Meet Imani Janee | Photographer

We had the good fortune of connecting with Imani Janee and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Imani, can you share a quote or affirmation with us?
Of course. My favorite quote may seem a bit cliche, but it is exactly why I am here: “Everything happens for a reason.” The quote means everything to me. Anytime I find myself overthinking why something is going the way that it is, good or bad, I just remind myself that “everything happens for a reason.” It keeps me on track and allows me not to harp on things that I cannot control.

Please tell us more about your work. We’d love to hear what sets you apart from others, what you are most proud of or excited about. How did you get to where you are today professionally. Was it easy? If not, how did you overcome the challenges? What are the lessons you’ve learned along the way. What do you want the world to know about you or your brand and story?
To be completely honest I am most proud of the fact that I started my photography business. Many people will say that they want to do something or be something and never execute. I take pride in where I am today because the road to get here was paved and made clear for me.

After graduating from both undergraduate and graduate school, and working a full-time position in the career that I went to school for–I questioned if I had wasted so much time chasing a career that led me to feel like Bill Murray in the film Groundhog Day. But of course, everything happens for a reason. It took me to experience those emotions to find myself reflecting and eventually creating new goals for myself–the cure to monotony.

Photography ended up finding its way to my list of new goals. It was like the childhood friend that had to move away but years later you two meet again and pick up where you left off. The way that photography waltzed back into my life so effortlessly, I knew that it was where I was supposed to be. I knew that it was my purpose. It started off with small compliments from friends about pictures that they liked which progressed to receiving photography gifts from loved ones. I even had a full-circle moment where I found out that my Dad had a love for photography that I never knew about. You could almost say that it’s in my DNA.

Along this journey, I learned that if you want to do something just do it. Don’t feel like you have to have everything all together and perfect. It is ideal to want to be perfect, however, as people we are not. So start somewhere and allow yourself to have teachable moments.

I. Janee Photography is all about capturing people where they are.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
Anyone looking to explore the great Dallas, TX would have to include the following in their trip: – Bishop Arts District (stop at Tiny Victories for a drink, check out Spinsters if you’re a vinyl collector such as myself, and eat at any of the nice restaurants in that area)
– Deep Ellum (there’s plenty of Instagram worthy photo-ops, two words: Serious Pizza, The Nines for a good time during the nightlife on either a Friday or Saturday, Upstairs Circus is a nice place to go if you are crafty and love DIY projects while having a drink or two)
– Street’s Fried Chicken on Cedar Springs
– Uptown (The Playground Bar for their Uber Margarita Swirl, Tate’s Bar, and Sixty Vines for their wonderful french toast)
– South Dallas/Oak Cliff (The Tamale Factory, Funnel Cake Paradise, and Rudy’s Chicken–make sure you get a pepper)
– Shops at Legacy and Legacy Hall in Plano (Haywire is amazing, be sure to try their coffee cake in a can)
– Concrete Cowboy in Frisco
– Dallas Art Museum and Modern Art Museum in Fort Worth

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
First and foremost I’d like to give a shoutout to God because without Him I would not be here. I would also like to personally shoutout an amazing friend of mine, Dominique Turner-Rambo! He’s truly been my rock during this journey. He makes amazing art and custom pieces which can be found on Instagram @dlc2013. I’d also like to give a shoutout to my sister, Shameika Williams who is the owner of The Boys Rule, an apparel company. She’s given me business gems that probably would’ve taken me an entire lifetime to discover. I would like to give a shoutout to my parents. They are so amazing and have literally supported me in any and everything that I’ve ever wanted to do in life.” Lastly, I would like to thank the wonderful individuals such as music artist, La’Darius Loving, and my close friends who have assisted with getting me some exposure.

Website: www.ijanee.com

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/i.janee/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/i.janeephotography/