Meet Imani Aldridge: Beauty & Wellness Product Photographer

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

Hi Imani, can you tell us more about your background and the role it’s played in shaping who you are today?
I’m from Atlanta, GA (more specifically, the southside, Riverdale). I owe my creative eye and love for esthetics to my mom and grandmother. My mom always tells me stories about how they grew up in Camden, New Jersey. My grandmother always kept a lovely home, spoiled my mom, and kept them both in the latest fashion. She instilled those traits in my mom, and my mom passed them to me. My mom loves decorating. She’s always updating something in our home; her latest project is installing new light fixtures in the kitchen and dining room. From watching her, I learned two things: inspiration is everywhere, and you can do whatever you put your mind to. I incorporate these lessons daily and have found them extremely useful for my product photography process.

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
As a beauty and wellness product photographer, I believe in the art of storytelling through pictures. When clients send me their products, I spend time looking at the shapes, packaging, colors, ingredients, etc. I try to use as many senses as possible to make the products come to life. Nothing gets me more excited about this process than when I see my ideas come to life in a shot, and that’s what motivates me to keep going. As far as obstacles, I’ve overcome quite a few. My most important lessons have been: – Embrace mistakes. – Please don’t dwell on them too long because there are more to come. – You can’t satisfy everyone. – Set boundaries. People will conform to you. – Stick to your word and always deliver. I want the world to know that what I’m doing (and other product photographers) is a craft. People often ask why photography is so expensive, and it’s because there’s a TON of work that goes into it. We’re projecting our creativity into a brand, and in turn, we’re helping the owners reach their goals and hopefully see their products in a new light.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
I’m a shopper, so my friends already know what to expect. I love vintage designer items, so we’d check out Label’s Boutique and Alexis’s Suitcase. As far as food, we’d go to Pretty Little Taco Truck (depending on the day) and the Atlanta staple, American Deli. For cool vibes and beautiful decor, I love Bar Margot and Barcelona. There are tons of great food places in Atlanta; I wish I could name them all! The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
I want to thank my parents (mom: Doris, dad: Freddie, stepmom: Jeanette) and my grandmother, Joann. I came to each of them with my idea to start this business, and they offered all forms of support. They were even more supportive when I told them I wanted to quit my job and pursue this full time. They didn’t blindly say “do it,” but instead gave me words of wisdom. They made me very aware that this was entirely my decision and they couldn’t tell me what to do, but they gave me the advice to help me steer my choice, and I’m grateful for that. My grandmother passed away in September, and one of our last conversations was me telling her about my idea. I doubted that I could do this successfully, and she gave me a look that said, “girl, do you not know what you’re capable of?” I often think about that and will continue to do so, especially when things get difficult in business.

Website: www.imanimodus.com

Instagram: www.instagram.com/imanimodus

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/imanialdridge/

Other: https://www.behance.net/imanimodus

Image Credits
Imani Modus (Imani Aldridge) Tony Cash