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

Alright, Tom thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. How did you learn to do what you do? Knowing what you know now, what could you have done to speed up your learning process? What skills do you think were most essential? What obstacles stood in the way of learning more?

I was always fascinated with cameras. My family had one when I was growing up, so pictures were important to capture special moments, birthdays, and family vacations. I had my first photography class in high school. We learned how to use a film SLR camera and develop film in the darkroom. Though, it wasn’t until my late 20s that I bought a digital camera and started enjoying photography again. I basically took photos of anything: nature, sunsets, family, vacations, etc., but I never really honed in on the craft until my 30’s.

I definitely could have sped up my learning process if I had learned more about (and better understood) the exposure triangle and composition. I was lacking in those skills at first. At the time though, you really had to buy books to gain this knowledge. There wasn’t the ability to jump on YouTube and learn everything there.

If I could go back, I would have bought a few photography books, made friends with other photographers, and spent more time taking photos and learning.

Tom, 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?

My name is Tom Windeknecht. I’m a photographer, content creator, and stop-motion animator living with my wife in Yucca Valley, California. I’m between Joshua Tree National Park and Palm Springs, so I have a beautiful desert, art, and cool architecture surrounding me. My full-time job is in digital communications, so I do all my photography during my off time. I post on my Instagram account (@TomWindeknecht). I grew my photography business by getting on Instagram and posting regularly.

Starting in 2013, I jumped on Instagram once it became available for Android phones. From a friend’s advice, I started my account and started posting. I loved minimalism and architecture. By 2015, I began growing my audience with my colorful images. At that point, the term “content creator” was becoming a thing. I jumped on the bandwagon and began connecting with brands to do work and collaborations with them. Eventually, brands started reaching out to me for work.

Since then, I have worked with numerous brands by creating content and stop-motion animations, I’ve shown my artwork in shows and galleries, as well as sold my art prints online and at a local retail store in Palm Springs, I’ve taught classes, done speaking engagements, and I am a Google #teampixel Ambassador for their Pixel phones. It’s been a crazy ride!

To start working with brands, I branched out into studio photography. I set up a studio in my home office, bought lighting and backdrops, and learned everything I could about it.

To help my clients, I focus on creating colorful, eye-catching content, stop-motion animations, and product photography. You don’t have much time to catch people’s attention, so you have to hook them as fast as possible. Lighting, composition, and colors are really important.

For you, what’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative?

For me, the most rewarding aspect of being an artist and creative is being able to express my creativity and share it with others. Photography is my creative outlet. I get a kick out of people when they see my work and smile – or they just really it. It’s a good feeling! I’m honest enough with myself to know my style isn’t for everyone. So, it’s good when people do enjoy it.

Also, when people like your work enough to buy it and hang it in their home, that’s the ultimate thrill!

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

A lesson that I had to unlearn was this: Good times last forever!

When times are good, enjoy them. But, things won’t last forever.

When I started my photography journey on Instagram, things were still new (or newer) then. If you posted good content regularly, used the right hashtags, and tagged brands, then you had a good chance at growing. I grew fairly quickly and the work started coming in. At the time, it was like, “Man, this is great and is never going to end!”

But, things change, global pandemics happen, and budgets tighten up. I’m not trying to be a downer, but I believe you have to be realistic and be prepared for when things aren’t as good as they could be. Also, burnout is real and you can drive yourself into the ground. I had to learn to step away, get outside, and experience new things, and then the creativity will come back.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://tomwindeknecht.com
• Instagram: https://instagram.com/tomwindeknecht
• Facebook: https://facebook.com/TomWindeknechtPhotography
• Twitter: https://x.com/tomwindeknecht
• Youtube: https://youtube.com/tomwindeknecht

Image Credits

Tom Windeknecht