Maine Vibes Magazine: Thank you for meeting me! Can you tell me about yourself and your business?

Janelle Lyford: My name is Janelle. I go by she/her, and I am a photographer. I started as a street photographer back in 2014 and slowly transitioned into fashion photography, now I do portraiture, weddings, some headshots, and real estate photography. Everything related to photography, I love!

MVM: I read that you studied political science, Chinese, and philosophy at Bates. Can you talk about what drew you to those majors and how you ended up in education and teaching ESL, and shifting to photography? 

JL:  I have always been interested in human rights, and I think a lot of it stemmed from being adopted from Cambodia. I knew a lot about the Cambodian genocide and I was always interested in learning more about it which led me to study to become a human rights lawyer. I ended up at Bates going in thinking I would go to law school, but I ended up changing my mind. I still loved politics, so I focused on international politics with a focus on human rights issues. This is also why I ended up studying philosophy, the relationship between philosophy and human rights was and is very interesting to me; I ended up writing my thesis on the relationship between the two. Studying Chinese was kind of random - I talked to a professor before choosing classes my freshman year of college and they encouraged me to try something new!

I studied abroad in China and after that trip knew that I wanted to return in some capacity at a later date. I ended up working in the admissions office at Bates which piqued my interest in education. Following graduation, I ended up getting a job as an education consultant in Hangzhou, China helping counsel students who were applying for colleges, mostly in the US, but sometimes in Canada or the UK. After my second year in China, I ended up moving to a remote village about three hours on the bullet train from Shanghai, to become a high school teacher, which is where I started with photography. 

When I moved to this village, I would try to describe what it was like there for my family and friends but I couldn’t do it justice. I started taking photos of everything that I saw and posting them for fun. It ended up turning into a documentary of my life in China and that’s when I started The Human Experience which really progressed into something much bigger. 

MVM: That’s amazing Janelle. I know you've traveled throughout Southeast Asia and lived in South Korea. Can you talk about your time there? When did you start doing photography full-time? 

JL:  I was in China for three years. Towards the end, I was back into education consulting in Shenzhen, China which is near the border of Hong Kong. I was able to improve my photography skills by being able to explore Shenzhen and Hong Kong. I moved from China to Thailand in 2016 and switched back to ESL. Thailand was where my photography really started to come together because I was so focused on the human experience. I was noticing the inequalities between the upper-class and lower-class and how striking these inequalities were. I was living in Bangkok, Thailand in a very residential area that was definitely catered toward foreigners. There was a railroad where a lot of homeless people lived, but right behind them were five-star hotels and restaurants, and malls. It was fascinating seeing the diversity and income inequality. 

I really started focusing on the human experience in regards to how modernization and internationalization made inequality even more extreme. The people I was taking photographs of had never seen a camera before. I’d go to the railroad tracks every weekend and take photos. There were a lot of kids that would come over that were always so happy to  have their photo taken and then have me show it to them on the camera. Seeing their joy in seeing themselves sparked something inside me. It was nice being in Southeast Asia and being able to fly all over. I could fly to Cambodia and take photos there. 

“When I finally was able to travel there by myself in 2016, it felt like a sigh of relief being there, I felt at home.” - Janelle Lyford

MVM: Did you feel a connection with the people in Cambodia?

JL: When I was younger, my family had taken a trip to Vietnam because my siblings are adopted from Vietnam, but for some reason or another, we weren't able to go to Cambodia so I always knew I wanted to visit. When I finally was able to travel there by myself in 2016, it felt like a sigh of relief being there, I felt at home. Growing up in Maine, it’s hard when everyone around you looks different, now I love it, but growing up it was tough. You know, like everyone, you just want to fit in and look like everyone else, you don’t want to be that person who is different. 

I remember in first grade someone told me they didn’t want to play with me because I was brown. I remember being devastated. I didn’t understand at that time that I was different, but from that day forward I started to feel like I needed to find my place in this world. When I went to Cambodia, I finally felt like I belonged somewhere. That was great for me as a person, being there helped me come into myself. 

I was able to spend three weeks at an NGO (Non-Governmental Organization) in Cambodia and work on my photography. People were living on $50 a month, selling fruit on the side of the road and that was their full-time income. It was heartbreaking to witness that and experience it myself because I was there on a homestay. Being in my 20s and on my own, it was eye-opening. I ended up moving from Thailand to Korea a few months after that experience in Cambodia. In Korea, I remained teaching and was also able to connect with people who were in the creative industry, which is how I turned into a fashion photographer.

By that point, I finished The Human Experience and switched gears. I took a break for the first six months in Korea, I felt like I had lost my creative spark, I wasn’t sure what to photograph. An opportunity came up to show a streetwear brand and it ended up getting published in a magazine from that fashion shoot I did. It really encouraged me to pursue photography even more!

MVM: It sounds like your time there molded and shaped you in some way. I’m curious, do you have any specific experiences that really stuck with you? And how did your time there influence your photography? 

JL: The three weeks that I spent at that NGO in Cambodia was probably the most meaningful and the one experience that will stay with me forever. It was really incredible to live with a family and see how they live and see the struggles that they face daily. They had set up Wi-Fi when I was there which was huge for them because they had never had access to Wi-Fi. The hardest part about the NGO was that they taught a lot of children who couldn't go to the state school because they couldn't afford the uniform, so I was teaching them at the NGO basic English classes. Watching the children get their notebooks, backpacks, and colored pencils, was a moving experience. It made me realize how privileged I have always been; I’ve always had my needs met. It drove home that the human experience really is so different for everyone.

