Today we’d like to introduce you to Amy Gerhardt.
Hi Amy , 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?
My journey to photography wasn’t exactly a straight line. I spent 14 years in the Navy as a Hospital Corpsman before eventually finding my way into photography. What started as an interest gradually became a business, and in 2017 I opened my first home studio.
Since then, Pink Chair Photography has evolved quite a bit. Today, I work with a variety of clients, including corporate professionals needing polished headshots, homeschool groups looking for professional school portrait services, and individuals and families who want something much more artistic and personal.
My specialty is fine art portraiture—creating highly stylized, painterly portraits and fantasy artwork that feel more like finished pieces of art than traditional photographs. I love taking an idea or a person and creating something that couldn’t simply be captured with a camera in a single frame.
Over the years, I’ve learned that building a photography business is just as much about figuring out what you want to create as it is about learning the technical side of photography. Pink Chair Photography has gone through several evolutions, and I’m proud that it has grown into a business that allows me to combine the practical side of photography with the creative work I’m most passionate about.
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
It definitely hasn’t been a smooth road. One of the biggest challenges I’ve learned is that being a successful photographer requires much more than knowing how to take a good photograph. You have to continually adapt to changes in the market, learn the business side, market yourself, price your work sustainably, and still find the energy to create.
My business has gone through several evolutions over the years, including changing the types of photography I offer and moving between home and commercial studio spaces. One of the biggest lessons came when operating a commercial studio was no longer the right option for me. I had to pivot and create a professional, dedicated creative space within my home instead.
That experience really reinforced something I now believe strongly: where you work isn’t nearly as important as the quality of the work you produce. A beautiful commercial space can be great, but clients ultimately hire me because of what I can create for them and the experience I provide—not because of the address on the door.
There have also been plenty of times when I’ve questioned whether I was making the right decisions or whether I was moving my business in the right direction. But each pivot has taught me something. I’ve become much more intentional about what I offer, who I serve, and what makes my work different.
I think that’s one of the realities of entrepreneurship: you don’t necessarily get to follow the original plan. Sometimes you have to adapt, rethink what success looks like, and build something that works for the business you actually have—not the business you thought you were supposed to have.
Thanks – so what else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?
I’m a portrait photographer and visual artist, with three distinct areas of my professional work: corporate headshots, professional school portraits for homeschool groups, and fine art portraiture.
My fine art work is where I really get to stretch creatively. I’m not simply documenting what someone looks like; I’m creating an image around them. I use photography, lighting, styling, digital compositing, and extensive Photoshop work to create portraits with a painterly, cinematic quality. Some are inspired by classic portraiture, while others are completely fantastical. My goal is for the finished image to feel like artwork—something you would want to print and put on your wall rather than leave sitting in a camera roll.
What I’m most proud of is developing a style that feels genuinely like my own. Photography is an incredibly saturated industry (especially in Charleston) and there are a lot of talented photographers creating beautiful images. I’ve never wanted to simply reproduce whatever happens to be popular. I’m drawn to dramatic lighting, rich color, storytelling, and images with a strong sense of mood and imagination.
I think what sets me apart is that I approach a portrait as an artist rather than stopping at the photograph itself. The camera captures the starting point; the finished piece is the result of my creative vision.
At the same time, I love that my business isn’t limited to one type of client. I can create a polished, professional headshot for someone’s career, provide school portraits for homeschool communities, or take someone into an entirely imagined world through fine art portraiture. That combination of practical photography and creative artistry is what makes Pink Chair Photography uniquely mine.
So maybe we end on discussing what matters most to you and why?
What matters most to me is being authentic and doing work that I’m proud of.
I’ve never been very good at doing things just because everyone else is doing them. I tend to question things, figure out what makes sense to me, and then do it my own way. That’s probably been true in both my personal life and my career.
I also really value creativity and having the freedom to create. Photography started as something I enjoyed, but over time it became a way for me to combine a lot of different things I love—art, storytelling, problem-solving, and working with people. I’m happiest when I’m creating something that didn’t exist before I started.
And I think people matter more than things. At the end of the day, businesses change, trends come and go, and nobody remembers how impressive your office looked ten years from now. The relationships you build, the people you love, and the things you create that have meaning to you are what stick around.
So I guess what matters most to me is having a life and a business that actually feel like mine. Not necessarily what looks successful from the outside, but what feels right to me.
Pricing:
- Corporate Headshots — starting at $250
- Fine Art Portraiture — custom pricing based on the scope and creative requirements of the session
- School Portraits for Homeschool Groups — custom pricing based on group size and requirements
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.pinkchairphotography.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/pinkchairphotography
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pinkchairphotozz
