy to focus on the bad things and being angry at everyone and being sad and have all these emotions.

Annika Do: 1:34:22

But it's really hard to find this strength to feel love when around you is such a like chaotic world and it's you need to exercise, you need to start romanticizing small things in your life and after that you will not be focused on the bad things anymore, such as breakups, like world situations, like I'm not gonna like sell specific situations, but it's really important to focus on the good things, because it's really easy to focus on the bad things I just want to say, when things get tough on your end, henneka, um, I know you get, uh, the love from other people, but I want you to just don't don't forget when things get tough.

Keno Manuel: 1:35:12

You do deserve some love for yourself too. Okay, oh, yes, okay, just try not to forget that now I'm filled with love honestly, and I'm so happy I I have people around me and I'm so grateful for these people.

Annika Do: 1:35:25

they help me to go through my highs and lows and it just, it's just great to have these people. I'm every day I'm just honestly I'm thinking it's just great to have these people. I'm every day I'm just honestly I'm thinking how grateful I am to have people around me that I love you.

Keno Manuel: 1:35:37

I love you, hey first of all, we just we're moving too fast here.

Annika Do: 1:35:43

Relax First of all people that I love and people that loves me.

Keno Manuel: 1:35:50

We're moving too fast here, tiger Whoa, slow down, slow down, slow down, slow the fuck down.

Annika Do: 1:35:55

I have a boyfriend. I'm getting stressed out.

Keno Manuel: 1:35:59

This is my stress collector Relax.

Annika Do: 1:36:03

Okay, english is my second language.

Keno Manuel: 1:36:06

Yeah, you're doing great actually, but okay, unfortunately we're almost out of time. I'm sorry, guys. Now what's next for annika do?

Annika Do: 1:36:15

next is more art sessions I would say not less commercial, I would say um still shooting with couples weddings okay uh, small families probably too, and I want to work with brands.

Keno Manuel: 1:36:32

Press Brands Okay.

Annika Do: 1:36:34

Yeah, press maybe too, I don't know. But brands for sure, small brands, big brands. Of course, in the future that would be great too. Just put my vision into some brands, it would be great, and I think to experiment more and try I would try different styles too, like I want to try to work more with um, like with the softbox, for example, like I don't work with, like external lights at all yeah, I work only with natural lights mostly, mostly, like 99% of the time.

Annika Do: 1:37:10

It's natural, like all what you see yeah, all what you see in my profiles, it's all natural light, no external light what the?

Annika Do: 1:37:18

fuck yeah okay, go on yes, and I think that would be great to make more art sessions like create. Create projects with my vision, not just, for example, what my client wants. It's more my vision, with my outfits, with my idea, with some message into this project. I think that's what I want more sessions like that, just create more projects, probably because I love to style my sessions, like to put the message into the sessions and just create beautiful art.

Keno Manuel: 1:38:01

That's so beautiful. Well, um, actually so going forward, um, what is the one thing that you could say to yourself from a long time ago where you are now? What's one thing you wish you could say now to the little girl that was finding her way from jumping from one group to another, going through all of that? What is one thing that you're so proud to say now that you could say to that little girl Going through?

Annika Do: 1:38:32

all of that. What is one thing that you're so proud to say now that you could say to that little girl Focus on what you want, don't doubt yourself, because there's always going to be people who's better than you and by comparing you're not doing better for yourself and you will always do what you love because you know what you want, even if you think that you don't, because I had this thing that I didn't know what I want for a while and besides, photography, right, and I ended up being a photographer. You know, I ended up here doing pictures and being like full-time photographer, which is great, and just don't doubt yourself, you're great and don't stop be sure of what you're doing and do everything with love.

Keno Manuel: 1:39:24

yeah you know, I don't. I don't think you're a photographer anymore. I think you're someone who, I think there is a reason why you assimilate yourself when so many people. I think you're someone who, I think there is a reason why you assimilate yourself with so many people. I think you're there to. You're like a beacon of their like, you're their message. You're there to literally autograph, like take every part of their moment. You're there to tell their story, to remind them that love is around every corner. What?

Annika Do: 1:39:47

am I trying to say?

Keno Manuel: 1:39:48

Love is around the corner is what I'm trying to say. I think you found the person that you are now. I think you're getting close to who you are supposed to be and I think you're on the right path. You're doing great thank you.

Annika Do: 1:39:59

Thank you so much what thank you you're welcome. You're very thank you for having me here. Honestly, it's my first experience with podcasts and you're the first one, but, uh, I was honestly even thinking when, when you texted me, I was just okay, yeah, that's, that's an amazing, uh opportunity and old me, like my first thought, you know, like this first initial thought was like, should I do that? Like I've never done it before, because we were even talking like together, like together, like when we met.

Annika Do: 1:40:32

And I was just like, are you sure you want me there, because I'm not a big of a talker in front of the camera. And again, like I started just right now, for example, with someone you know in such an interesting set, you know like your office, and it's like it's a new level for me and it's like it opened the gate and this action leads me to win you know what I mean right now like yeah, that's what I like.

