Today we’d like to introduce you to Mandy Hobel

Hi Mandy, we’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.

Thank you so much for taking the time to hear about my journey! I come from a very artistic family, our home was always flowing with music and art, my parents always encouraged us to nurture our creative sides. We had a subscription to National Geographic, and it sparked a love of story telling and photography in my heart, I would dream of having a camera in hand and traveling as I captured the photos in those pages. My (5) siblings and I are all artistic in one way or the other, we are all potters, photographers, musicians or painters. Photography has always been a part of my life starting in my teens, and my love for it was also sparked by my two uncles, Ted and Jerry Hunter, who were, and are, both amazing photographers. They gifted me my very first camera, an Aries Viscount. It was a 35mm manual and film, and how to shoot using a handheld light meter. Aside from myself they were my toughest critics, and I am so grateful for that. I would spend all of my babysitting money on film and developing, and my one uncle taught me how to develop film in his home dark room. In honor of them both I named my business, Hunter Photography, from their last name and my maiden name. I still have that camera, and it is also tattooed on my right wrist to remind me to never stop taking photos. Recently I learned that my Grandfather also was a photographer, he traveled to schools in the county to take the class photos. I guess you can say that photography runs in my blood.

As a young girl I was very shy, and with a camera in hand it gave me the ability to be more outgoing, sometimes forcing me to interact with others and forgo my shyness. As a teen I had a job at a local one hour photo and photography studio. I learned how to process and print film, correct color grading, and also working at a counter waiting on others helped me to climb out of my shell. This job helped me realize that I wanted to pursue my love of photography, and sparked me to take on an internship there as well as take classes in pursuing my craft.

I am photo journalist at heart, I love going out and doing street photography and telling a story of the day. Photographing weddings has been a journey that I started out loving capturing portraits of the day, but also learning that there is so much more to a wedding. In many ways my wedding photography has evolved into more of a documentary style, capturing the feeling of the day, the events as they unfold, capturing that in a photojournalistic style has become a true passion of mine. I want my photos to encapsulate emotion and take people back to a journey of their day.

My next step is to shoot abroad. When I worked at Fashion Week in NYC in 2022 I met a brave and wonderful model in NYC, that turned out to be from Norway, and she has asked Hunter Photography to come there and shoot her wedding in 2025. In the past year, I have found that I am doing shoots away from my base here in Pittsburgh, now my wings are spread and ready to go wherever the camera takes me.

Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?

My path to pursuing photography hasn’t been without challenges, but the reward has made every obstacle worth it. When I used to dream of being a full time photographer it seemed so complicated, and almost unachievable, of course there was many bumps in the roads before I could get to where I am today. Money was tight when my three boys were small and I was a stay at home Mom, I did some small jobs here and there, senior portraits, weddings, but not a a full time professional. When I worked full time I didn’t have the time to pursue my love of photography, one day someone asked me if they could hire me to capture their wedding. I thought to how my camera had been in my bag for almost a year untouched, I had been relying on my phone camera to capture all of the here and there moments, and I knew then and there that I had to get back to my passion of photography. It was when I lost my job a school prior to Covid that I realized this could be the time for me to take the plunge full time, I invested in professional equipment and it just took off. After that I never stopped shooting, always finding a way to post work, and take time to teach myself anything that I could learn. Dealing with imposter syndrome is a real struggle, yet the encouragement from my family and friends has been invaluable. Photography has been and will continue to be, a continuous learning process, demanding constant shift and growth.

As you know, we’re big fans of you and your work. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about what you do?

I can’t really narrow my photography down to one specific specialty. I love shooting weddings, I love taking senior photos and I adore family portraits. I also love fashion photography and street photography. When a family that has been a long time client of mine gets their gallery of photos delivered and texts me that they love them and thank you for capturing our family year after year, it truly is a reward in itself.

I think now days what sets me apart from some of the upcoming photographers is that I stick to the true to color edits and I try to have a film vibe about my work. I envision what I want ahead of time and I aspire to get it right in camera so there isn’t over editing with photoshop, and make sure that I have my exposure and settings all correct in the start. My work isn’t a reflection of trends, but what I see and how I want to have it translate to my photos. My shooting of film taught me a lot about photography, printing film has also helped me greatly in my editing as well. I am so grateful that the start was bumpy for me, it makes me appreciate the success that I have today.

What makes you happy?

I love when clients feel joy when they see their images, or relive their day in one of the galleries that I deliver.
I also love when people have fun shooting with me and I make a positive impression on them, I want to always make people feel good about themselves and feel comfortable in front of my lens! When I boost their confidence and when people feel comfortable with me it’s such a reward in itself! I am overjoyed, and so grateful that this is what I can do for a living. I am proof that you don’t have to start out with a fancy camera, use what you already have and develop your craft! Your creativity will take you where you need to be!
My camera will always be an extension of me, and I hope that I’m still with a camera in hand at 90!

Contact Info:

• Website: https://hunterphotography412.mypixieset.com/
• Instagram: https://instagram.com/hunterphotographypa?igshid=OGQ5ZDc2ODk2ZA==

Image Credits

Hunter Photography