Today we’d like to introduce you to Derek Wintermute.
Hi Derek, thanks for sharing your story with us. To start, maybe you can tell our readers some of your backstory.
I wouldn’t necessarily recommend starting a photography business the way I did, but since you asked, here’s how it all began. About 25 years ago (time really does fly!), I was reluctantly convinced to photograph a family wedding as a favor—no fee, just helping out. This was during the film era, just before digital photography started gaining traction. The photos turned out surprisingly well, and to this day, I still feature one of those images on my website.
Fast forward about seven years, I decided to place an ad for wedding photography. I received an inquiry from potential clients, and I was upfront about my lack of experience. However, they saw something in my previous work that made them choose me over more seasoned photographers. When they saw the photos I delivered, they were so pleased that they took me out to dinner and even gave me extra money. That’s when I thought, “Maybe I’m actually good at this wedding photography thing.”
From there, my wedding photography business grew steadily. However, as I mentioned, I wouldn’t recommend jumping straight into wedding photography. It’s one of the most challenging, stressful, and unforgiving areas of photography to start with. I was able to dive into weddings thanks to my years of experience with film cameras—cameras with no auto features or autofocus—which gave me a solid foundation and an understanding of the essential photography principles that are still relevant today.
For anyone wanting to break into wedding photography, I’d highly recommend assisting an experienced photographer for a year or two to gain valuable hands-on experience.
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
From an outsider’s perspective, it may seem like the majority of my time is spent photographing events. However, I quickly learned that photography is only a small part of running a successful business. There’s so much more involved, such as bookkeeping, meeting with and communicating with clients and prospects, traditional marketing, managing social media, editing thousands of images, designing albums, maintaining camera equipment, and keeping my computer systems up to date—just to name a few.
Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
I specialize in all types of event photography and cinema photography. That includes private and corporate events. Weddings make up about 70% of my business.
I specialize in a wide range of event and cinematic photography, covering both private and corporate events. Weddings account for approximately 70% of my business.
We love surprises, fun facts and unexpected stories. Is there something you can share that might surprise us?
I just spoiled my surprise in your previous question! lol Most people think of me as a wedding photographer and that’s what my website and social media are geared toward, however I also photograph corporate events and do commercial photography. Another thing many people don’t know about me is that I also provide video services.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.DerekWintermute.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/derekwintermute/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/derek.wintermute
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/derek-wintermute-92581b11/
Image Credits
Derek Wintermute (Derek Wintermute Photography
