Today we’d like to introduce you to Erin Shumate.
Hi Erin, we’re thrilled to have a chance to learn your story today. So, before we get into specifics, maybe you can briefly walk us through how you got to where you are today?
From a young age photography has been an art near and dear to my heart, as my mother fondly followed me around, photographing my entire childhood. This is a privilege, to have so much of your life documented. This habit of my mother’s, which eventually and very sillily grew to annoy me during my teen years, changed my life. Seeing my mother put in so much effort to capture moments of our life inspired me deeply, that and the fact I was lucky enough to inherit her creative eye!
I had all sorts of random and different types of cameras throughout my childhood. From the camera of my 3DS to the polaroid camera I got in 2014, which I still use to this day, I was always running around & snapping pics of how I saw the world around me. Later on when I graduated high school in 2019 my mother offered to buy me a camera, but I declined, opting for a new phone. Funny enough, the main reason I wanted a new phone was to take better photos, which didn’t even register at the time. Thankfully, my mother did not give up in getting me more involved in what is now a shared passion between us. Later that year she got me my very first DSLR camera. I was ecstatic! All I wanted to do was take photos of anything and everything, getting a feel for how the camera worked and seeing what I could create. Incidentally, not long after I got that camera the Covid-19 pandemic hit, which left me with an incredible amount of free time that I used solely for photography practice.
After a couple of years practicing and taking pictures for funsies, in 2021, I decided I would make a business out of my talent and started offering graduation photos at my alma mater, the University of North Texas. I only grew from there and eventually found myself quite busy with this photography business, while also still making time to work with fellow creatives. Although, it’s been a few years since that peak of my business, and I’ve since found myself more intrigued by capturing more documentary-style photos. With this shift in interest, I’ve collected an array a beautiful shots all across the globe, but honestly, those photos are more for me than they are for others. The photos I capture while traveling are my own personal art pieces, that I occasionally choose to share on social media and/or show to loved ones, focusing my brand more on my skill for natural-light portraits.
Admittedly, lately I’ve found myself lacking the drive and motivation to create and shoot as much as I used to, but I am very thankful for the close-knit circle of fellow creatives in my life, whom I am able to find solace in and with by making art together and sharing anecdotes of our experiences as artists. All this to say, while photography is, and always will be, a constant in my life, I do go through periods where I lack creativity and feel bored with my craft. Though, it is this same feeling of stagnation that forces me forward and urges me to create, just for the sake of creating.
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
I am lucky enough to have not had too many obstacles or challenges in my journey with photography, well other than the beast that is imposter syndrome. Although, I attribute this sentiment of having faced little to my strong-held belief that struggles make us stronger. That said, this whole thing has not been purely rainbows and sunshine. Being a one-woman show and the hardships that were a direct result of my learn on-the-go approach to running a small business left me feeling incredibly overwhelmed, like there was no hope. Although, I look back on the periods of struggle now and am able to recognize two very important things: failures lead to successes and the things I once stressed out about are now past me, no longer relevant to the person I’ve since become.
Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know about your work?
As a primarily portrait photographer, with occasional focus on travel documentary, what I am most proud of is my ability to truly capture a scene as the art I see it to be. I often find myself simply admiring life around me, and every once in awhile during those sweet moments, I pull my camera out and snap a shot of the exact beauty I see in front of my eyes. I think that’s what sets me apart. Everyone sees the world differently and only so many of us are lucky enough to possess and hone the ability to memorialize the moments that make up our life.
Networking and finding a mentor can have such a positive impact on one’s life and career. Any advice?
Speak to people and care about what they have to say. You’d be surprised who you’ll meet if you give a stranger a chance and let them share with you their view of the world. Eventually, maybe without even realizing it, you will have met someone who inspires you and pushes you to be best artist you can be and even more importantly, the best version of yourself that you can be.
Pricing:
- $275 for an hour
- $325 for an hour and a half
- $400 for 2 hours
Contact Info:
- Website: https://erinshumatesphotography.mypixieset.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/shumateshots/
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@erinashumate
