We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Brenda Pottinger. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Brenda below.

Alright, Brenda thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. We’d love to hear about the things you feel your parents did right and how those things have impacted your career and life.

A small brown-toned image of my grandparents on their wedding day reminds me that photography has always been a way to document history. Never having met my grandfather, this image is a timeless treasure. My best pen pal was my Grandmother in Wisconsin. In college, I would look forward to calling her and telling her about my adventures in the woods and art classes. As we started our photo business, I would tell her all about the newest ways we were printing photos. She would often chuckle and remind me that though some of the names may have changed, so much of what was old was new again. A famous photographer said to use the phrase “brown-tone”- she reminded me they called that Sepia. They also printed on metal too (tintype). We would have a nice chuckle and talk about our love of animals and the weather.
A few years ago I started bringing the framed photo to wedding shows. Documenting love and weddings is an important tradition. No matter what wrong may be going on in the world, it is important to stop and celebrate what is going right. A wedding may look a little different or smaller during a war or a pandemic (micro wedding), but that doesn’t make it any less important. In fact, love (and adorable newborns) reminds us to be thankful for the good in our life right now and to hope for what the better years will bring. A big thank you to my mother, who is my favorite genealogist, for researching and writing about the history behind this very old photo. And to my aunt Kathy for filling in the gaps of the story and digging up the love letter from my grandfather.

Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.

What if you could stop time and hold it in your hand? I heard that I could have superpowers when I was very young and that is when I knew I would become a photographer. Using an old girl scout camera found at a garage sale, my father taught me the rules of photography and composition. On weekends we would go for photo adventures. From old cemeteries to Civil War reenactments to horse racing at Churchill Downs, we always had fun practicing photography. In high school, I took a newspaper class and learned how to develop photos in the darkroom. At Emory and Henry College, I fell in love with art graphic design and decided to exchange my minor in photography for a major in art and I double majored in Mass Communications. Throughout my life, photography has always been there. After graduation, I started taking photos at friends’ weddings and often heard that my photos were better than their hired photographers. The major difference was that I knew what they liked. If they were into the theater – they loved dramatic images. If the family was the most important part of the wedding day, they preferred candid photos of them enjoying their guests. After photographing a few smaller weddings I was hooked. I loved that wedding photography was something that our brides were proud to hang on their walls.

What is your favorite part of the wedding day to capture?

I have two favorite parts! One is when the music is playing and doors open and the bride walks down the aisle. Even after more than 100 weddings I still get choked up! It is an emotional moment and you can just feel the excitement in the air. Another favorite is right after the ceremony when the couple has a minute to themselves. It is such a beautiful moment when they know they are officially married. They have the – we did this- smile!

Tell us a bit about your company.

This business began with a love of photography. It is a creative art form that means so much to so many people. I love the end of the night when the bride and groom give us a hug and say they couldn’t have done it without us! We also love hearing that we were their favorite vendor. We try to make our job look easy but there is a lot that goes on behind the scenes. From preparing a custom photo timeline to helping out on the day of the wedding in any way that we can. We do everything we can to make our couples have a wonderful wedding day. We love that our couples have invited us to document their celebration! And when the time comes, we love photographing their newborns for their very first family photos!

Let’s Celebrate
This year we were honored to walk the stage in Nashville to receive the Craftsmen and Masters of Photography degrees from the Professional Photographers of America at their Imaging conference. They were earned through teaching other photographers, entering print competitions and service to our industry.

In your view, what can society to do to best support artists, creatives and a thriving creative ecosystem?

Creativity is something that can’t be used up. It doesn’t exist in a scarcity mindset. Be open to exploring with others who are passionate about their community. Teach and also be open to being lead. At the heart of it is the story and experiences we bring to the table. Our vision is unique and deserves to be celebrated. The support from the community must go beyond applause and accolades. Communities who invest in the creative arts show the next generation how real problems can be solved by creative thinking. Making sure our voices are heard, respected and celebrated means so much to artists.

Learning and unlearning are both critical parts of growth – can you share a story of a time when you had to unlearn a lesson?

Being a small business owner can be hard. I learned early on that you have to make opportunities for yourself. But I also had to relearn that what can’t do it all alone. Working with other small business owners has been incredible. We all struggle with similar questions. How can we grow our business? What can we do together to rise all ships? Helping others see their potential is so inspiring. You can’t help but smile when they achieve their goals!

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.pottingerphoto.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/pottingerphoto/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/PottingerPhotography
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/brenda-pottinger-39097a6/