Today we’d like to introduce you to Hannah Hutter
Hi Hannah, we’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
I was raised in a small town in Upstate, NY and I moved to Dallas just over two years ago. I started my business back in 2016 and Ive been a photographer for over 8 years now. Whenever someone asks me how I got into photography, I like to say I didn’t find photography but it found me (which is a story in and of itself). Wedding photography, specifically, is something that fell into my lap. Throughout high school, I spent weekends with friends doing seasonal photoshoots on my iPhone, but I didn’t know anything about photo other than that. My journey really began during my freshman year of college. My parents kind of forced me to go to school and at the time I hated it. I had no clue what I wanted to be or what career I wanted to pursue. I am someone who likes to do things very intentionally and it felt so purposeless to be in school with no end goal in mind. About halfway through that first semester, I had the “aha” moment I had been longing for. My childhood best friend and I participated in a professional photoshoot together and observing the photographer we worked with ignited something in me. For the first time in my whole life my mind was opened to career paths that were outside the norm of anything I had ever been exposed to. My creative heart and mind felt permission to dream and take a leap of faith knowing that if someone else successfully pursued their passion as a career, I could do it too. And so I did, and here we are.
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?
I experienced a lot of struggles in the first three years or so of building a business. I remember feeling so much pressure to do things the way other local photographers were doing them. I very much kept myself from stepping outside of the box creatively for a while, which put so much of a restraint on me artistically. Learning how to make myself standout in an already very saturated market was another very big struggle too. I truly could go into detail about every single bump in the road I have navigated but if I’m being totally honest, at this point my mind is so fixated on so many of the highs that I don’t remember as many of the lows anymore. The journey and adventure of it all has been so beautiful and I am forever grateful that this is the story I get to tell.
Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
I am a wedding and branding photographer. In the past year or so I’ve also started dabbling in family sessions and I’ve really been loving those too. What sets me apart from other photographers is the connection I have with my clients. Connection is and will always be a core value of mine, not only as a business owner and artist but just overall as a human. A genuine connection gives my clients permission to feel completely comfortable in front of the camera and in the process of planning a shoot or in the days leading up to their wedding. Connection also gives me, as an artist, more insight into who my clients really are so when I am creating, even the tiniest details are present in photographs that tell the fullness of their story.
Do you have any advice for those just starting out?
Find your niche and a style you love and stick to it. Under promise and over deliver every time… the way you serve your clients is everything! Network like crazy. The styled shoots and collaborations I put together in my first few years of business really helped me to build my portfolio and build a clientele. I remember having so much fun working with other local wedding vendors to make our vision come to life. Also, pursue friendship with other local photographers. I am a firm believer in community over competition and the ways it benefits everyone involved.
Contact Info:
- Instagram: https://instagram.com/hannahrosiephoto
- Facebook: https://Facebook.com/hannahrosiephoto
- Other: https://instagram.com/brandandbeloved
Image Credits
Personal photo credit to Odette Patricia Co