Today we’d like to introduce you to Bekah Wriedt

Hi Bekah, can you start by introducing yourself? We’d love to learn more about how you got to where you are today?

Many of my childhood memories center around making movies and doing photoshoots with my friends. I always loved being the director and operating the camera! When I was 15, I saved all my money for a year, and finally bought my first canon, the rebel t3i. Then, with my camera in hand, all my friends became my models as I practiced everything I was learning through the countless photography books, and YouTube videos I watched. I began assisting wedding photographers and learning more about the industry.

My college journey began with a degree in Interior Design, and while I love interiors, I quickly realized this was not the major for me, and pivoted to marketing. After an eye-opening internship with A21, a global anti-human trafficking organization in California, I moved to Chicago to finish up my marketing degree at UIC and build my photography business. In December 2020 I graduated into an unknown and rapidly changing landscape within in the industry.

Somehow I managed to continue as a full-time photographer, meet new people, and work with notable brands including lululemon, U.S Soccer, Create & Cultivate, WWD, and more!

Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?

Figuring out how to transition from university to full-time photography in a post covid world presented a large challenge. Patience and persistence got me through that time. Soon enough my network expanded, and I have been blessed to have great mentors to guide me along the way! These people have made the world of difference in learning the ins and outs of the industry, business strategies, and helping me avoid greater pitfalls.

Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?

I am a lifestyle, fashion, and beauty photographer/director based in Chicago. Driven by the female experience, my work portrays a lived in essence for imperfect, but beautiful life. The images are colored with fashion, grit, and real emotions.

With a creative spirit that has been present since childhood, I bring a childlike imagination and ambition to my work. Drawing inspiration from my adventurous childhood immersed in nature and family visits to the German countryside, I infuse my roots with my city lifestyle in the vibrant, global culture of Chicago.

I believe in seeing people as they truly are—beautiful, complex, and filled with life- no matter who you are. This approach colors my photographs and the experience with a genuine sense of humanity and emotion.

My work results in a collection of images reflecting the richness of life that surrounds each of us.

Have you learned any interesting or important lessons due to the Covid-19 Crisis?

Everything is changing, and we need to change with it. Holding onto old or comfortable ways of doing things, just because, won’t work anymore. In a more positive light, the world has become even more connected and location seems to matter a little bit less! If you have great work and aren’t in the same city as the brands you want to work with, you can still have that oppourtunity!

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.bekahwriedt.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/bekahwriedt/