Meet Lindsay Gottschall | Photographer

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

Hi Lindsay, we’d love to hear more about how you thought about starting your own business?
Hi there! Thanks for having me. I am a South Florida photographer specializing in families, maternity, engagements, milestones and everything in between. My style is bold and emotional, and I love capturing the little in-between moments. I started Lindsay Ann Photography in 2021, after encountering a life-changing situation. It was one of those things where I said to myself, “if I make it through this, I’m going to finally do what I’ve always wanted to do…become a photographer.” My story is one of sadness, perseverance, immense strength and dedication, and a whole lot of love.

To start at the beginning.…at the end of June, 2020, at the height of Covid and lockdown, I had pain in my stomach for about 36 hours before I went to the hospital. I thought I might have appendicitis. My OBGYN, who had delivered my daughter not even 11 months earlier, came to see me after finding out I was in the same hospital. He sat on my bed and told me that the sonogram they did showed a large tumor in my appendix and it was most likely cancer. The next day, I had surgery to remove my appendix and one fallopian tube, but in doing so, the doctors saw the cancer was all over my abdomen.

Stage 4 appendiceal cancer….one in a million.

I underwent six rounds of chemo over three months. Remember, all of this went on during Covid where no friends or family could come see me. During those 3 months, my husband John, daughter and I moved into my parents’ house a few miles down the road, as the chemo made me so sick that I couldn’t take care of Olivia, and John had to work. Thank God for them.

After the three months of chemo, we went to Memorial Sloan Kettering in New York for a 10 hour “debunking” surgery, where they opened me up, removed the many tumors that had spread through my peritoneum (entire stomach cavity) along with my spleen, ovaries, remaining fallopian tube, and shaved down part of my bladder and intestines. I was under the care of one of the best surgeons in the world for my type of cancer and was a part of a clinical trial.

I had terrible complications from the surgery during my 11 days stay in the hospital. After recovery, I endured three more months of a different chemo to kill anything that was microscopic and might have been left over from surgery. That chemo was terrible, too, in different ways. it made my hands and feet blister and swell and during the last month, it was so bad that I couldn’t even walk. But I persevered, and as of March, 2021 I was officially in remission. I get CT scans every four months as my cancer is known to be insanely aggressive and return often, which sadly it did. Less than 2 years later, it came back. I had a new tumor in my abdomen which was discovered in January, 2023. I flew to NY and my doctor performed surgery immediately, followed by three rounds of chemo. I’m happy to say that I am now officially back in remission.

I’ve lived an interesting life from being a theater kid in NYC, dancing, singing, acting my way through life, only to break my foot a half-week before my first off-Broadway show opening….. to then traveling around Europe by myself at 22…to then moving to Miami a year later with nothing but my car and some clothes…… to working in marketing for 10+ years while owning a successful jewelry company (ann + joy) to now being a full-time photographer.

So here I am! In remission for a second time, with a thriving business. I did put business on hold for 4 months this year while I had my surgery and chemo, but I am glad to say that as of June 2023 I am back to work full time.

Being a photographer is a truly rewarding and fulfilling experience for numerous reasons. It enables me to live an exciting life. I can make my own schedule, work from home (besides the actual shoot, otherwise the editing and computer work is at home.) One of the greatest pleasures lies in capturing moments of joy and love. There is something magical about freezing a heartfelt smile, a tender embrace or huge laughter, within the frame of a photograph. Each click of the shutter allows me to preserve the raw emotions that people share, creating a visual record of love and happiness.

The ability to capture these fleeting moments makes me happy like nothing else, but also, it allows me to contribute to the happiness and memories of others. Knowing that my work can evoke a sense of joy and nostalgia in people’s hearts is an incredible feeling, and it reinforces my passion for photography. It is through the lens that I witness the beauty of human connections, and I am grateful to be a part of such intimate and precious moments.

Alright, so for those in our community who might not be familiar with your business, can you tell us more?
I have always been the type of person that not only thrives on creativity, but also on organization. I am somewhere in between a Type A and Type B personality. When I started my business, I dove in head-first and tried to learn as much as possible. I have made my experiences with my clients seamless. I designed a brochure that has a tremendous amount of information, so that my clients have the answers to their questions before they even ask. I have found that to be incredibly helpful and time saving, for both of us. It’s great to be organized, truly. It is one of the biggest compliments I get from my customers! Also, we as people need to never stop growing and learning. I am constantly taking new classes, watching new videos, and trying to get better. We can always get better!

My shoots are usually an hour long, at a beach, a park, or my studio. I have done every type of photoshoot you can think of, and I am always trying to make it a FUN experience. Most clients show up and say, “Oh I’m so nervous,” or “I’m really awkward in front of the camera.” They all leave my shoots saying how easy I made it, how comfortable they were, how much fun they had. Photoshoots aren’t a serious thing. They are meant to be enjoyable so that when you look back at the pictures on your wall, it floods your memory with the feeling of happiness you had when they were taken.

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?
I am a beach girl, through and through! You can always find my family and me in some sort of water. I highly recommend kayaking at Oleta State Park! It’s such a fun activity for the whole family. We also really enjoy Le Tub in Hollywood, it’s a super cool spot with interesting decor and it’s ON the water, which we don’t have enough of here in South Florida!

Right now, I spend a lot of my time entertaining my four year old daughter, Olivia, so we do a lot of family friendly things like museums, parks, etc. Founders Park has an awesome splash pad, TY park has the fun water park! The Art Playce is a great way to spend a few hours entertaining the kids with arts and crafts and special events. The Eden Roc is a favorite hotel of ours to spend the day by the pool and lunch at Ocean Social. For a fun girls’ night out, dinner in Wynwood and then The Deck for some dancing. Also, Milano’s in Aventura for delicious pizza!

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
I would like to dedicate my shoutout to my family, my friends, and my photography mentor, Jordan Brennan. Without all the love and support from this incredible group of people, not only would my business not be here, but I wouldn’t be either. My husband John and my daughter Olivia are my world. My parents, my sister, my best friends, have truly been there for me more than I ever could have imagined. They have always been my biggest cheerleaders and I am so grateful for all of them.

Website: www.lindsayannphoto.com

Instagram: www.instagram.com/lindsay.ann.photo

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/lindsayanngphoto

Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/lindsay-ann-photography-miami

Image Credits
my headshot was by Darcy Graf