Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Grace Snyder. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Grace, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. Naming anything – including a business – is so hard. Right? What’s the story behind how you came up with the name of your brand?

I rebranded almost two years ago, and I was struggling to come up with a name for my business. I wanted something that was personal, but wasn’t exactly just my first and last name (I don’t feel like “Grace Snyder Photography” sounds very inviting). I was thinking about using my middle name somehow, too, but I know there are several “Grace Marie” or “Gracie Marie” photo businesses out there. And then my dad’s nickname for me popped into my head: Grae Marie. It’s cute, it’s short, it’s unique, it’s meaningful. It’s felt right since I thought of it.

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

I’ve been creative and loved the arts my whole life. For all my younger years, and then through high school, performing arts is where I found my creative heart thriving. From theatre to choir to band, I loved it all, and still do. I got my first digital point and shoot camera in middle school and had that thing with me all the time. Flowers, our pets, Christmas gifts, you name it and I was taking photos of it; I rarely ever photographed people, because I felt like it was way too hard. I mean, flowers just sit there and look right. You have to give people a lot more direction than that. I had started to branch out and take photos of friends at the end of high school, a few senior photos and things like that. In college I was originally a theater major, but felt like it wasn’t quite right, and I had no idea what to do. The summer after my freshman year of college, my brother got married, and he and my sister-in-law asked me and a friend of hers to be the photographers for their wedding. First wedding I ever shot: it had been pouring rain all morning, stopped just in time for the ceremony to be overcast and kind of dark (especially for a new photographer). We did their photos after the ceremony, I photographed the reception, and I was IN LOVE.
I got to hang out with one of my aunts a lot around the wedding, my aunt who’s a headshot photographer. Later that summer, I spent a week with her and learned so much. After a lot of praying and considering options, I decided to just get my Associate’s Degree in the next year and only do two years total of college. And thank goodness I decided to go back for the second year because I met my husband almost immediately at the start of the semester!
From more senior photos and headshots for friends that year, a couple small weddings for friends the next summer, I knew I had found what I was made to do.
Since then, I’ve been working on growing my business and finding my niche. I’ve had the opportunity to dabble in quite a few areas of photography, but capturing love is where I thrive. I’m a very VERY sentimental person, and being able to be there for so many important moments in peoples’ lives is such an incredible feeling. I still can’t believe so many people trust me with their precious memories.
My approach to working with clients is very involved and intentional. I don’t want to just be some person that shows up to their wedding day, takes photos, and leaves. I want to be with them through the whole process, and after. Send me photos of the dress! Tell me how your Aunt Frances is driving you crazy! Ask my advice on save-the-dates! The more comfortable my couples are with me, the more enjoyable it is, and the more personal their photos are. I love being able to get to know the dynamics of their relationships, the little details for their weddings they’re putting their hearts into, all of the things!! I want to be able to authentically capture these memories for people, so when they look back at their photos, they can still feel the emotions they felt in the moment. And have gorgeous, timeless art for their walls that just makes them smile.

Is there something you think non-creatives will struggle to understand about your journey as a creative?

There is SO MUCH more to photography and running a successful business than just pushing a button on a camera. To be able to consistently shoot well in a variety of situations, learning all about the camera and settings and lighting and posing and more is so important. And while the actual session time is a main aspect, there are so many hours behind the scenes. Obviously there’s the hours editing, but especially since I take a very intentional approach to my work, there’s a ton of communication with clients. I have calls/meetings with my couples over the months until their wedding to work on all their details, lots of texts and emails, sending resources and guides and answering questions. For regular sessions, I also have the time spent researching new locations and driving all over the state for the session itself, and working out the details and plans with them. Plus there’s always the boring business side of bookkeeping and tracking mileage and keeping track of a million documents and emails. I love being able to be creative so much and own my own business, but there are definitely times that it’s more than a full-time job.

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

Bringing joy to my clients is the most rewarding thing for me. During the session, so many times I’ll have clients tell me that they were nervous before we started but they’re having a lot of fun. I try to make the session itself relaxing and fun; think, you’re on a cozy date together and just enjoying time with each other, and I just happen to be there to capture it. And then delivering their photos to them and knowing how much they’ll love looking through them is amazing. So many aspects of a wedding day fade with time and are kind of lost. The flowers die, the cake gets eaten, but you have the photos forever. The idea that the art we create together will be looked at and cherished over the years by children and grandchildren is just incredible. How is this my job??

Contact Info:

• Website: www.graemariephoto.com
• Instagram: @graemariephoto https://www.instagram.com/graemariephoto/?hl=en
• Facebook: Grae Marie Photo https://www.facebook.com/graemariephoto/
• Other: Pinterest: Grae Marie Photo • Missouri Photographer https://www.pinterest.com/GraeMariePhoto/

Image Credits
Grae Marie Photo