We recently connected with Christopher Messer and have shared our conversation below.

Christopher , appreciate you joining us today. Before we get into specifics, let’s talk about success more generally. What do you think it takes to be successful?

Success takes nothing but consistency. If you aren’t consistent with your products, mindset, and core beliefs about your business; it’s nearly impossible to develop one that customers will back up. With the way social media is, you have to have good word of mouth in general and online to be able to last in today’s age. I was taught this working at my families body shop from a young age. Everything to personal work ethic, customer interaction, and especially fit and finish of our final product, had to be done with consistency. That is a huge part of my photography as well. You could probably guess that my skill , and effort while on a session is important. Even when editing photos, I strive for consistency in my white balance, exposure, and even the straightness of my photos.

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

I was about 13-14 when I first grabbed a camera, eventually someone asked me to take their senior photos and paid me. I had been around a family owned business since I could walk, so it was natural for me to start dreaming up ways to become a professional photographer. My first solo wedding was in 2016, which led my business to where it is now. I also provide other types of shoots as well but my main focus is on weddings. The thing that drives me forward is leaning into capturing emotion, and we all know wedding days are full of that.

My goal is to capture legacy images to provide for your friends, family, and future generations. Whether that is family photos or a candid shot of your grandmother seeing you in your dress for the first time, It is all equally important to me. The thing I try to avoid at all costs, is being in the way of your day. I am a fly on the wall when I can be, and when it comes time for the stressful family photos, I aim to make it quick and easy. Along with that goes my shooting style. My sessions are very laid back, There will be some jokes, and some really fun prompts, but I try to make my clients feel comfortable enough in front of me and my camera that it’s almost as if I’m not there. I’m not into the whole, ” move your hand left about three inches down and curl your index in 60%”, kind of thing. I want you to look at the images we make and have that same feeling that you did when I shot the photo. Which can only be achieved if you are feeling some emotion in the shoot. I tell couple’s to be a little bit flirty and spontaneous going into their session (ahem, guys we could use a little work here.) To try and get them to focus on each other, and not me with a huge camera or how awkward they feel in a ,”hold it right there ” type of pose.

Recently, I have added selling art to my business, everything from landscapes, photo printed christmas ornaments, to albums on your wedding day. Because of this I’ve been able to provide a consistent product to deliver to my clients. Having a final product is something im very picky about, so finally finding something that works for me and my clients has been a blessing.

For you, what’s the most rewarding aspect of being creative?

Giving people images that have emotional weight behind them. Recently I was able to help a bride envision her first dance with her father, even though he had passed. I photoshopped an image of the father dancing with another family member into a solo photo of his daughter in her wedding dress.Seeing her and the guests at the wedding view the photo and then read the description and realize what was actually going on was the most rewarding thing I’ve done in my career. These were also close relatives of mine, and it meant a ton to me to be able to help. I’ve been truly blessed to shoot three family members weddings, and there is nothing quite like it.

Can you tell us the story behind how you met your business partner?

My wife Sophie and I actually met on a photography shoot. She had a band that needed some social media shots and she just so happened to contact me about it! We got back in touch with each other in college and now we are tackling weddings in two ways. This really helps on a wedding day because I can work with the guys while she works with the girls, it makes things a lot easier when everyone gets dressed. It also doubles our coverage and makes the final gallery feel complete.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://capturedbychristopher.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/captured_by_christopher/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/capturedbychristopher/
• Other: Art store: https://capturedbychristopher.pic-time.com/art

Image Credits
Sophie Messer