We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Heather East a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Heather, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today What do you think it takes to be successful?

I LOVE this question, Success is such a personal range and goal. For some it may be simply having their own business and gaining that independence from a 9-5 or reatil/hospitality job, and to others that may be making six figures.

I personally believe success is living your best life, self-fulfilled with doing something you love, and staying grateful through each chapter of that.

Just like life I feel that ebb and flow constantly through owning a business for a decade, and what a decade its been, through pandemics, market crashes, and international moves, I am successful in this way.

I love love LOVE to create the vision my clients have for their moments, and that joy that’s felt resonates no matter the subject matter.

If that’s not success I don’t want it LOL

Heather, 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?

Hi I’m Heather, a seasoned photographer in the Editorial | Fashion | Wedding | Family niches, from Los Angeles to New York, and now Sydney! I align with open-minded visions and people, and create artistic fine art moments from that alignment.

Allowing a moment to unfold and giving a little direction when needed is my jam, and the rest, well that’s just butter; and the space for subjects to feel free to be themselves. With that, no matter where the images are made, we’ll always catch that best angles, lighting, and expressions, because its a true ‘you’ moment. I say we because as you may have gathered, a photo session to me is a collaboration of energies, and Feeling our best sets us up for success, and that comes from within.

So I challenge all my clients, and anyone really, to be present when you’re in your moment, take time to R&R before a shoot, HYDRATE lol It’ll make your skin glow from within, try to get as much rest as you can, do a meditation if not, even for 5 mins!, and get a dang manicure! You can absolutely see that hang nail!

lol but all jokes aside, taking care of your innerworld, or just even the days leading up to any photo session, you will see a MAJOR difference.

So get that blowout/trim/shape up, drink an extra bottle of water a day, move your body and be mindful.

Be IN your moment, not just making them. Connect and share your joy with the world, because you, are, worth it, in every chapter.

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

FINISHED IS BETTER THAN PERFECT! Through my journey of learning, perfection was such a goal. From professors at Art Center College of Design Pasadena, my family, myself, and its JUST NOT REAL or honestly attainable. Ever.

When you’re laboring on a beautiful project and you start to feel yourself fatiguing over it, take a break, take a step back for a holistic view point. Decide on some final edits and release it to fate, and Finished.

Is there something you think non-creatives will struggle to understand about your journey as a creative? Maybe you can provide some insight – you never know who might benefit from the enlightenment.

It’s not a straight road, and as your business evolves so does your product, as it’s based on you. Aehtetics change with trends, and so you’re ever-evolving, and that’s a lot to manage, in addition to the back end of running a business.

Also, it’s not just the capturing of an image, its client management, its social media, its editing gosh the editing alone is a fulltime job, and a lot of solo entrepreneurs and sole proprietors / small business owners generally, don’t have the capacity to onboard a team to assist, and are doing it alone.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.heweddings.com
• Instagram: heathereastphoto
• Facebook: heweddings
• Linkedin: heathereast
• Yelp: heather east photography
• Tiktok: @heweddings non-wedding accounts fb + ig @heathereastphotography www.heathereast.com

Image Credits
©HeatherEastPhotography Photographs include portraits of – Music sensation Ciara, Fashion Guru Jeremy Scott, Design and Decor genius Maegan Swabb, and notable other couples + clients captured all over this beautiful planet we call home