We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Terry Rickman. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Terry below.

Hi Terry, thanks for joining us today. Let’s jump right into how you came up with the idea?

Coming up with the idea of where to take my business was something that developed over many years. I started out wanting to create portraits of people just being themselves, appearing comfortable and confident in front of the camera. I began as a commercial headshot photographer specifically focusing on creating headshots that helped people stand out and not look like they just went down to the DMV. After a few years of this I felt like there was something missing that I wanted to be doing to better serve people, and more specifically the LGBTQ+ community as well as marginalized bodies.

I started looking around and saw two pretty big voids in the photography space. Representation for all types of bodies as well as representation for LGBTQ people. More than anything I noticed a sever lack of representation for trans and nonbinary people. This set me on the path to where my business is now focused. Giving space to all shapes and sizes of bodies to feel accepted and normalized. As well as creating art that shows LGBTQ people that they have a space of acceptance and freedom to be themselves when in front of my camera.

As I started to share more of my own story about being non-binary and showcasing all types of bodies in my work as well as LGBTQ couples I began to get messages from people thanking me for creating visibility for people that looked like them. I knew that I was doing the right thing. I have never looked back since making this switch from my being singularly focused on corporate headshots and instead creating a space to allow people to see themselves as beautiful and worthy of taking up space. To validate the existence of trans joy and being able to love the body that they inhabit. Seeing the excitement on people’s faces when they see their portraits during the review session lets me know that I am doing what I am supposed to be doing.

When I am asked what it is I do, I say that I am a gender and body affirming portrait photographer. Creating affirming portraits can run the gamut of branded lifestyle portraits for a business owner, family portraits showing LGBTQ families happy and thriving, all the way to boudoir and allowing people to experience the love of themself and being at peace with the body that they have. It’s about capturing the joy and validation that comes with being able to just be who you are in front of the camera.

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

When last we spoke, my focus was still largely around commercial headshot work. I have now branded myself as a body and gender affirming portrait photographer, with a heavy focus on the LGBTQ+ community and especially the non-binary and trans community.

I found that there just wasn’t really anyone out there specifically creating for this part of the community and featuring bodies of all shapes, sizes, and colors. I felt compelled to fill this void. To create a space to allow marginalized bodies a space to show up at themselves and experience the joy of being able to see themselves as the amazing people they are.

This direction has felt so much more fulfilling than anything else I have done with my photography. Talking to people and hearing how they don’t feel represented in mainstream media and often othered with how people that look like them are presented or talked about. I want you to be able to be yourself when we work together. I want you to feel the freedom to express yourself for who you are. So many non-binary and trans individuals are often having to dress and appear in a specific way so as to pass and feel safe in their day to day life. When they come to me I want them to be able to experience the joy of being able to be authentically who they are. So that when they have those days where they are feeling down and possibly dysphoric they can look at those portraits that we created and have a memory of how happy they were in that moment to help get them through the tough times.

I also want people to be able to have portraits that celebrate not just who they are but their family. You don’t always know where people stand on particular issues, and as a trans or non-binary person that can make for a very uncomfortable experience when looking for a service provider. I leave no ambiguity in where I stand with my support and love for my fellow trans and non-binary community. When you look through my content and read the stories that I write it is front and always present, and I have found that helps people to feel more at ease when we talk about what they need from their portrait experience.

When you have your portrait taken it’s not something you just accidentally fall into. So the planning before the portrait session even happens is vital. That is why I always have a planning session with the people I work with. I need to understand what you are looking for, what it is you are looking to get out of this process. Are you looking to have family portraits done? Are you looking to have intimate portraits taken as a gift for a loved one? Maybe you are wanting to have portraits taken for yourself to help you affirm and document where you are right now in your life. Without having the planning session I have no way to know any of this. So we will spend time talking through what your needs are, and how we can create something for you that will be rememberable and bring you joy when you look back on the art we create.

At the end of the day we are creating art work that is for and about you. I will create that art based on my understanding of what you need and the purpose you have behind having the portraits taken. It will always be a collaborative process so that you have just as much love for the pieces we create as I do.

Is there mission driving your creative journey?

My central mission is creating art that allows people to enjoy and appreciate themselves. Having your portrait taken is a very intimate experience, even if you are having lifestyle portraits created. As a photographer I am asking you to be vulnerable and trust me to capture you in a way that is truthful and honest to who you are. I can’t ask you to give me that vulnerability if I am not willing to be vulnerable myself. As creatives we must be willing to do the things that we ask our audience, or clients to do. If we are unable or unwilling to do that, then we have no business asking that of them.

We’d love to hear the story of how you built up your social media audience?

I don’t have the largest social media following out there. There was a time that I thought having a massive following was the ticket to getting lots of business. Truth is, I would rather have one hundred people following me that are engaged with my content than have ten thousand that never interact with what I am creating. Social media followings don’t generally lead to business. It can, as I have gotten clients from Instagram, but it’s not where most of my business flows from. Social media is about letting people know who you are. Being authentic in your presence, and letting people know what you stand for and to see that you are a person just the same as them. I see too many small businesses rely on follower count as a tool for their marketing, but I don’t see them actively engaging with people. You have to be having conversations with people and getting to know them, not just trying to sell to them all the time. It’s cliche but it’s true; people want to do business with those that they know, like, and trust. There is no way for people to build that with you if you don’t take the time to actually engage with them and talk with them. Show interest in the things that they talk about. Get to know them and understand their needs. You will build your business off of relationships not social media numbers.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.ProudFamilyPortraits.com
• Instagram: www.instagram.com/terrywrickman
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/proudfamilyportraits
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/terry-rickman