Tuesday, July 5, 2011

BEHIND THE LENS: WHITE PEACH PHOTOGRAPHY, Minneapolis, MN

We met Mary Woestefhoff from White Peach Photography through her blog.  One night while visiting many of our favorite photography sites, we found a link to Mary's 30 Day Photography Challenge.  Her   ideas were very inspiring and we wanted to get to know her more!  Her 30 Day Challenge was so well received that she now has now set up a Flickr group where she provides a weekly set of prompts for you to follow.    We are sure that you'll agree, that Mary's photos, blog, and Flickr group will inspire you to pick up your camera each day and shoot.  And now we bring you Mary Woestehoff of White Peach Photography.........

Your Name: Mary Woestehoff
Your studio/business name: White Peach Photography
Location: Minneapolis, Minnesota
Twitter/Facebook: @whitepeachphoto / www.facebook.com/WhitePeachPhoto
Other: Instagram: whitepeachphoto  




Your Style

In 50 words or less, how would your clients describe your photography? 
Creative and fun!

Are you self-taught or classroom trained? 
Though the majority of my skills are self-taught, I did take a handful of photo classes at a local technical college. I’m a firm believer in constantly teaching myself more through online workshops and materials, and by pushing myself to try new and different things.

How many years have you been a professional photographer?
I’ve been photographing professionally for 3 years, and finally started White Peach Photo in the fall of 2010.

Where do you want to take your photography business in 5 years?
I’m just starting to photograph weddings, but would love to have that be the bulk of my business some day.  I’m also a huge fan of boudoir photography, so I can absolutely see that in my future as well.

Is there a photographer who inspires your style?  
Who would that be? Studio 306 is definitely an incredible inspiration for me. Our styles aren’t the same, but Marc and Leda are fantastic individuals and great role models to look up to.

Favorite location to take photos?
That’s a tough one. I’m lucky enough to live in a city that’s full of beautiful locations. But I have to say, I am a big fan of the Minnehaha Falls and Lake Harriet areas.

Favorite vacation spot?
The North Shore of MN in the fall. I love photographing the beautiful colors.


Your Business

What was the pivotal moment when you decided to become a photographer?
I’ve always had the itch, but the decision to finally start shooting professionally came after my daughter was born and I had decided to leave work to stay at home with her. It was the perfect opportunity to begin building a business; starting out small, and letting it grow at a pace I was comfortable with.

What’s the best marketing tip that has worked for you?
Post as many pictures, in as many places as you can. You could be an incredible photographer, but unless you get your work in front of people no one will know you exist. Don’t use “social media,” be social via any media, online or off.

What’s the most surprising thing a customer has asked you? 
I don’t know that there’s one thing that stands out. I’ve been asked a lot of strange things; some that make me laugh and some that make me roll my eyes. But I take it all in stride and just go with it.

Favorite print lab?
Bay Photo. The prints look great, and the service is always fast.


Your Gear
Are you Canon or Nikon -other
Nikon

If you could only have one lens on a photo shoot, what would it be?
My 35mm 1.8
What brand bag do you carry your camera in?
A beautiful pink Kelly Moore B-Hobo... I lusted over it for months before I actually bought it!

What gear would we find in your camera bag? 
A Nikon D300, lenses: 35mm 1.8, 50mm 1.4, and 18-200mm, an external flash, extra CF cards, a ponytail holder, business cards, and lip gloss.

Are you a natural light fan or strobe fan? 
Primarily natural light, though I’m finding myself warming up to the idea of using strobes more often.

Are you PC or Mac? 
Silly question. I met my husband while we were both working at Apple. Needless to say, I’m a Mac.


Your Tips and Tricks

What post processing tools do you use? 
Aperture and Photoshop

Do you shoot in Raw or Jpeg? 
Raw


Best advice you would give your 20-year old self? 
Don’t be so afraid to put yourself and your talent out there. All of that time you spend worrying what everyone else thinks of you is just wasted.

Best advice you would give a new photographer?
Spend as much time as possible behind your camera. Take it everywhere. Photograph everything. You’ll find yourself looking at things differently, and develop skills that you will use every day in your career.

What site do you use for your photography and why? 
My site is built on a customized Wordpress theme. And why? Because that’s what my husband {who does most of my website design and coding} picked.


What Else Should We Know?

What was your worst photography experience?
My husband and I showed up to shoot an anniversary party years ago and found that the woman that hired us had also hired a different photographer. Plus, we didn’t ask for payment when she booked us, and {big surprise} never did see any money from her. Lesson learned? Always have a contract that includes an exclusivity clause and require, at the very least, a deposit to book.

What would surprise people most about you, whether it is photography related or not?
That I was originally a Public Relations/Political Science major in college. My dream job was to be a campaign manager for a presidential candidate.

Tell us something else you’d like us to know: 
Two things - Don’t let anyone walk on your dreams. And just be yourself.

And just because we want to know you better, fill in the blanks

Three things I can’t live without…. my family, Diet Coke and my iPhone.

I wish I had more….. hours in a day!

The best thing about being a photographer is… I feel like I’m finally doing what I was meant to do.

The most important lesson I ever learned was…. make sure EVERYTHING is spelled out in a contract and that the client actually reads it. Surprises are never fun for anyone.

My favorite time of day is… late-night. Old habits die hard, and I still haven’t adapted to an early to bed, early to rise schedule. You can find me online or working well after 11p. most nights.
 

1 comment:

Thank you for your kind words. We appreciate and read each and every one.