Where do we get our happiness from? What makes us sad or angry? For the most part, it’s similar for all of us. With the families I was photographing, I would ask myself what is the human experience for this family? How can I capture the essence of this family on camera? Every family has a different dynamic. Capturing all of this on camera and being able to story tell has been important for me to document. 

I approach wedding photography in the same way. It’s a privilege and an honor for me to be a part of documenting one of the biggest days of their lives. I am so thankful that people trust me to capture those moments for them, I don’t take it for granted. 

MVM: Can you share your creative process while you were working on your book? Did you know what story you wanted to tell? 

JL: My main focus was to show that with the human experience, everyone lives so differently. Being in Maine, what you don’t know you don’t know, but it comes to a point where that can be almost dangerous for you to be unaware of what’s going on in the world. There are so many different experiences happening every second of the day. I wanted to capture that on camera and put it into a book that people could flip through and see how others were living in Cambodia, Vietnam, or the Philippines. 

It was really important for me to tell a story where it would draw people in. I wanted people to learn something new about different cultures. There is also the flip side, where something like a smile is universal, so it really drives home the fact that we’re all connected in some way.

I also wanted people to see how every decision impacts life everywhere. When a resort is built in the Philippines, what impact does it have on the local community? It often pushes locals into poverty and even homelessness. You can see gentrification here in America, but people forget that this happens globally, and is often even more extreme.

MVM: Do you have a favorite photograph from your book? 

JL: One of the photos that I really love was taken in Cambodia. It was of these two girls who were playing in a small body of water, they had their tricycles and were so happy playing, shoeless and shirtless in the muddy water with their bikes. I remember thinking that what they were doing seemed so simple, but they were so happy. My hope is that anyone looking at that photo can feel that emotion, even if they don’t know the background of the photo.

MVM: It sounds like you’ve been driven to think about how the world is bigger than what your childhood was, where does that come from? 

JL: I think a lot of it stems from growing up in Maine and not having much diversity, and knowing that me and my siblings were all adopted from either Cambodia or Vietnam. Knowing that we were the only Asians that people knew, when people thought of diversity, they would think of our family. I couldn’t relate to those who were white because my experience was so different from everyone else’s. 

After being told by a classmate that I couldn’t be friends with them because I was different, I started thinking about who else looked like me, and where do they live? From there, I wanted to travel. I ended up going on that family trip to Vietnam in seventh grade which was eye-opening to the fact that there is such a big world out there.

MVM: I can imagine being told you’re different and that makes someone not want to be friends with you is a life-altering moment. Those moments shape who we are and stay with us. Can you talk about how owning a business has been? 

JL: Owning a business has been so rewarding and powerful. I love telling other people that I've done it because I want them to know they can do it too. I have no business background or anything business-related, but you can do it if you put your mind to it. It’s not easy; there were many times I asked myself, “why am I even doing this?” I’d often go to sleep one day feeling discouraged but wake up the next feeling empowered and motivated.

I love encouraging other women, especially if they have a small business to really stick with it. If you think it's not going anywhere, or if you’re scared to start your own business, just do it. You're going to look back in six months and either be really proud of how far you’ve come or regret that you didn’t start.

MVM: I love that, it’s so important to hear that and to know that we aren’t always going to have a fantastic kick-ass day as an entrepreneur. When you started your business, what resources were available to you? 

JL: There was a lot of Googling. I didn't really know anyone else in my life who had started a business or started it in the capacity that I had. It was a lot of trial and error. That's what I really want to drive home: you're not going to get it right on the first time, you're probably not going to get it right on the 10th time, but the fact that you keep learning every time you make a mistake helps you to prepare for the next time you try. I would Google things and look them up on YouTube and read books. I also followed women photographers on Instagram who I admire to not only learn from them but to be inspired to keep going.

MVM: It helps to recognize how to do it better next time! Speaking of recognizing, do you want to mention another woman-owned or BIPOC-owned business?

JL: My good friend, Ali Desjardin (ali_desjardin) - I went to Bates with her. She does a bunch of different things in the creative space and otherwise - she even DJs!

MVM: Thank you for sharing! Is there anything else you’d like readers to know about you or your business? 

JL: I think the one thing that I love about owning my own business is showing other women that they can run a successful business as well. Even if you don't think you can be successful, or if you think it's too hard, or too many people already do it, you can. Think about what makes you unique and really own that. If you want to own a business, do it! There is no one telling you no except yourself. Don’t be afraid to fail. I’m so glad that I went for it, now I’m here, it’s my full-time job. It takes a lot of work, but you can do it. 

MVM: I think that’s a great message. I too started my business last year. It is incredibly hard, but I have an amazing support system, and believing in myself was and is key too. 

JL:  I think that's huge. I did have a really great core group of girlfriends that were very supportive. I don't think I would have stuck with it as hardcore as I have without them. Finding a community of like-minded people can be so uplifting. 

MVM: Definitely. I also think it’s important to hype yourself up and be proud of yourself. 

JL: Yes! I did all of the work, I promoted myself. That's the other message I want to convey: you are your own best advocate. There is no one in the world who will advocate for you better than yourself. I would tell everyone about my business, I would give my waitress my business cards, I’d leave them at car shops, I would put them everywhere, because who else is gonna do that? Put yourself out there, talk about yourself, and be proud of yourself!

Thank you to Janelle Lyford for taking the time to talk with Maine Vibes Magazine!

Web: https://www.janellelyfordphotography.com

Instagram: @janellelyfordphoto

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