Today we’d like to introduce you to Tori Hatmaker.
Every artist has a unique story. Can you briefly walk us through yours?
My dad had a Canon AE-1 35mm film camera growing up and that has been a lasting memory of my childhood. When I first became a mother I went and purchased a decent Canon DSLR and started obsessively taking pictures of my baby girl and haven’t been able to put down the camera since. I never expected to be recognized for my photography or have it become a career, but slowly I would have family and friends start to reach out to me and ask if I could take their kids or family photos and it has just snowballed from there. Never in my wildest dreams did I think I would be interviewed or featured in any publication, this simply started as a passion project and a way for me to capture the important moments in my family’s life.
Please tell us about your art.
I like to consider my photography “natural light, natural life”. My favorite moments have been outdoors photographing people in their natural state. No poses, no prep, let’s just go sit under a tree and read a book. I want my pictures to tell a story of the day or that particular time in their life. We all take pictures of our kids, but I want my kids decades later to look back and see that they were really into Charlie and the Chocolate factory or they were really into painting at that point in their lives. I feel like most of us grow up and forget what our original passions were and I don’t want my kids or clients to ever lose sight of that.
Do you have any advice for other artists? Any lessons you wished you learned earlier?
Go make some bad art. Buy a camera and start shooting. Buy some brushes and a canvas and start painting. I love going back and looking at my old photos and seeing how far I have come, how much I have learned, and how far I have to go. Art is imperfect and anyone who thinks they can’t should just try. You might surprise yourself.
I wish I would have read and studied on photography more when I started. I also wish I would have reached out to other artists sooner. I tried to do a lot on my own early on and I feel like I really started perfecting my craft when I went to camera expos and began asking other local photographers for their best practices and tips. I’ve learned that most artists are happy to share their trade secrets because we all like seeing something beautiful no matter who made it.
How or where can people see your work? How can people support your work?
I’m really just on Instagram and Facebook right now (@torilorrainephotography). I’ve been considering starting a website or blog and this feature may just be the shove in the right direction.
How can you support my work? Let me come take pictures of you! I’m always on the hunt for a new adventure and place to shoot. Bring me an idea or an event and let’s work together to capture that story.
Contact Info:
- Email: torilorrainephotography@gmail.com
- Instagram: @torilorrainephotography
- Facebook: Tori Lorraine Photography
Image Credit:
All images are photo credit to Tori Lorraine Photography
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