Annika Do: 1:40:58

After this thought, like why should I do that or not? I was like hell, yeah, I'll do that. Like why shouldn't I? Right? Like what what's stopping me? Why, why I shouldn't do that? And um, the thing is I wanted to start youtube channel for such a long time, since I was, like 13 years old, never done it, like I yes, I know, I regret and everyone was telling me like you should start your youtube channel. You have so much, so many things going like in your life. You should tell people around about that, but it's, it's a long story. Um, we'll talk about that in the second part, probably, but I would, I would start youtube channel for sure.

Keno Manuel: 1:41:35

Like, okay, you got it. Okay, you for you already. You're already telling so many stories for other people. It's time for you to do it for your own um story too. Okay, yeah, there's room for you, amongst other I love it.

Annika Do: 1:41:51

There's room for you. I love this stuff it's true yeah so please do it.

Keno Manuel: 1:41:56

Yeah, borrow my lights if you need to take my well, not my cameras, those are my babies, but everything else you could take, okay, start it I think you're right.

Keno Manuel: 1:42:07

Having the right people there, uh, surrounding yourself with that inspire you to sometimes it's so inspiring, like to hear that you wanted to do it, but now having some certain experiences that now open your eyes to the possibility of doing that, that's love right there. Y'all hell, yeah, okay. So any last words before we all depart and never see each other again for almost a year, that sounds great, okay, great.

Annika Do: 1:42:38

Last thoughts.

Keno Manuel: 1:42:39

You said last thoughts, any last words you want to give to everyone that you never got a chance to say throughout this conversation.

Annika Do: 1:42:46

Love is everywhere Love is everywhere I already said that and it's true. And, like I said, what I would tell myself younger self, I would tell to everyone, everyone who's just starting or who's like, who's working already as a full time photographer just be open to the world and world opens to you back.

Keno Manuel: 1:43:09

The world is your oyster.

Annika Do: 1:43:15

Grab it by its balls put yourself there, like in the social medias, because it's such an important thing that I don't do right now. But I will do that, like I promised myself right now on the video camera, like I'm telling you now and I like, if I will not do that, just go and write a really nasty comment under my pictures june 17.

Keno Manuel: 1:43:39

Annika, when you're watching this, it's june 17, 757, monday 2024, future. Annika, hopefully you have achieved that goal of doing social media. Hi, this is us talking to you.

Annika Do: 1:43:51

Yes, I hope you have youtube, that goal of doing social media. Hi, this is us talking to you. Yes, I hope you have YouTube channel, or at least TikTok, where you're posting about your life or something about photography, life. Yeah, just put yourself out there, don't be afraid. And yeah, I think the world's going to treat you well, even if you're afraid of it.

Keno Manuel: 1:44:10

The world's going to eat you up. It's going to make you well, even if you're afraid of it. The world's going to eat you up and spit you out, make you become the person you need to be. Yes, Mean lovey, that's what you're going to get. Bad cop. Yes bad cop, good cop. Where can people find you?

Annika Do: 1:44:25

On Instagram annikadaph and you're annika, double N yeah, pretty much that's it, Find me there.

Keno Manuel: 1:44:35

If you have a question.

Annika Do: 1:44:38

Thank you. My website, it's Anikacom, that's it.

Keno Manuel: 1:44:46

Oh, very simple.

Annika Do: 1:44:47

It's really simple. Yeah, you'll find me there. Yeah, I'm open to any conversations, any collaborations. I love to collaborate with other artists and if you any of you have great thoughts or you want to create something together, just hit me up guys.

Keno Manuel: 1:45:02

She's also booking for 2024 and 2025, according to her website. So book now. Limited seatings only. Yeah, there's only a lot of millions of you couples out there, but there's only one Annika so book now. That is it for this episode. We'll see her in the next part. Two right.

Annika Do: 1:45:21

Annika, yeah, yeah, I'll see you next time.

Keno Manuel: 1:45:25

And we'll be talking about the progress on YouTube, as well as the business and marketing and all of that. Stay tuned for the part two. Thank you so much for watching this episode, youtube, as well as the business and marketing and all of that. Stay tuned for the part two. Thank you so much for watching this uh episode. Don't forget to hit, like and subscribe uh on my youtube. Blah, blah, blah, blah, blah all in the description. I really hate call outs. Uh, yeah, um, I'll see you guys in the next episode and that is it. Bye, bye, thank you. I'm not done talking yet. This conversation is now over. We'll see you in the next episode. Please continue what you're going to say.

Annika Do: 1:45:54

Bye guys, thank you for listening and please leave five-star reviews or anything to support this beautiful podcast by Kino. And Sorry again, what's your full name?

Keno Manuel: 1:46:07

Kenneth Paul Manuel Kenneth.

Annika Do: 1:46:09

Paul Manuel. Oh, wow, I'm saying his fairy tale tale. Yeah, please support this beautiful, amazing podcast and there is a lot of meanings and let's help a lot of people with this podcast that means a lot and we are out.