Happy 20th anniversary
Happy Spring!
As we are all enjoying the excitement of the season, I can't let this month go by without sharing a little something with you all. March 2021 is especially significant to me as it is my 20 year anniversary of the first time my photography was published on the cover of a magazine. This exciting milestone is pictured below – the Atlanta Homes and Lifestyles cover from March 2001 – and coincidentally, we're on the most recent Atlanta Homes and Lifestyles cover, exactly 20 years later!
Atlanta Homes and Lifestyles; Editor 2001-2013, Clint Smith; Jeff Jones Interior Design
Atlanta Homes and Lifestyles; Editor in Chief, Elizabeth Ralls
Home and Design Editor, Suzanna Hamilton
Style Editor, Clint Smith, D. Stanley Dixon Architect, Carson McElheney Landscape Architecture and Design
Fun in the barn with Bubba, the pig and Davenport Designs.
Published in Atlanta Homes and Lifestyles
Stylist, Eleanor Roper
Credit, Kelly Blackmon
This month is significant to me, and I wanted to take a moment to step back and reintroduce myself to those who might know my work but might not be as familiar with my personal journey.
I was born and raised in Atlanta, Ga., and in high school, I discovered my passion for photography by taking black and white photos and developing them in the darkroom. I continued learning more about photography at Sewanee: The University of the South, where I attained a double major in Studio Art and Art History.
When I graduated in 1992, I moved back to Atlanta and attended and graduated from a professional photography program at the Southeastern Center for the Arts (now, The Creative Circus). After assisting many photographers, I was hired as a Digital Photographer and later became Studio Manager at GA Communications, Inc. This is where I worked and learned so much about digital photography, shooting everything from office supplies and clothing for catalogs to room sets in the studio and fashion on location. I also photographed weddings, portraits and families on the weekends to expand my skills and supplement my income. Having always had a passion for interiors and architecture, I knew I wanted to find a way to create a career capturing homes and gardens, and I began developing my portfolio by marketing myself to designers and showrooms creating advertisements for Veranda and other shelter publications. Soon after my daughter was born, I left my corporate role to begin my freelance photography career. It was around the same time that Clint Smith, the Editor of Atlanta Homes and Lifestyles, gave me the opportunity to shoot Jeff Jones' loft, and he placed it on the cover in March 2001.
Enjoying Sea Island, GA after a day of shooting for Beth Webb Interiors and Harrison Design
Credit, Kelly Blackmon
On location in Cashiers, NC with Historical Concepts,
Credit, Kelly Blackmon
I am so fortunate to have been given the chance to capture the talents of so many designers, architects and landscape architects. Without their trust and that of many editors and field editors, I would not have had the opportunities to do what I love to do. Each of them has challenged me, helped me grow, and honed my abilities which continues to this day. I've had the fortune of being featured in national and international publications, including Veranda, House Beautiful, Milieu, Luxe, Traditional Home, Southern Living, Atlanta Homes and Lifestyles, Interior Design, Garden and Gun, Atlanta Magazine, The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, and many others. Over the years, I have collaborated with many designers and architects to create photographs for their books and publications, and I was encouraged to publish a book of my own photography, The Southern Rustic Cabin, with Gibbs Smith in 2015. I feel blessed daily to have had this opportunity and am fortunate that I've spent the last 20 (plus!) years working in something I love. I cannot thank enough the multitudes of people who have been by my side and supported me throughout my journey. Thank you to my family, assistants, stylists, retouchers, clients, designers, architects, landscape architects, editors and publications for giving me a shot, believing in me, and being right there by my side. Each image and shoot is truly the work of a team, and I'm honored to be a part of many teams and look forward to many more years of working with them and others.
“It has been a distinct pleasure to work alongside talented photographer Emily Followill through the years. Of course, Atlanta Homes & Lifestyles believes that the Southeastern design community is second to none, and Emily's unique eye for capturing the best and most beautiful angles, both inside and out, allows their work to shine.”
- Elizabeth Ralls, Publisher and Editor in Chief, Atlanta Homes and Lifestyles
Shooting with an Atlanta skyline view for Mark Williams Design.
Credit, Kelly Blackmon
Today, I am still working hard to develop my skills not only as a photographer, but also as a wife, a mother, a daughter, a sister, and a friend. In and amongst all the busyness of my career, I believe it is most important to balance it with the people that I hold most dear: my husband, Tom, and my children, Sarah and Thomas. Each of them has supported me in more ways than I can count, and without them, this journey certainly wouldn't have been possible nor as joyful.
The Followill Family
Credit, nice person in Vancouver, Canada
Thank you for spending the time to learn a bit more about me, and please never be afraid to reach out with any questions about my work or to simply develop a more personal connection. Wishing you all a happy spring.