Today we’d like to introduce you to Heidi Haase
Hi Heidi, thanks for sharing your story with us. To start, maybe you can tell our readers some of your backstory.
My photography business started as a brief thought I had one day while working as a receptionist in a doctor’s office. I had always loved photography and enjoyed taking portraits and graduation photos for my friends, but never considered doing it professionally. I knew I wanted to do more than just be a receptionist, but I was struggling to figure out exactly what I wanted to do with life when the thought “what if I did photography?” crossed my mind.
Then, about a week later, a random number texted me asking if I could photograph their wedding! To say the timing was perfect would be an understatement. I accepted the job and found a second shooter who already had experience photographing weddings to ensure that I was prepared and able to deliver excellent work for this wedding. As “training” for this wedding, I had friends and family model for me, which gave me more experience (and helped build up my portfolio). Even though it was a big undertaking, shooting this first wedding confirmed that photography was a job I loved and could see myself thriving in.
I decided to create a website and start advertising my photography services in August of 2023. I was shocked to have another couple interested in me photographing their wedding within the first days of the website going live. From there, I continued to have clients book weddings, graduation portraits, and family photos. It seemed that anytime I started to doubt that photography was my calling, I would have another person contact me about being their photographer—definitely Divine timing.
Knowing that photography can be a hard field to enter, my goal for 2024 was to shoot 3 weddings. I ended up with 8 weddings this year! I couldn’t be more grateful for all the couples and families who have trusted me to capture some of the most precious moments of their lives.
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
I have actually been surprised at how smooth the road has been for me from a business perspective. Partly, I credit that to my education (a degree in business with a minor in humanities). Even though I didn’t have a “reason” for choosing those studies at the time, they were perfect for this line of work. The business side of my studies helped me to understand how to set up groundwork to ensure my business runs smoothly on the administrative side so that I can focus more of my time on the creative, client-facing side. The humanities classes I took allowed me to learn from the history of art, immerse myself in creativity, and develop my eye for beauty.
The biggest struggle for me has been internally. I have often felt unworthy of the trust people have for me to capture big moments in their lives. In those times of feeling inadequate, I have been very grateful for the support of my friends and family.
Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
I work as a photographer based in Greenville, SC. Although I enjoy photographing families, taking graduation photos, or taking portraits, what I love most is wedding and couples photography. I will never get over being able to feel the love two people have for each other through a picture. My business motto is: photography that feels like YOU. Especially when it comes to weddings, it seems that the day can quickly become more about taking pictures than celebrating two lives coming together. I don’t want to do that! While I might take a couple posed pictures of families or the wedding party, I really prefer to take candid photos throughout the day. I think pictures like that are the most beautiful and show the heart of the relationships people have.
I think I am most proud of being able to make people feel beautiful and special through my work. Hearing things like, “Seeing that picture was the first time I felt beautiful in months” or even overhearing groomsmen say, “Taking pictures actually wasn’t too bad. That was actually kinda fun?” gives me a sense of purpose in my work and reminds me that what I’m doing is more impactful than just snapping a picture.
One story that stands out to me is a wedding during which my second shooter and I talked about how charismatic the bride’s grandfather was. We ended up taking quite of few pictures of him, so many that I didn’t include them all in the final gallery I sent to the couple. A few weeks later, the bride texted me and asked if I had any more pictures of her grandfather, and I was excited to tell her that I did. It turns out that her grandfather had suddenly and unexpectedly passed away. It was so sweet to me that I was able to give her more moments to look back on of him, full of energy and celebrating her marriage.
Where do you see things going in the next 5-10 years?
I could see photography changing quite a bit in the coming years because of the impact of AI. The editing process will surely change (Adobe already has begun incorporating AI into their editing software). Although I think the photography itself being done by AI through robots or drones is pretty far in the future, I could see that being a possibility. However, (similar to painting or other art forms) I still believe that the human touch is crucial to meaningful photography.
Pricing:
- Wedding Packages starting at $750 (discounted through the end of 2024)
- Graduation Portraits at $75
- Family Photos at $100
- Engagement Photos at $200
Contact Info:
- Website: https://heidihiphotography.mypixieset.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/heidihi.photography/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/people/Heidi-Hi-Photography/61556697519421/
- Other: https://www.pinterest.com/heidihiphotography/
