We were lucky to catch up with Vanessa Mayberry recently and have shared our conversation below.
Vanessa, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today Can you tell us a bit about who your hero is and the influence they’ve had on you?
Both of my parents are my heroes, but if I had to pick one, it would be my mother. They’ve both been incredibly influential in my journey. Since I was a kid, they’ve always been supportive of any passion I pursued. I was a creative child, constantly drawing, dancing, playing dress-up, exploring the backyard, or acting. When I decided to pursue photography, my mom was right there with me, helping me thrift and pick out costumes for the models, or even sewing costumes herself.
When I opened my photo studio, both my parents flew out to help me renovate the space. My dad hung a giant curtain across the loft, and my mom reupholstered the furniture, assisting with countless DIY projects. I recognize how fortunate I’ve been to have such uplifting support throughout my journey. Despite my unconventional path, especially by their generation’s standards, they’ve always believed in me and trusted that I’d succeed in whatever I set my mind to.
Vanessa, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?
From an early age, I’ve always loved creating, whether it was acting or working behind the camera. By thirteen, I was filming actors’ self-tapes and editing them, which sparked my passion for cinematography. At seventeen, I took a class in scene construction, scriptwriting, and post-production, diving deeper into the craft.
In 2012, I moved to Vancouver to pursue acting, but the industry was slower than I expected. Returning to Winnipeg, I decided to explore photography, capturing my friends as models and slowly building my portfolio. I worked several jobs while developing my skills, and after discovering the wedding photography industry, I began second-shooting to gain experience. Eventually, I was booking my own weddings, and soon I was photographing 30 weddings each summer.
When the pandemic hit, it wiped out much of my wedding work. I saw this as an opportunity and made the bold decision to move back to Vancouver to build a new brand. Starting from scratch, I lived in a shared house and transformed an unused room into a makeshift studio. I reached out to small businesses for collaborations and began creating content from home.
Eventually, I found my current live-work studio space, taking a leap of faith to make it work. Three years later, it’s now a top-rated studio in Vancouver. Today, I specialize in personal brand portraits and continue to expand into fashion and film photography, while managing the studio and working with clients.
Are there any books, videos or other content that you feel have meaningfully impacted your thinking?
The book “How to Win Friends and Influence People” is one of the most impactful books I’ve read. It teaches you a lot about human psychology in order to make strong first impressions and build relationships with others in personal life and business.
We’d love to hear the story of how you turned a side-hustle into a something much bigger.
My side hustle eventually became my main career through patience and hard work. I juggled a serving job for most of my twenties, while taking on small projects. I then had a full-time position at an art gallery, so I’d work 9-5 Monday through Friday and then I spent my weekends photographing weddings. The key to scaling my business was taking calculated risks. I never wanted to jump into something impulsively, but I also did not want to wait too long to make a move. Once you trust yourself and what you’ve built enough it becomes easier, because you know that if something does not work out the way you want it to, you have the opportunity to pivot.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.vanessamayberry.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/vanessamayberry/
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/vanessamayberry/
