We had the good fortune of connecting with Stephanie VanWagoner and we’ve shared our conversation below.
Hi Stephanie VanWagoner, what do you attribute your success to?
BEING MYSELF. For the longest time, I tried to fit the mold of what I thought a photographer should be. It wasn’t until about a year or so ago, I decided to take a different approach with photography. I wanted to capture the emotion, touch, laughs, the unseen and in between moments…but it was me who had to help get my clients there. I interact. I hype you up. I play music. I dance. I get overly excited. I yell “YAASS” probably far more than I should (haha). But it’s who I am when I have a camera in my hands. I guide my couples, brides, grooms, families, etc…and then let things literally fall into place naturally and it’s like I don’t even exist, I’m suddenly capturing their raw moments. And it’s quite possibly the greatest feeling, to not only be witnessing it, but knowing it’s theirs for a lifetime. As of late, I’d say I’m attracting the clients that want the same things I want out of a session or a wedding. They look at my work and they can feel them.
Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
I will start off by saying, getting where I am today has not been easy, not even the slightest. I’ve dealt with many ups, downs, obstacles and doubts along the way. My style changed so many different times, I truly felt lost as a photographer and imposter syndrome took over. I was watching so many different youtube videos, spent hundreds in online education only to realize I was confusing the hell out myself because I was watching several different photographers and they all had totally different editing styles. I finally stopped, all of it and I wish I had done it a lot sooner. In my eyes, my work was just good enough (to others it was beautiful, perfect, etc.), but I knew it could be better. It was the perfectionist in me and I was determined to find myself as a photographer. It was just recently that I found a style of editing that matches the feeling of my work. I think as a whole, photographers/creatives finally feel a huge weight being lifted off their shoulders when you actually feel GOOD about your work, like it gives you butterflies. If you know you know. Since this shift in my photography, one of my most recent and proudest moments is having 1 of my photos as the “cover photo” on the Unscripted app and 2 photos being featured in the poses category. It created so much inspiration for other photographers and caught the eyes of so many others. It’s still wild to me how it all transpired. But I’m ecstatic it did! 2023 has started off more than amazing for me, I’ve been pushing myself to try more creative shoots and step out of my comfort zone more (and the more I do that, the better things seem to get for me). I never want to settle as a photographer. Photography is always evolving, I want to evolve with it and still tell a story.
Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
There are so many people I could name and I could go on forever about each of them, but the biggest recognition and credit goes to my partner. He’s my number 1 fan. My biggest supporter. He believed in me any time I didn’t want to believe in myself. He is always willing to help if I need it, even it’s to just carry a camera to make it easier for me. He does anything he can to help be succeed. I never realized the importance of having a supportive partner. It helps me thrive and it helps my business thrive in the process. I would not be where I am today, if it wasn’t for him.
Website: www.stephanierphoto.com
Instagram: instagram.com/stephanierae.photo
Facebook: Stephanie Rae Photo