Today we’d like to introduce you to Grace Woodard
Hi Grace, can you start by introducing yourself? We’d love to learn more about how you got to where you are today?
I was the girl that picked up a point and shoot camera when I was very young and when I was about 12 years old I started shooting on my dad’s DSLR that he had laying around. The praise I received from family member’s for the photos I would take gave me the nudge to dive a bit deeper into the craft. In both high school and college I spent time taking film photography courses, learning the history of photo, how a camera works, and learning the art of 35mm film. My heartbeat & approach to my current photography style can largely be attributed to this foundation of learning film photography and spending hours in a darkroom in my teenage years.
Post college, I had a Bachelor’s in Fine Art and genuinely no direction to go. Lots of doubt as a creative crept into my life as I navigated career opportunities post college. My life took a bit of a left turn in 2020 and stepped into full time missions with an organization called Africa Freedom Mission. I spent 2 years working with this incredible ministry and in the midst of my time with them, started shooting again. I fell in love all over again with the joy of telling a story through a photograph, this time with my feet in Africa. When I stepped off the mission field, I had no intention of shooting with clients and starting a business, ministry and photography paired well together and that was enough for me. However, more and more people asked to shoot and by the grace of God, I sort of fell into it. I started shooting with clients in fall of 2022 and now 2 years later, I have honed in on my niche and style and have developed a true passion for storytelling through the art of photography.
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
It definitely has not been a smooth road. It has come with a lot of uncertainty, hiccups, hard learned lessons, and believing that the art that I have to offer with the world is valuable. Photography is a very saturated industry and it can be quite intimating if I am being honest. When I was 12 I remember telling my dad that I wanted to be a photographer when I grew up. Along the way, I believed the lie that I would never be good enough and I set my camera down for years. It is truly by the grace of God that I am shooting with clients, telling stories in a cinematic style and truly loving this craft. I’ve had a lot of encouragement from family and friends along the way, but ultimately, resting in my identity as a child of God and knowing that He has called me to create has given me so much room to run freely and have joy in this line of work.
Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
I would consider myself a visual storyteller working with the medium of digital and 35mm photographs. As a photographer, I specialize in telling authentic love stories, allowing my clients to feel like they are featured in their own movie & captured in a way that feels authentic to them. My style and approach to photography is a bit of a dance between documentary style and cinematic (or directing). There is a time and place to be a fly on the wall and document clients how they naturally interact (because I truly believe this is beautiful) and there is also a time and place to step in a bit and give clients a bit of direction (think movie director). The photos that are full of life, color, and makes you FEEL something is the work I am most proud of and I am honored to share with the world.
What matters most to you? Why?
Honoring the Lord and honoring my client’s story is most important to me. No matter where photography takes me, I want to keep my heart pure in the work that I do. I love the Lord and His people. I genuinely wouldn’t be where I am without Him and getting to partner with the Lord to tell stories with a creative touch is literally my DREAM.
Pricing:
- Couple Sessions start at 400
- Wedding Collections start at 2800
- Elopements start at 1000
Contact Info:
- Instagram: hellogracephoto
