In Conversation with Photographer Anna Claire Beasley
We recently had the joy of speaking with Anna Claire Beasley, a far west Texas photographer and storyteller. From her home base in the Chihuahuan desert to oceans and open roads around the world, Anna Claire brings a blend of curiosity, calm, and grit to everything she captures.
In our conversation, she shared the winding path that led her from anthropology to photographing cowgirls, the challenges of staying visible as a creative, and the quiet magic of building a business that reflects your life. Her words are grounded, generous, and full of soul. We’re so excited for you to meet her.
Who are you?
Hi! I’m Anna Claire Beasley. I’m a traveling photographer and storyteller.
What do you do in your business?
I allow my curiosity about the world and my clients to take me to new places. From swimming with humpback whales in French Polynesia to documenting heartfelt love stories around the world.
Where is your current home base?
I call Far West Texas home — specifically in the Chihuahuan desert near Big Bend National Park. I share this home with my partner, our two dogs, my horse, Lola, and an assortment of desert critters; from a local herd of wild burros, to bobcats and packs of coyotes. It’s a little wild out here and I like it that way. I can’t imagine being anywhere else.
What drew you to photography as an art form?
My family has always valued storytelling, and photography has long felt like my way of adding my voice to the mix. I grew up enamored with stories; my nose was always in a book, whether it was grandpa’s photo albums or a novel, I love being transported to a different place and time and feeling immersed in those landscapes. My photography allows me to create those landscapes of my own.
What has your business journey looked like?
I didn’t set out to be a wedding or lifestyle photographer. I was actually in a graduate program for cultural anthropology and had every intention of doing documentary filmmaking. I picked up photography jobs throughout college to make ends meet and when I was halfway through my graduate program, decided it was time to dive all in and quit grad school to go full-time with my photography business. I found that many of the same things that I loved about documentary photojournalism and anthropology could be found in wedding and lifestyle photography, so it just made sense to take the leap.
Where do you turn to for inspiration?
Oof. This is a hard one to distill. I love old things and thrifted things; anything with a story. I love traveling and waking up in a new place and trying to make sense of a new city. Reading, of course. Films like Pride and Prejudice - the color grading in that film is so stunning. Often, I find myself pulling photobooks by documentary filmmakers and photojournalists. And it’s cheesy, but I do look to my own life and its everyday moments. Trying to capture fleeting moments in unique and honest ways requires paying attention, and I find it best if I start that practice in my own daily life.
How do you navigate work-life balance?
I struggle with this a lot and find my work and life so interchangeably connected that I can’t really separate the two. Obviously I have professional boundaries around things like client communication and setting expectations, but creatively I feel like my brain never shuts off. The only time my brain ever does quiet down is when I’m in the water. Each summer, I spend a month in French Polynesia and that trip allows me to spend intentional and quality time just living – which is key to keeping me creatively inspired for my clients.
What do you enjoy most about running a business?
Early on in my career, I was listening to a podcast and heard someone say that when you own a business, you have the power to create a business around your dream life – and that’s exactly what I set out to do. I have always loved traveling and I am ceaselessly curious about everything; getting to incorporate those values into my business by offering destination wedding services, multi-day photo coverage, and high-level client experiences is what makes this job my dream job.
Has there been a particular challenge you’ve faced in your business?
Like many creatives, I have a love/hate relationship with social media. The pace of modern marketing and demand of social media do not come naturally to me. I often joke that I was made to be an old-school photojournalist, sending in film and written stories to my magazine editor while I get lost exploring far-flung destinations. The marketing side is hard. But getting to work with incredible clients that come from places like Instagram or Pinterest helps me keep showing up.
Do you have a favorite client moment that stands out to you?
After their intimate wedding in Moab, Utah, one of my couples had me come along on their four-day bikepacking honeymoon on the White Rim Road in Canyonlands so they could just be present with each other and I could document the adventure. It was one of those pinch-me moments where I got to combine multiple things I love to document a really special experience for my clients. It remains one of my favorite client shoots to date.
What advice would you give to someone starting a business?
The first person to tell yourself “no” is you. You have to believe in what you’re offering and give yourself the chance to succeed. Most likely no one will be passing out permission slips to start the business (or keep it running) — you’ve got to be that person for yourself and have the audacity to show up (and keep showing up). It’s vulnerable and sometimes lonely but if you’re doing what you love and getting to connect with folks who believe in what you’re offering, all of the hard days and low moments are more than worth it.
What does your workspace look like?
Every time I hop on a meeting with someone for the first time they say, “oh your office is like a cozy cabin!” Which I love. The walls are all wood from floor to ceiling so they are not far off; my stylistic inspo is “grandpa’s (desert) surf shack.” I have underwater black and white film photos on display from my trips to Hawai’i and French Polynesia, shells and rocks collected from remote islands as well as my own backyard. I have one bookshelf in the room, a short wooden shelf my grandparents gave me, and it’s packed to the brim with a mix of my journals and photobooks I am currently inspired by.
What are you currently enjoying (reading, listening to, and watching)?
Currently spending time with Annie Dillard, specifically her collection of essays, “Teaching a Stone to Talk.” I have long loved her work– Living Like Weasels is my all-time favorite piece of writing.
When do you feel most yourself? What brings you joy?
I feel most myself when I’m in the ocean or sitting on one of the big boulders in my front yard back home in Texas. I love any environment that demands my attention, and both the ocean and the desert ask that of me.
What is something you hope to inspire in others through your work?
That you and your art don’t have to fit in a box. You can create your own path and indulge the parts of yourself that make you, you. I used to think that my varied interests were a hindrance and now I view them as one of my unique strengths. I hope to encourage that in others.
What’s next for your business? Are there new directions or ideas you’re exploring?
I’m really excited about my upcoming season of weddings. I took a year off of photographing large weddings in 2024 to find my voice again creatively and am coming back to the space inspired and focused. I have always loved weddings – they are so dynamic and emotion-filled and the creative photojournalist in me thrives in that kind of environment and I can’t wait to celebrate all of my 2025 couples.
Find Anna Claire Beasley:
annaclairebeasley.com
Instagram @annaclairebeasley
Read more conversations:
In Conversation with Artist Lucrecia Rey Caro
In Conversation with Photographer Lea Banchereau
In Conversation with Ceramicist Emilee Martin
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