We recently connected with Steven Hernandez and have shared our conversation below.

Steven, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today Alright, let’s jump into one of the most exciting parts of starting a new venture – how did you get your first client who was not a friend or family?

Feels like it was so long ago. First dollar I ever made was from a very small wedding inside a small church. It had been referred to me by another photographer. To give you an idea of how small, the parking lot had 4 spaces and I had to park across the street. One woman took up two spaces so there was absolutely no room to park near everybody else. I had to haul all of my lighting equipment from across the road where I had parked.

When you walk into the building they have a small stage on the left with a podium and had metal chairs across the entirety of the room. The building was still in the process of being renovated so all of the back portion of it had plastic sheets hanging from the rafters all the way down to the floor. The interior walls were brick which half was painted a bright purple and the bottom half white and the lights inside were very warm colored. They split people up so some of the wedding party was coming from these big commercial metal doors and the bride was coming through the hallway which had two people holding up the plastic sheets.

Once the bride and groom came out they stood in front of the podium where the pastor said a few words and then the bridge and groom said their vows. The groom stood there crying as he spoke to his bride and I got a wonderful picture of him doing so. They had asked me prior to be on the look out for that because he doesn’t normally cry. I also got a really nice shot of the pastor saying a few words at the end of the ceremony. The groom was naturally just a funny person and made a joke out of pretty much anything that was said .

After the ceremony was complete, we went outside for group photos. At this point I was getting nervous because I wanted to get the shots of the bride and groom without taking away the time they wanted to spend with their guests. The outside did not have the best foreground as it was mostly fencing and tall grass so I had to find some other areas where I got their photos together.

After I got everyone’s photos done with family and friends we headed to the reception which was at a small event center at an apartment complex. When you walked inside there was gold and silver streamers hanging everywhere. The moment we got there people had already hit the dance floor and people were DANCING. I was surprised because everyone seemed very quiet and relaxed at the ceremony but man were they going. I danced the cupid shuffle TWICE with everyone and only because they didn’t allow me to sit out. I set up lights in the corner where they had some photo booth props and then some separate lights on the dance floor. Lasted a few more hours where I was able to get some nice detail photos of the rings and some very nice first dance photos.

At the end of the night I was gathering my things to start heading out and the groom was nice enough to accompany me to my vehicle and helped me load everything in. He thanked me for being patient and having fun with them on their special day and we parted ways.

For it being my first wedding I had an absolute blast and I knew immediately it was something I wanted to continue doing.

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 started my journey as a photographer in 2018. One of my good friends had been posting pictures of roses he was holding in his hand and I asked if he had taken that pictures. He responded and told me they were his own and I started talking to him about photography and wanting to pick up a camera just for landscape photos or photos of my dogs. One thing led to another and I purchased my first DSLR camera, a Nikon 3200 series. I had absolutely no clue what do with it but I put in so many hours into YouTube videos and even paid for online lessons for a little over a year. I was lucky enough to meet a photographer along the way who showed me how to use my lighting equipment and different ways to achieve different looks I wanted. She would host events where a bunch of different photographers would come in and bring models with them for photo shooting events. It was really a ton of fun and I got to meet a lot of awesome people.

After some time I decided to start promoting myself more and trying to establish clientele. I wasn’t really charging people in the beginning but as I learned more and acquired more camera gear I had to balance the scales. Little by little I made my way up the ladder and offered to help other photographers at no charge just so I could learn as much as I possibly could.

I specialize primarily in family portraits and weddings but I dabble in a little bit of everything. Weddings I would say have to be my absolute favorite. I just love getting to see everyone dressed up and the beautiful story it tells and that story I get to show through my photos. I’m extremely flexible with pretty much everybody really because I just enjoy taking photos of absolutely anything. I’ll work with anybody really especially if it’s a wedding because of how fun they are.

I feel what separates me from others is that I’m not just taking photos. I’m creating memories. I love to laugh and I try to express that during my family session’s and weddings as much as possible. I love to establish rapport with my clients because I want them to have a smooth wedding or photo experience with me. I go above and beyond to try and make them laugh and just overall have a fun memorable experience.

Is there a particular goal or mission driving your creative journey?

My current goal I’ve set for myself is to eventually be able to do my photography full time. My mission is to create a fun and enjoyable experience where my clients can say that they had an absolute blast with me.

What’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative in your experience?

The smiles. In a world where there is so much negativity I try my best to bring a positive attitude and experience that my clients will remember. Every time they look at their wedding or family photos I want them to SMILE and remember of the fun time they had.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.firststagephotography.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/firststagephotography/
• Facebook: www.facebook.com/firststagephotography.com