We had the good fortune of connecting with Andie Gamel and we’ve shared our conversation below.
Hi Andie, we’d love to hear more about how you thought about starting your own business?
My thought process behind starting my own business was mainly a source of creativity. I have tried many different creative outlets including making things with a Cricut, making my own stamped rings and even trying to use procreate to create digital artwork. I quickly found out I can’t draw, the Cricut was way more difficult than it appears to be and stamped rings were barely a creative outlet for me. Hahahah! I always came back to photography. I knew from a very early age that taking photos was possibly one of my favorite activities. I was gifted multiple cameras through my teenage years that always got put to use, I can’t say my photography was spectacular back then but it was something! I remember in 2022 I sat my husband down and said I was ready to take photography seriously. He thankfully supported me every step of the way and has been my biggest cheerleader! I knew photography would always be my favorite creative outlet and I was so excited to make it a business instead of just doing it for fun!!
Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
My art is obviously my entire brand! The way I want my art represented is raw, emotional & candid! I feel like what sets me apart is my main focus is the client. Of course creating the art & capturing their special moments. I like to map out the expectations of every shoot & what I provide. I want to be with my client every step of the way when it comes to booking a shoot. While I do have boundaries when it comes to my work life balance, I want to be fully available to every client I work with!
Getting to where I am has not been easy. It has really shown that anyone can pick up a camera and claim to be a photographer. While I do hope every single person who is a photographer succeeds, this is such a saturated industry. It is so important to stand out and be what someone is looking for. My favorite thing to remind myself is “I’m not everyone’s cup of tea, but I will be someone’s!” I obviously won’t be for everyone and that is 1000% okay. It does suck when I don’t get a booking but I can’t photograph everyone!
I want to be known as the photographer who went the extra mile! I want to be known as my clients biggest cheerleader. Being able to capture every big life event from a simple couples session to engagement to the wedding and even maternity & family is such a surreal feeling. Knowing they trust me to capture every milestone is so rewarding. I love seeing everyone grow in their lives. I love being able to support every client in whatever they’re going through. One day, one person trusted me enough to capture a milestone & it has led me to where I am today. I couldn’t be more thankful!!
Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
This is so tough because even though I have been a Colorado resident for 7 years, I have not done nearly enough exploring!
I think I could definitely give you a 2-3 day itinerary! I am such a home body that it’s so hard to decide on what to do!
Day 1-
Early entry to the Denver Zoo!
Late lunch @ In n Out
Relax until dinner
Dinner @ Chubby Fish AYCE Sushi
Day 2-
Farmers Market
Afternoon/Evening Rockies Game @ Coors Field
Day 3-
Breakfast @ Tangerine
Spend the rest of the day relaxing by the pool!
I’m such a simple gal. This is usually what my days or weekends consist of!! I also love going to the movies so that could be thrown in there as well! I definitely need to expand my horizon within Denver and get out more!!
Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
I feel like my husband gets the biggest shoutout! He has been my cheerleader since day 1 and has supported any crazy idea I’ve ever had. Thankfully I don’t think there will be that many more crazy ideas he has to deal with! He is always encouraging me, congratulating me in every accomplishment, big or small. He celebrates every inquiry with me & celebrates every booking. He is there to hold my hand when I don’t get a booking I wanted so bad but he always reminds me that there will always be another one! I can’t thank him enough for the love and support he’s given me over the last (almost) 2 years!!
Another shoutout I’d love to give is to Jaime Hunt of Jaime Hunt Photography!! She has been such an incredible friend and mentor in my photography journey! She has been so encouraging & always rooting me on from Wyoming/Utah! She was also one of the huge reasons I started doing photography again & is such an inspiration!!
Website: https://andiegamelphotography.com
Instagram: https://instagram.com/andiegamelphotography
Facebook: Andie Gamel Photography
Image Credits
Jaime Hunt Photography