We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Sydney Bien-aime a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Hi Sydney, thanks for joining us 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?

When I first decided to pursue photography as more than a hobby, I wanted the name of my photo business to match and represent the style of my images as well as the experience and memories my clients were left with. Essentially, I wanted to make sure that whoever was in front of my lens felt beautiful and ‘Radiant’, while they also enjoyed themselves. So, rather than having my business name just include my name, I wanted a unique word to be the leading story. I also wanted to place my middle name behind my first name, instead of my last name at the time because I knew it would change when I got married. So, I came up with ‘Radiant Photography by Sydney Danielle’.

I remember coming up with the name rather quickly after reading a very encouraging scripture from the Bible in Psalms chapter 34 verse 5 . It says, “Those who look to Him (God) are Radiant; their faces are never covered with shame”… Knowing that the Lord can save and restore us if we seek Him, making us ‘Radiant’ — I knew I wanted that reflected in my brand. I want my photo clients to feel comfortable and reassured with confidence during our time together. Then, when they receive their beautiful images, there’s a certain vibrant glow in my editing style that I hope they love.

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 come from a small town in South Carolina, and I’ve always been into art, with a passion to help people. I changed my mind in high school a lot; from wanting to be a fashion photographer, to a school teacher, to a graphic designer, to a school guidance counselor. Before I went off to college, I got a ‘point and shoot’ camera (basically equivalent to an iphone cam) for my birthday. I took SO many photos on that camera, and eventually got another one. I became enamored with taking photos of florals.

After changing my major in college, I graduated with a psychology degree in 2012 and decided I had enough with school! While I was in college, I kept taking pictures of friends, nature, and anything I could creatively stage. My roommate at the time was a photography major, so I got to learn a few technical terms as she studied for her exams. I recall sometimes helping her study flash cards at breakfast, and in return I learned simply what camera ‘aperture’ was. While I wasn’t a ‘photo major’, I kept experimenting with my point and shoot camera to learn the settings and everything I could.

Eventually I had a friend who was getting married, and she wanted my roommate to take her photos. Because she turned it down at the time, I was given the opportunity to capture this full wedding day. Long story short, I was elated and even came up with poses and lists for the big day. I took the wedding photos during the day and immediately decided that I wanted to capture more weddings. I finally got a Nikon DSLR pro camera right before graduating college. Things started blooming from there as I booked small photo shoots from friends and family. Word spread with referrals, and I was booking, planning, and charging for photo sessions in my small town of Anderson, SC — truly living out a dream.

I kept learning camera settings, testing outdoor lighting conditions, and researched poses for different clients. Before I had a smart phone with access to an abundance of posing apps and youtube vids for photographers, I remember I’d sketch and draw out poses at various locations in a tiny little book I kept. I’d bring this little book of poses with me to my first shoots during the first couple of years. I was determined to learn about flattering poses for women, romantic couple poses, and how to capture the playfulness of a family. I discovered that prompts were a great way to get natural movement and reaction from people. So, for example, I’d ask couples to whisper what they wanted for dinner to each other in their best or worse “Australian or Batman” accent. Things like that get people laughing and authentic smiles. I also quickly learned how to navigate fussy children who have shorter attention spans. For example, I come prepared to play their favorite songs on my phone, have the parents bring an edible bribe, and we make sure we have some movement and props, depending on the session.

Today, I love to hear the creative/ideal ‘vision’ my clients have when they book me for a session. I want to make sure I capture them in the way they want to feel most special and beautiful, highlighting their personality. Since the beginning, I’ve had a ‘family friendly’ brand of work that continues to showcase what I call ‘dreamy’ moments; whether that be a bride admiring herself as she’s just had her veil put in; to an emotional ‘first look’ on a wedding day; to a stunning bridal party laughing together during portraits; to new parents making their baby smile; to a fairytale/fantasy session where a young person gets to play dress up as their favorite princess. I love that I get to help create and capture these memories and turn them into vibrant art to share and hang on the walls of homes. I owe it all to God!

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

I don’t think I’m ever bored. Sure, you can get burn out, but there’s always something or someone to be inspired by. There’s also always a trend to try (or not!). I can brainstorm a mini session series to offer to clients to gage interest — for example, I hosted ‘fairy mini sessions’ one year, and it was a huge hit. I spent time creating a floral set and edited digital wings to the photos afterwards and thoroughly enjoyed it. In the photo and art world, there’s always something to try.

Let’s talk about resilience next – do you have a story you can share with us?

There was a time when I didn’t have a great ‘professional’ camera first starting off, but I managed to perfect my craft with what I had, the way I edited my photos, and a great experience I was able to provide clients. They loved working with me and kept coming back.
Years later I experienced technology failure with some softwares I use to edit and deliver galleries, but my clients were so gracious as I built trust with them. I’d built trust and proof also with client reviews and testimonials. After serving several couples on wedding days, I feel like I can speak to brides about realistic timeline expectations and day of details as they’re planning their wedding day. Today with a super saturated photographer market, there are temptations to want to quit, but I quickly realize that there are plenty of couples and families who will see the value in my work and they’ll continue to book. We just have to find each other, and like a great pair of shoes, we just have to fit well together =)

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.radiantphotographysd.com
• Instagram: radiantphotographysd