We recently connected with Bonnie Van Cedarfield and have shared our conversation below.

Alright, Bonnie thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. If you needed to find a key partner or facility – how did you find them, what was the process of striking a deal like and what would you do differently knowing what you know now?

I am incredibly passionate about working with and supporting other small local businesses! I believe in community over competition and enjoy being able to work with others. I am naturally nervous about reaching out to strangers; however, I find I once I do, I really enjoy cultivating the relationships I make! I usually reach out to businesses or venues that I would be interested in offering as a photo location or I feel would offer my clients something exciting and elevate their experience when working with me!
For example, I was able to reach out to and meet the owner of a local touring company here in Savannah Georgia. That has proven to be a wonderful experience that has turned into a partnership that allows us both new options to offer our clients.
I met Daniel with Savannah Vintage Tours over a year ago through social media. His company offers tours of Historic Downtown Savannah in small French vintage cars. I quickly saw this idea was new, fresh and something that was not being done in our area, thus making it instantly appealing to me! Of course, since the purpose of reaching out to others is to give my clients the best experience possible, I also like to make sure the people I work with are passionate about their business, customer service and being kind humans!
After reaching out to Daniel I offered to do some branding photography for him. This gave him a chance to see my work and myself a chance to see if photographing vintage cars was even my thing. Turns out I could photograph tiny vintage cars in gorgeous Savannah forever!
I now offer vintage car specialty sessions for my clients! These sessions are more than just photos! They get the experience of being picked up and driven through the beautiful downtown in fun vintage style! We stop at Savannahs most iconic photos spots and the less common corners of the city that are just dripping in Savannah vibes! These sessions are fun, unique and great for both locals and tourists alike.
I am grateful for the opportunity Savannah Vintage Tours has given me to offer something so special to my clients!

Bonnie, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?

My name is Bonnie, and I am the owner and sole photographer of By Bonnie Photography serving the Statesboro to Savannah Georgia area. I offer portrait photography including engagements, couples, maternity, family and senior sessions. I also offer specialty photography experiences including walking sessions and vintage car experiences.
I am passionate about these specialty sessions. I have a deep love for Savanah Georgia, and I take that love and combine it into these unique experiences that double as photo sessions!
Each of my specialty sessions are different. After learning a little about my clients and what they are celebrating or what their interests are I customize a session just for them! Whether they would prefer to stroll through Savannahs cobbles streets or ride down them in a tiny vintage car I plan a route and photo stops along the way! Depending on the clients the stops could even include being photographed having coffee at some of the cutest shops you will ever see, eating world famous ice cream or reading books from local stores!
These sessions allow clients to have a fun experience, see Savannah, and take home a fabulous gallery of updated photos!
One thing I want clients to know and hopefully feel when working with me is they can relax! I want my clients to just enjoy and know I got their back! I will do my best to pose and flatter them and help feel comfortable. I believe people are supposed to all look different and I want to celebrate the body and skin my clients are in! In my work I do not change bodies, skin colors, eye color or hair color. I embrace who you are and try to capture some real moments!
If people are looking for a fun thing to do, real photos to cherish forever and hang on their walls then I may be a good fit for them!

Can you tell us about a time you’ve had to pivot?

I was working for a large photography company prior to the pandemic. I decided this company didn’t represent all I believed in, and I was starting to feel overworked and burnt out. I decided I needed a change. I started to toss around the idea of opening my own business. At this point in my life, I sadly had no equipment of my own and really would need to start from scratch. While I was starting the process of making a business plan the pandemic hit. I quickly went from working to having no income and a world completely shut down. I don’t know if this was a pivot or a push but either way, I needed to do something. While I had photography experience, I never gotten a degree in photography. With no job and stay at home orders I decided to go back to school! I signed up with school that had online classes and allowed for me to work at a fast pace, and I worked endlessly to finish up schooling! By the time I was done with school the world wasn’t completely restricted anymore and a business plan was formed, and the rest is history!

What do you think is the goal or mission that drives your creative journey?

I would say the desire to be different from other photographers and really give my customers an experience is what drives me. I want not only my images to be different but also the way I work and what I offer my clients. I want my clients to have an experience as well as a gallery of images.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.bybonniephotography.com
• Instagram: IG@bybonniephotography
• Facebook: FB@bybonniephotography
• Linkedin: www.linkedin.com/in/bybonniephotography
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UChlPWsqfhdpUOj1ut86nJ9A
• Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/by-bonnie-photography-savannah
• Other: bybonniephotography@gmail.com

Image Credits
All Images are mine