We Create Birmingham: Ambre Amari

At Create Birmingham, we have the honor of getting to meet and share the stories of our community’s cultural torchbearers — the creative folks who contribute to the distinct flavor, historical richness, and progressive leadership in this city we call home. Photographer Ambre Amari’s ability to capture the spirit of our subjects is a key component to our storytelling, and our profiles just wouldn’t be the same without the contribution of her artistic eye. In this special interview, Ambre steps out from behind the camera to talk about her own story of creative entrepreneurship, personal challenges, and what she sees through her own unique lens.

How did you get started as a photographer?

I fell into it at a young age. I grew up in Arizona under less than ideal circumstances, and I moved out on my own at fourteen. I was in school and working odd jobs. One of the jobs I had was at Image Shots at the local mall. People would go with their friends or family and have photos taken with different backdrops and print them out. I was a cashier there. One day, the photographer didn’t show up. The owner was desperate and asked me if I would be willing to learn how to take photographs and fill in for the day. Because we used film, we couldn’t take a bunch of photos. You had to get the focus and composition just right to minimize waste. I took some test shots, and they turned out perfect to everyone’s surprise — including my own! I spent the rest of the day photographing people, and I loved it! I saved up and bought my own camera and film, and from then on it was my thing.

One thing people may not know about you is that you are hard of hearing. How did your sudden loss impact your personal and professional outlook?

Just after high school, I woke up one morning and had lost my hearing. I was eighteen. I remember how overwhelmed and scared I felt. I was living on my own and supporting myself, and I couldn’t afford a hearing aid, so I went without one for a year. It changed me completely. I had a different outlook on life and a new appreciation for authenticity. That year without a hearing aid, I remember shopping with a friend of mine at the time. The saleslady at a department store spoke to me, and I just smiled and nodded. My friend waited until she walked away and then repeated what she said loudly right into my ear so that I could hear a little bit. I was dependent on that help, and I had always been so independent. It was humbling.

After that experience, my mantra became Carpe Diem — seize the day. I didn’t want to miss out on anything. I wanted to travel and learn, but I couldn’t afford it. I knew that I would have to work hard and sacrifice for what I wanted. I worked 70-80 hours a week and ate off the McDonald’s dollar menu to save money, and in 2004 some friends and I came up with enough to go to Europe. I had my camera and a bunch of film, and I was so happy with just that opportunity.

What brought you to Birmingham? How did your work begin to evolve after you moved here?

While I was in Europe, I met my now-husband, who is from Birmingham, near the Duomo in Florence, Italy. We kept in touch, and ultimately I ended up transferring from school in Arizona to UAB to be closer to him. In 2007, I worked with a Birmingham photographer, Angela Karen, who taught me a lot. I started my own business, participated in art shows, and got really busy really fast. I ended up shooting a lot of weddings, and I really liked getting to be part of that special experience for a day. I was just someone in the background, but I got to feel and watch everything go down — the stressful parts, the intimate moments, the nerves, and personal dynamics.

As a result of that work, I put an ad in Alabama Weddings Magazine. That move evolved into regular bookings for spreads and covers. I remember how excited I felt when I got my first cover! I felt like, “Yes! I made it!” I had the chance to stretch my creativity and speak up about my ideas — more like a creative director, and I got opportunities to travel to some amazing places to shoot some unbelievable weddings.

Travel has played a major role in your work. You made a departure from shooting weddings in exotic locations to working on something more personal. Can you share that experience and what it meant to you?

I took a trip to India with the intention of starting a nonprofit called Art Found. I was there was to teach art and provide art supplies to children living in extreme poverty. Discovering my own creativity and cultivating it at a young age was so important to me, and I wanted to pay that forward. While I was there, I met some local women and started to bond with them. I wanted to take pictures of them, but they were embarrassed; they didn’t think they were worthy of being photographed. I had some Polaroid cameras, so I gave them out and asked them to photograph each other. At first, they were so nervous and reserved, but after a while, they began to laugh and let down their walls and even see themselves as beautiful. Some of them eventually allowed me to take their portraits to exhibit in an art show.

Following your project in India, you took some time off before contributing to Create Birmingham. Your photos are a big part of the storytelling we do in our profiles. What about this series inspires you?

My work and work schedule have changed a lot over the course of my career. I have four young children now, and in 2016, I was diagnosed with Hashimoto’s Disease — an autoimmune condition that affects your thyroid. It has taken years to shift in terms of my wellness, priorities, and creative energy.

Getting to meet the subjects and sit in on interviews with Create Birmingham kind of reminds me of those days when I was shooting weddings. For a day, all these amazing, creative people who are contributing to our city let me peek into their lives. They are so honest and passionate, and just being a part of that is so uplifting. I almost get a little sad at the end of an interview because I want to continue that new friendship. Getting this front row seat to the heart of our city and the hearts of its innovators and history-keepers inspires me. With each interview, I keep falling in love with Birmingham.

We speak to so many self-employed creatives. Entrepreneurship isn’t an easy path, but the common thread is that it is a result of passion. What is at the core of that calling for you?

Maybe because I have a bad memory, photography allows me to capture a moment and hold onto time. In life, we can only go forward, and sometimes it passes us by so quickly. When I’m behind the lens, I’m forced to pay attention to the present. I get to press pause on what I see and what I feel and create something that maybe lasts forever.