Today we’d like to introduce you to William Widman.
Hi William, so excited to have you on the platform. So before we get into questions about your work-life, maybe you can bring our readers up to speed on your story and how you got to where you are today?
I’ve been a professional photographer for 15 years working in a variety of photography genres. I started as a high-end, location portrait photographer, then fine-art, landscape, & wildlife, and now architectural & commercial photography. I am mostly self-taught as a photographer. Certainly, I’ve attended Youtube university and done a workshop here and there. But, as I say, I’m mostly self-taught just putting in the ten thousand hours to hone my craft, which is on-going.
My journey as a photographer has overlapped a prior career as a professional yacht captain of almost twenty-five years. It is during this time that I picked up my camera and just started taking pictures. That’s when I became aware of professional-level photographers and seeing what was possible, and started my photography journey.
Throughout my career as a captain, I worked on tallships doing sailtraining with youths, multi-million dollar yachts, and finished my career with a short stint with Linblad Expeditions & National Geographic. With this, I served as captain on a 200-ft expedition vessel going from San Diego down through the Panama Canal and up to New York with an expedition up the Hudson River. We also made stops throughout the voyage.
I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
No, hardly. It has been, and continues to be a challenge. I say this humbly, but my work is stunning. But that isn’t always enough. There are many talented photographers out in the world.
In my experience, it isn’t about talent or how hard you work. We’ve all seen people that just seem to have success so much easier. Regardless of how challenging it may be, I try to stay true to my work, my aesthetic, etc. Over time and through experience, I have become my own counsel in my photography journey. It is rare that I will even look at another photographer’s work.
In the photography world, it can be tempting to lower your price, your value, etc., to get more work. It’s not always easy, but I try to stay committed to not compromising my value as a photographer. I really only want to work with people that value my work and want to work with me.
Thanks – so what else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?
As I mentioned previously, I have worked in multiple genres of photography. In each one I have always strived to produce work at the highest level possible.
Currently, I am working as an Architectural & Commercial photographer photographing the “built environment”. This includes high-end luxury homes, hotels & resorts, Universities & Colleges, Medical & Healthcare facilities and more.
Clients include architects, developers, interior designers, corporate & commercial clients, and more.
I have been told that my work has a very distinctive style, aesthetic, which is what you want as a photographer. You want someone to see your work and without seeing the name associated with an image, they know who’s work it is.
Being a photographer is truly a passion for me. I love creating stunning imagery, regardless of the subject. I do all of my own post-processing. It seems strange to me when I hear a photographer say they hand off their raw files to a retoucher. It wouldn’t be my work if I did that. The image is created in post-processing, not the camera. It would be like Van Gogh starting a painting and having someone else finish it.
What do you like best about our city? What do you like least?
I am currently based in North Myrtle Beach, SC but work nationwide. The greater Myrtle Beach area is a beautiful coastal region to live in, Having grown up on the east coast of Florida, I love being by the ocean and the climate is great. I’m not a big fan of all the ticky-tacky tourist hoopla. I love it hear from mid-October to mid-March when it quiets down.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.williamwidman.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/williamwidmanphoto
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/william-widman/
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@williamwidmanphotography
