Today we’d like to introduce you to Cameron Budove Hinze.
Hi Cameron, please kick things off for us with an introduction to yourself and your story.
I’ve been taking photos since I was around 12 years old, I feel like I was always the kid with a digital camera in my hand. I have always been fascinated with photography; freezing a moment, a feeling, in time forever. I was in yearbook class in high school, which really brought my attention to the creative process. In college, I started out as a psychology major but always had photography in the back of my mind. I thought that pursuing a career in photography was too daunting and not for me. A year into college, I had the opportunity to tag along with a wedding photographer and shadowed her for several weddings. It honestly changed my life. I knew after helping her at the first wedding that I wanted to see where photography could take me. I changed my major to photography in response to my freshly realized passion. From then on, I tried to learn as much as I could. I chose to drop out of college to take a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to live in Puerto Rico. I put photography on the back burner during this time, but still tried to take photos whenever I could. I shot a wedding on the beach in Vieques on a GoPro (lol it was all I had at the time). My bosses I worked for there gave me so many opportunities to take photos. It was just enough to keep my passion alive. When I moved back to the States, I dove headfirst into pursuing a photography career. At that time I was mainly doing family, maternity, and senior sessions, but my heart was set to focus on weddings. I worked a 9-5 job at a screen print shop while doing photoshoots on the weekends. Less than a year after starting that job, I felt like God was calling me to take a huge risk to pursue photography full time. I invested as much time and effort as possible into building my business and brand. I’m very privileged to be a part of an amazing family that has always supported me. I worked part-time bartending at a golf course during this period as well. I vowed to myself that I would take photos every single day for an entire year, practicing as much as I could on anything I could. I took photos of my dogs, my mom, sister, friends, niece, anything and everything that I could get in front of my lens. I had 3 weddings booked for the fall of 2017 and didn’t really know what would happen after that…I had zero weddings on my books for the following year. My efforts to listen to the Lord, invest in myself and my business greatly paid off. By the end of 2018, I had booked and photographed 36 weddings. The momentum I put into it that first year was well worth it. Here I am 6 years and over 150 weddings later, still going strong!
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall, and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
Being an entrepreneur and a creative definitely comes with its challenges. Initially, the biggest challenge for me was overcoming comparison in a highly saturated field. It was easy to fall into a cycle where I felt like everyone else was doing so much better than me; that their work was on a level I couldn’t achieve. When I stopped focusing on everyone else and started focusing on me, my clients, and my work, I experienced positive change and personal growth in my confidence, myself, and in my business. Once I understood that it is important to have a community of like-minded creatives to lean on and share thoughts and advice with, my entire perspective changed. Your only competition is yourself and who you were yesterday. Another big challenge for me would be work-life balance. I’ve struggled with burnout and having to miss out on life events of friends and family due to work obligations. After quarantine in 2020 – when life slowed down for a period – I learned that for me, rest is crucial. I’ve since cut back on the amount of weddings and sessions to what is best for me and my mental health. Prioritizing yourself and your needs, intentionally resting, and setting healthy boundaries is just as important, if not more important than chasing your dreams.
Thanks – so what else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?
I am a wedding photographer based out of the mountains of South Carolina. I am known for having a photojournalistic approach to photography, with an editorial flare! I love creating authentic, meaningful photographs with natural, bold colors. Natural light and lots of movement-based posing is my favorite. I want my clients to look back on their photos and remember how it felt in the moment, not just how it looked. I pour my heart and soul into every photograph, to give my clients memories that last for generations.
We’d love to hear about how you think about risk-taking?
My perspective on risk comes directly from this quote: “Take the risk, or lose the chance”. In early 2017 I really felt like I needed to upgrade my equipment and invest in my business. I was using a camera I had purchased the year before, and it was serving me well, but it was time to level up. Photography equipment isn’t cheap, so I knew this was going to drain my savings… and then some. I knew it would be risky, but I did it anyway. It ended up being one of the best decisions I ever made!
After my equipment came in, I then felt like I needed to invest more time into building my business. At the time, I was working my 9-5 Monday-Friday and scheduling as many photoshoots as I could on the weekends. I needed to open my schedule up for more photoshoot opportunities, so even though I was scared out of my mind at what was to come, I chose to quit my 9-5 job that April. I had 3 weddings booked for the fall, but somehow, I felt deep down that if I really dove headfirst into building this business, that it would happen. Fall came, I photographed the weddings I had scheduled with zero on the books for 2018. After posting about the weddings, blogging, and word of mouth from my amazing clients, I ended up scheduling 36 weddings for 2018. By investing in myself, choosing to believe that I could do it, I went from having 3 weddings to 36 in mere months. I’ve maintained the momentum and built a business I am very proud of. If I had listened to the fear, I would have never been successful.
Contact Info:
- Email: cameronbudovephoto@gmail.com
- Website: www.cameronbudovephotography.com
- Instagram: @cambudovephoto
- Facebook: www.facebook.com/cambudovephoto
