We recently connected with Wren Vadasz and have shared our conversation below.

Hi Wren, thanks for joining us today. Can you open up about a risk you’ve taken – what it was like taking that risk, why you took the risk and how it turned out?

I’ve been lucky enough to do what I love for a living- I know that is rare. I decided at 32 (along with some beautiful people that advised) that if I didn’t decide to pursue things full time then, when would I? It’s been scary at times, lots of ramen and mental health boundaries I’ve had to overcome… in the end it’s all been worth it. I wake up to do what I love every day that I want to. I travel, I get to experience things I never thought I would, and most of the time I even get to experience them with my partner, Mark, and that’s pretty incredible.

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

My Name is Wren Vadasz, I’m 34 years old, and I’m the owner and head photographer at my studio, WphotographySC. I’ve been in the photography business in some fashion for about 15 or more years at this point, and in 2018 I decided to open my own photography business.

I specialize in unique photography for unique individuals- the more creative the better. I am currently working on a few projects, but my favorite by far is our Boo-dior sessions. These feature different models who have booked with us for a judgment free experience and the most of the time for the purpose of wearing pumpkins on their heads and lingerie and feeling confident as hell while they get photos taken.

I think a lot of people don’t know that we also help lgbtqia+ and bipoc small businesses in the area to get their website and social media up and running. So many people overcharge for that kind of thing, so we sought out to get with these businesses and bring them the same quality for much much less than what they’ve been quoted in the past.

Are there any books, videos, essays or other resources that have significantly impacted your management and entrepreneurial thinking and philosophy?

As an entrepreneur with ADHD and Narcolepsy, I actually had to seek out quite a bit of help in media- particularly the written kind. I’d say that if I needed to pin down one particular source of organizing myself and my business that helped, it would be Order from Chaos by Jaclyn Paul. She goes through how it feels to be so busy in the head but somehow also organized in your different tasks for the day. Each chapter was helpful in some different way, and with my neurodiverse brain, it’s nice to have a resource such as that available.

My parents have also been instrumental in cultivating my business sense and financial stability as an entrepreneur. They have both been bookkeepers for 20+ years, while my mom worked in the hospitality industry when i was younger as well. Watching her interact with people is something I’m still blown away by today; she’s so genuinely bubbly with each of her clients, they are like old friends. I aspire to be that way with each of my clients, and to be as savvy as she is with her own business.

We’d love to hear a story of resilience from your journey.

When I was 19, I said yes to a wedding photography gig for $100. I was shooting on a canon film camera back then, i believe it was a canon rebel xti that my mom gave me the Christmas before, and I was so so excited to be a part of the experience that I didn’t really know that i was being taken advantage of. I didn’t really know what I was doing with the process either, so I gave all the rolls I had to them after the wedding and one of them just wasn’t there. I was mortified, but I assured them I gave them all I had taken, it just wasn’t enough.

I didn’t have much business sense back then, so I assumed it would just be a slap on the wrist, but instead I got sued- for $100. I paid it, but my confidence was so shot that I thought I’d never be able to work in this field ever again. It wasn’t until my thirties that I even did this part time working for myself, but I have never taken a wedding lightly or shot a wedding strictly on film since that day. That experience made me a terrific over-shooter though, so that works for me and it definitely works for my clients, just maybe not my computer memory- haha.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.wphotographysc.com
• Instagram: www.instagram.com/wphotographysc
• Facebook: fb.com/wphotographysc
• Twitter: @wphotographysc
• Other: tiktok:@wphotographysc

Image Credits
All credits for images/art go to WphotographySC.