Growing up in La Jolla, California, photographer Amy Carper vividly remembers watching a slide show of her older brother Kevin’s photographs from his travels. “I can still see them,” she says, “orangutans in Borneo and elderly men in Thailand.” Though neither of her parents was an artist by trade—her father was a surgeon, and her mother an interior designer—they were both amateur photographers who filled the family home with art and color. “There were some very powerful images that my dad took during the Vietnam War, and my mom always seemed to be rearranging the original art in different areas of our house,” Amy says.

For Amy, photography seemed like a natural extension of the creative environment that surrounded her. “I am so visual, and with all the art and photography that was in my daily life, I began to pick up the camera too,” she says. Though she started by styling another brother and asking him to model for her in seventh grade, things really began coming together when she was about 19. “I realized I loved natural light when I took a model out on a test shoot for my portfolio,” Amy says. “We went to this fantastic place called Balboa Park, the daylight was long and orange, and this is when I knew that outdoor and natural light would be where I would focus.”

Amy first arrived in Arkansas to attend college, but soon decided that traveling the world would be the best education she could imagine. She returned to the state after marrying her husband, Chris, an Arkansas native, and it’s been their home base for the last 15 years. After studying photography in small, intimate groups with nationally known photographers, she has established a thriving North Little Rock studio, along with an office in downtown Little Rock, shooting portraits, weddings, fashion and anything else that strikes her fancy. “I shoot only a limited amount in my studio; most shoots are on location,” Amy says. “But both spaces are very modular, and everything can always move around. I thought that if my dad can do surgery in a 500-square-foot office, I can shoot photographs in 450 square feet!”

Though she identifies herself as a planner, Amy’s creative process is much more relaxed than other areas of her life. “I think that if I plan and conceptualize too much, I steal away from the fresh energy of a shoot,” she says. She works with clients enough to make them feel comfortable with her as a photographer, and then lets her instincts take over, a philosophy that has become much easier thanks to the digital photography revolution. “Digital is finally able to give me the crystal clear look I have always loved from film,” Amy says, “and it allows me to be more spontaneous.”

As she’s grown as an artist, Amy’s confidence has grown as well. “I used to see shots that were edgy, but oftentimes I didn’t have the confidence to execute them,” she says. “But I never want to become so confident that I forget or get immune to the importance of what I’m doing.” Whether capturing a couple’s wedding, a new baby or a family portrait, she recognizes that her clients are inviting her into some of the most intimate and important moments of their lives.

In her own life, Amy works diligently to balance her professional and artistic responsibilities with her role as a mom and wife. “I’m okay with not having it all,” she says. “My kids are not going to stop growing, and I refuse to miss out on them.” By limiting the amount of time she spends in the studio, it also allows Amy the opportunity to re-charge her creative batteries, and her staff and husband provide the support system she needs to make this balance a reality. “Emily, my main associate, is so enjoyable to be around, so it’s easier to say goodbye to my kids, knowing I get to go to the office and work with Emily,” Amy says. “It also helps when you have a totally supporting and good-looking husband!”

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Amy Carper and her husband Chris

Park Hill Studio