We were lucky to catch up with Heather Wagner recently and have shared our conversation below.

Heather, appreciate you joining us today. Learning the craft is often a unique journey from every creative – we’d love to hear about your journey and if knowing what you know now, you would have done anything differently to speed up the learning process.

I am not sure I truly will ever know everything that I need to know! I am always open to try new techniques and technology. As an educator, I always tell me students the real learning happens after you leave my room. The same is true for me. Having a strong personal drive and grit is really the only trait that can speed up learning. The ability to focus is an essential skill for achievement. Keeping track of how long I work on important tasks versus spending time on social media has been eye opening.

Heather, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?

I’m an experienced wedding and portrait photographer, FAA certified drone pilot, and photography educator based in Ohio. Most of the year you can find me in the classroom teaching CTE (Career Tech Education) Commercial Photography. I teach teens the skills they need to became photographers, graphic designers, and drone pilots. During the summer months and on weekends, I can be found doing what I teach. I specialize in capturing special moments for families, couples, and individuals. I earned my FAA Certified Drone pilot last year and I have started to include more aerial shots in my work. My current niche is portrait photography with drone incorporation. Whenever possible and legal, I try to find a creative way to utilize the drone.
I started in photography when I dropped out of architecture school. I was devastated at the the time, but I truly believe I am where I was meant to be. My professor instructed me to incorporate more photography into my presentations and I quickly felt photography was a better fit for me. I do not view switching gears as a failure, rather an important change for my sanity. I encourage anyone that is struggling to stay on a career path to question what is best for them!
As a teacher, I strive to keep my student’s minds open to various options in the photography world. There is truly so much to do in the field!

What do you think is the goal or mission that drives your creative journey?

My students drive my goals and mission. I am always trying to stay a bit ahead of them. With variety of application of drone photography/videography, I decided to get my part 107 license last year. I wanted students to be able to graduate with a license they could utilize right out of high school. Along the way, I realized how much I enjoyed flying as well. It is still a bit scary as the pilot in command of a teen with the controls in their hand, but I am getting the hang of it.

Any resources you can share with us that might be helpful to other creatives?

I think when people are starting in any creative industry, they feel as if everyone is competition. I think industry networking and becoming true friends with “competitors” is an unexpected and invaluable resource that I did not imagine when I started in the industry. So, I encourage creatives to reach out, befriend those you deem you competition, and you might just end up best friends!

Contact Info:

• Website: https://heatherwagnerphotography.mypixieset.com/
• Instagram: heather_wagner_photo