Meet Janine Stone | Photographer, Creative Entrepreneur

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

Hi Janine, why did you decide to pursue a creative path?
Embracing my inner artist has always been a struggle. I was born to a creative mother, who wasn’t able to embrace her creativity as a career because it was impressed upon her by her own parents that she needed to pursue something more stable. And while she loved being creative, she imposed that same pressure on me. It took a lot of conviction and years of reprogramming to break through the talk of “find a lucrative career to support your hobby” or “you’ll be a starving artist”.

Once I embraced my true self, I recognized that my path was to use my creativity to tell stories of love and life. And that’s basically what I do through my work as a photographer. And recently it has begun to evolve to a project of growth and female empowerment that runs parallel alongside my own journey.

Can you open up a bit about your work and career? We’re big fans and we’d love for our community to learn more about your work.
I’ve been working as a photographer for the last 20 years. I have spent most of that time creating images for my clients. I’ve captured amazing memories and special life moments for them. While working so diligently for others, I lost my own personal vision of what art is to me. In the last few years through some personal development work, I have become more feeling and more creative and stepped into my own creativity to create some photographic art for myself. It has brought the fun back into photography for me and made me more creative for my clients. I’ve also developed some new projects that will be coming out soon.

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?
Oh, wow! This is my favorite question because I absolutely love to explore! We have so much art, culture, food and fun experiences available to us here in Miami. In a Covid free world, I’d probably check out the community calendar first to see what was going on. Then I’d head straight to Wynwood – my favorite place for amazing restaurants, great street art and super interesting people watching and of course a fun photo shoot. Some of my favorite spots that deserve mention are Kyu and Le Chick (hopefully after this article, they’ll still have a reservation for me!), Panther Coffee for a great cup of Joe and Zack the Baker for something casual and yummy!
No trip to miami is complete without visiting South Beach. We’re so spoiled here to be able to enjoy our beaches year round, and the rest of the country has caught on to that too! My favorite day at the beach includes a stop first at Le Sandwicherie to make a delicious beach picnic lunch. I love to be on the beaches late in the day, when the sun is low in the sky. Then there’s time for dinner and drinks at one of my south beach favorites.
From the Miami River to hidden gems in nooks and crannies of the city, Miami has so much to offer. I love Upper Buena Vista, Little River and Coconut Grove for great boutique shopping, new hot restaurants and different pieces of Miami culture.

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
I believe that a woman is only as strong as the other women who stand beside her. I would like to shoutout to all my sisters who have supported me along my journey. From family and longtime friends to my wonderful clients and new creative friends, you inspire me and have helped me evolve into the woman I am today. Thank you sisters!

Website: Janinestonephotography.com

Instagram: Janinestoneofficial, janinestonephoto

Facebook: Janinestonephotography

Image Credits
Photo of Janine by Nina Sutherland