We recently had the chance to connect with Winnie Nyatome-Warner and have shared our conversation below.
Winnie , so good to connect and we’re excited to share your story and insights with our audience. There’s a ton to learn from your story, but let’s start with a warm up before we get into the heart of the interview. What do the first 90 minutes of your day look like?
The first 90 minutes of my day are spent taking a moment to find an outfit and get ready for the day. After getting ready, I take an hour or so morning work with my son. By the time we get home around 10am, my husband has breakfast ready and we have it together.
I try my best to make the first hours of waking up as slow as possible. There is no point to rush through my day anymore since I work for myself.
Can you briefly introduce yourself and share what makes you or your brand unique?
Hello there,
My name is Winnie and I am a Texas photographer located in East Texas/Houston and I absolutely love my job. I have been a photographer for the past 5 years and I don’t think I will ever look for another job. what’s special about Taking photos for me is because I see it like a fun activity with great results at the end.
I was born and raised in Kenya. I moved to Houston in 2005, and I am so glad to be here. I never had any dreams growing up, but as an adult, I’m learning to explore all my favorite dreams and hobbies. Getting to photograph people is one of those dream come true!
My brand is all about making people comfortable and having fun while taking photos. I believe if you’re not having fun while taking photos then here is something wrong haha. I love working with my clients especially one-on-one and showing them what I see and adjusting accordingly to create photos we both love.
Currently I am editing a wedding i photographed at the Forth Worth Botanical garden, a garden birthday sessions and at-home newborn photos. I am a creative and I really love creating.
Great, so let’s dive into your journey a bit more. What breaks the bonds between people—and what restores them?
There are a lot things that break bonds between people, but for me what I have seen that breaks bonds between people is talking about them behind their back. I am learning that when people have an issue with you, 9/10 they’re going to talk to someone else before they talk to you and that breaks trust which leads to breaking the bonds.
There is more power and possible closeness to be developed when one has an issue with someone and they go straight to them and address it instead of yapping to someone else.
To be honest, I don’t know if a bond can be restored when trust is broken. But If there was a possibility, then both parties have to take accountability. It takes two to break a bond and it takes two to restore it, especially if the aim is to have a healthy connection with open communication moving forward.
Was there ever a time you almost gave up?
After high school, I went to college and got my masters in social work. My degree plan was to work with families and children in foster care. I ended up interning for CPS and quickly learned, that it might not be the place for me because of work hours. I personally love being home for dinner and rest, reset before doing it again the next day.
However, I still wanted to work with kids and families so I found school social work. But to keep the job, I had to get a license which I tried 3 times and well it didn’t work out. I decided to let it go, and stopped trying to get the license… but really, its because I only had 3 chances to get it and failed 3 times.
I took a break and became a librarian for a year, it was so much fun to read with kids and teach kids. But in the back I was working on photography. After my year of being a librarian, I became a photographer full time. So did I give up? no, to me its more like my career plan gave up on me and I redirected my efforts and I am so glad I did.
I think our readers would appreciate hearing more about your values and what you think matters in life and career, etc. So our next question is along those lines. What are the biggest lies your industry tells itself?
I think the biggest lies all industries tell is that you have to have your portfolio aesthetically pleasing before sharing it to the world. As humans sometimes we just need to jump into things and learn as we go. Babies don’t wait to walk before moving, instead they start by grabbing, crawling, pulling up and then eventually walking and running. When building something, do it the same way. Don’t wait until you can run to share your dreams, share them even in your confusing stage and figure it out as you go.
So for the photography industry, I would say the biggest lie is waiting until your work looks good to post it. I think there is beauty in posting and sharing working-in-progress work. When I look back at some of my work, I cringe, but at the same time I am proud of myself for putting myself out there. There is power in living out loud in whatever ways that looks for you even if you don’t understand what you’re doing. Don’t allow industry limits and restrictions box you in.
Before we go, we’d love to hear your thoughts on some longer-run, legacy type questions. Are you doing what you were born to do—or what you were told to do?
To be honest, I didn’t know what I was born to do, but being a photography comes very close to it. I remember my parents pushing me towards being a lawyer because I love to talk and thinking, but after doing an internship at law firm in Houston, I knew it wasn’t for me.
The more people I get to photograph, love and encourage, the more I feel like I am right where I was meant to be. I don’t think as humans we were meant to do one thing for the rest of our lives, but instead to keep exploring and knowing ourselves in a deeper level.
To me you can be doing what you were born to do as a hobby or as a career. The most important thing, it’s as long as you, the one taking your time, life and energy to do it, is happy and satisfied.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.wnw-photography.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/wnw_photography
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/WNWphotos
Image Credits
I am the photographer and I took all those images.
