It’s been a few weeks since we have featured a fellow photographer & Showiteer, so we knew it was time to post another Be Inspired Interview. :) We have many more lined up with some fabulous & inspiring people- we can’t wait to share them all with you! :) These interviews mean so much to us, we honored that they share so much of themselves with us. Today’s interview is with Wendy Cunningham, an amazing Wedding Photographer based out of Nashville, TN. Enjoy!
My name is Wendy Cunningham and I am a lover of life, art, and love!
What are 3 things we should know about you?
1. I am heavily involved in Great Dane Rescue.
2. I am blessed to be able to home school my girls!
3. I am addicted to hiking to waterfalls!
Define your style in 5 words:
Ooh I don’t think I can come up with five words. LOL. I did well to come up with three. But I would define my style as real, raw, and romantic. I capture people’s true personality and emotions. I guess if I had to come up with two additional words, I would say bright and fun!
What is your specialty?
I am a wedding photographer, and I feel that I shine best when I am photographing a wedding of a couple who value their wedding photography experience, and who also beomes friends. I absolutely love vintage style weddings, and lots of details.
What inspires your work?
I draw inspiration from my couples. I spend as much time as I can getting to know them and who they are as individuals AND as a couple. I pay close attention to how they talk about their families. I listen to them carefully and on their wedding day I strive to capture who they are naturally. I watch for how they interact with each other and with members of their family. But they are where I draw inspiration.
Where is your dream location to do a shoot or wedding?
I have a few local dream locations, one of which I JUST got booked for here in Nashville… so I am pretty excited. I think I would just be in Heaven though if I could shoot a wedding anywhere on the Nappa Valley trail. I love vineyards.
Divulge one of your dreams for your business:
One of my dreams for my business is to eventually offer a mentoring program for teens who are survivors of tragedy. Many tweens and teens are survivors of some form of tragedy in their life, weather that be domestic violence, rape, the loss of a loved one, or whatever. And everyone deals with stress and tragedy in their own way. I hope to one day have a non-profit organization that will mentor those teens in a way that will show them that they can still live amazing lives. Photography honestly saved my life when I was younger, and I believe that it can be very helpful to others as well. Photography has a way of making us open more than our eyes to see what is in front of us. And that is important lesson for people who have dealt with tragedy.
What do you love most about being a photographer?
Oh my goodness! I don’t have just ONE thing. I have many! I absolutely LOVE working in an industry that gives back to me just as much, if not more than I have to offer. I LOVE that I am blessed with a skill that allows me to work from home and home school my girls. And I love knowing that I am abiding with God’s will for my life, because it is He who put everything in place for me to touch the lives of others while also serving Him as a mother to my children and a wife to Scott.
Where do you see yourself in 5 years?
Scott and I always joke around that we are going to sell our home, buy a luxury RV, and just travel the United States and Canada depending on where my next wedding is scheduled. LOL. But that is just us being silly. However I do plan to be doing a lot more traveling and teaching.
As a fellow Showiteer, what do you love about Showit?
Oh wow! I love love love the fact that Showit allows me the freedom to do whatever I want with my website as soon as I want to. I am not stuck in a template. I do not have to wait on a web designer to make changes for me. I do not have to depend on ANYONE other than myself. I also love that Showit stays in the lead with technology and is constantly upgrading and putting out bigger and better tools to make my life easier as well as to WOW my clients! But what is even better than that is the community of Showiteers. We are a family who truly support each other and go out of our way to help each other succeed. We keep each other honest, humble, and constantly moving forward!
If you could meet anyone in the world, who would it be & why?
I think I would really love to meet Tipper Gore. Did you know that she is a photographer? But what impresses me about her is her love and devotion to her family, her heritage, and our country’s social welfare.
What advice do you have for new photographers?
I always always advise new photographers to check out Showit for their webite. I honestly believe that the tools that Showit provides to me, and the community of Showiteers that I am now a part of, has been the turning point for my business AND my personal life. I can’t tell you how much I have learned since becoming a part of this community. The business lessons and techniques that I have learned have helped me tremendously with my business. But the freedom that I have earned as I have grown now allows me to focus more on my family. I owe all of that my Showit family.
Wendy, thank you so much for an amazing interview! Your images are absolutely gorgeous and your heart is equally as beautiful! You are such an inspiration! :)
Be sure to follow Wendy!
Website: http://www.wendycphotography.com/
Blog: http://blog.wendycphotography.com/
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/wendycphotography
Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/wendycphotos
