We were lucky to catch up with Caitlyn Ingram recently and have shared our conversation below.

Caitlyn, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. Can you open up about a risk you’ve taken – what it was like taking that risk, why you took the risk and how it turned out?

As an alternative wedding photographer taking risks and breaking the norm is what I am all about. In fact, my business began as a huge risk itself. July of 2020, I decided to throw away any life plans or timelines I had, drop out of grad school, and create Bewitched & Bewed. Now if you have been alive for more than 3 years you’ll understand just from that sentence what a risk starting this business was, but the reward is greater than I ever could have imagined. During the start of the Covid-19 pandemic I was working two jobs and attending full time as a grad student studying in the field of psychology and mental health. As a creative outlet I often times would set up photo sessions with friends and family, but it wasn’t until I shot my first wedding along side Ellie at Moments that Matter Studios that I realized, this is what I want to do for the rest of my life. In that moment I knew I had to drop everything and focus on creating an inclusive and authentic business geared towards capturing the love and life of the people around me. At this time weddings were a bit of a dead industry as the spread of the Covid-19 virus had canceled thousands of weddings and postponed many more for dates for the unforeseeable future. For me to decide to leave my 5 year career in the medical field and begin a creative startup in a period in which the occasions I wanted to photograph were not happening, was not only a risk but just downright crazy unrealistic. However, I’ve been extremely fortunate and today that unrealistic leap of faith has turned into my everyday reality. This business has been the greatest reminder to me that we take risks everyday, but if you follow your heart, and don’t allow the pressure, opinions, and expectations of others to guide you, taking that leap is always worth it.

Caitlyn, 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?

Nice to digitally meet you! I’m Caitlyn an alternative wedding photographer based in Georgia but traveling around the world to capture amazing moments! As someone who grew up in the digital age, I was basically born with a camera in my hand, and as I’ve grown and gone through many stages of life one thing I’ve cherished throughout all of it and will continue to, are the little moments captured throughout my life, the reminders of important people and times that I otherwise wouldn’t be able to revisit without the help of a video or image. I quickly realized that this was something I wanted to provide for other people, moments frozen in time to be passed down for generations. While I have photographed everything from concerts, maternity sessions, marketing material, and events, weddings and couples are my bread and butter. Growing up I was extremely fortunate to have parents who not only were a great example of love within their relationship but also in how they loved and accepted me and my brothers for who we are. I fully blame them for my love for capturing love. My parents have always been my biggest support system and the love that radiates from them is how I hope to make people feel both within my experiences as well as my work.

I love shooting weddings and elopements for couples who are authentic, alternative, and adventurous. When beginning my career in the wedding industry I noticed that there is a lot of pressure from both friends and family, and also society for couples to celebrate their love in particular ways, I also quickly realized how exclusive a lot of wedding vendors are and the lack of diversity and inclusivity as an industry. I’m a believer that every wedding should be different and should be an example of your relationship, personalities, and the things that make you happy. Partnership is more than a piece of paper, it’s accepting and loving one another for every part of who you are and your big day should reflect that. Do you and your loved one love to hike but hate big crowds? Let’s set you up a gorgeous intimate mountain elopement! Want to get married at midnight on Halloween in a beautiful untraditional gown? My favorite! Did you meet at a rave and want to throw your own to celebrate? I’ll grab the glow sticks! Point is, There is no right or wrong way to celebrate your love and I prioritize meeting people where they are and capturing them for who they are whole heartedly.

The thing I am most proud of when it comes to this business has been the community it has created. Since starting this job I truly feel like I have found my people all over the world. While I love the whole process and am grateful for the business I receive, I am most thankful for the lifelong friendships I have created with my clients, and the opportunity for this community to grow every day.

What do you find most rewarding about being creative?

As I’m sure is the case for most creatives and artists, the most rewarding aspect of my job is the emotion it creates. We are so fortunate as people to be able to live so boldly, love so deeply, and feel so intensely. As a wedding photographer there are two parts to this emotion that I am lucky to experience. First, the emotion of the day, every tear, smile, dance, laugh, every intimate conversation, every hug. These seemingly small but important moments that I get to experience with people around the world is so grounding for me. To be in a profession that is a constant reminder that regardless of how different we may be, what we believe, or where we are, at the heart of every person is this same sense of love, is the best feeling ever. The second part is when the day is over and the photos go out. I smile from ear to ear while editing my galleries as it is a reminder to me of how wonderful the day was, so to know I’m providing other people the opportunity to look back on that day and feel all the emotion over and over again for all the years to come is so rewarding. (Oh and the cake, wedding cake is very rewarding).

Do you think there is something that non-creatives might struggle to understand about your journey as a creative? Maybe you can shed some light?

Life in itself is such a balance, add onto is an arts based small business and you are sure to be busy! Monetizing your passion is always such a tricky thing for creatives I believe. How do i charge people respectively when I truly love my job so much that if I could I wouldn’t charge a dime. Just to experience it is enough for me, but unfortunately, well you know, bills… As a business owner you are always working, I myself have been guilty of 3am email replies and sleepless weekends. I am also always trying to better my craft and tend to be the most critical about my work (imposter syndrome in the arts is real). This being said, I think it’s important that as artists and just as people we value ourselves and our time respectively. I have and always will prioritize making my services inclusive and affordable within the wedding industry, and am beyond thankful for my couples who put their trust in me and value me as an artist and as a friend. While this has been the biggest boost of confidence, I believe knowing my worth and finding a work-life balance will always be a part of the journey as I run Bewitched & Bewed.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.bewitchedandbewed.com
• Instagram: https://instagram.com/bewitchednbewed?igshid=MDE2OWE1N2Q=
• Facebook: https://m.facebook.com/people/BeWitched-BeWed/100069911362253/
• Other: Contact: [email protected]