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

Corbyn, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today How did you learn to do what you do? Knowing what you know now, what could you have done to speed up your learning process? What skills do you think were most essential? What obstacles stood in the way of learning more?

So when I was about 11 or 12 I was gifted my first ever camera, and I pretty much instantly fell in love with photography. I brought it to every family function and hang out with my friends so I could practice using it as much as I could and just capture every moment that I was a part of. As the years went on I started to experiment more with settings and different lenses, slowly learning how to set up shots without using the Auto settings mode. I was almost entirely self taught, besides the occasional YouTube video when I got too impatient to figure it out on my own, up until I took a film photography class in high school. I learned how to shoot on real 35mm Black and White film and learned some of the most basic techniques like the rule of thirds and how to calculate aperture. It was so fascinating to learn more about what then was a hobby that I absolutely loved, but I would be lying if I said there wasn’t some frustration. There were some things that were hard for me to grasp, like the correlation between different settings and that changing one meant you had to also change the other to keep the photo’s composition balanced. Or that you can’t always have a low F Stop (blurry background, which was always my favorite aesthetic when shooting at that point in my life) if you don’t want your photo to be too bright. After that photography class is when I really started to market myself as a real photographer, and started to book sessions. I took what I learned from the class and applied it to my work and with every session I could see progress and growth, which was super exciting. After high school I continued doing photography, and I was presented with he opportunity to work with another local photographer and assist her with weddings. While working with her I learned even more, but this time more about how to work with clients and manage my business, which was never something that had really ever crossed my mind. I asked questions and let myself make mistakes, which was really hard for me as I am pretty stubborn and don’t like asking for help, but I knew if I did I would continue to grow, and I did!

More recently I decided to add photography as a minor while attending college, and it has opened my mind to the more creative side of what I am capable of. I have space to create without limits and the ability to take creative liberties that I’m not able to take with most of my clients, and I think that is the most essential skill any photographer, or any creative, can learn; to give yourself space to experiment and find your own process, even if its different from what you may have been taught. Yes, it is important to know the basic “rules”, especially when starting off, but that doesn’t mean you can’t explore and try new ways of executing your craft.

Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers.

I am a portrait and lifestyle photographer based in Duluth, Minnesota, specializing in high school and college senior grads, cap and gown, headshots and couples & families! I work as a 2nd shooter for weddings and hope to start booking my own wedding come summer 2024!

I started photographer as a hobby and as I got older I started to realize that I not only could make money while doing what I came to love to do, but I could also interact with so many individuals and help them have a great experience while at their session.

My biggest rule I have for myself while operating my business is making sure to give every client an experience they will look back on fondly. I want my clients to not only be comfortable with me during their session, but also feel comfortable in front of the camera. I make sure to ask my clients about what they want out of the session and what expectations they have before we even start, so if we need to tweak or change any part of the plan we can! I pride myself in flexibility and being able to provide a more relaxed service which is just what some people need!

I strive to provide reliable, affordable and professional services to my clients, but I also strive to incorporate my own personal style into the photos I make as well.

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

The most rewarding aspect is providing photos for my clients that I know they will love for years to come, and again providing them with a positive experience that they can look back on. It’s so heartwarming to hear back from clients about how much they love their photos, and it pushes me to continue to do what I do!

Are there any resources you wish you knew about earlier in your creative journey?

There are so many opportunities to get together with other photographers and to have workshops and learn about their creative processes as well as their business strategies, and as a high schooler starting my own photographer business I wish I would have known about these opportunities! Even though I was young, I knew that I could have benefitted immensely from these workshops as I am now and it would have given me the confidence to branch out and even grow my business even more than it has today. I hope more young creatives find themselves in a position to take advantage of these workshops and apprenticeships so they can thrive and grow and become confident creators.

Contact Info:

• Instagram: capturedbycorbyn
• Facebook: Captured By Corbyn
• Linkedin: Corbyn Goodermote