Today we’d like to introduce you to Camille Dryden.
Camille, we appreciate you taking the time to share your story with us today. Where does your story begin?
I’ve always had a deep desire to create. When I was little, I always wanted a camera in my hand or to be in front of one. So, I’d like to say my love for visual media started there. My love for visual media is what ultimately gravitated me towards photography. In High School, my parents gifted me my first Canon camera for Christmas one year, and I have not stopped working to master my craft ever since.
I graduated from East Carolina University with a degree in Communication and with a concentration in Media Studies, with one goal in mind– to make every single human that encounters me or my business feel at home. I love photography, but I love the connections I get to build with other human beings more.
That is how Capture With Camille came to be what it is today.
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?
Being the type of person who works very hard to achieve her dreams and live out her purpose has made it very challenging to start Capture With Camille. For the simple fact that– not everything is in my control, and I could do everything right, and things still do not go the way I anticipate in my head.
I originally planned to launch my photography business in the Spring of 2020, but then Covid happened, and the world shut down, so it no longer felt appropriate to be excited about launching something when others were barely holding on. So, I waited, and I had planned a new launch date for the beginning of 2022, but then I got diagnosed with diabetes. It was hard to feel motivated to even want to take photos on my own time, let alone launch a business and start accepting actual clients.
In January 2023, my then-boyfriend, now husband, gifted me my first photography website for my birthday, and that really helped start getting my work out there, and I started receiving bookings and inquiries. Everything seemed like it was going well and in the direction I had always hoped it would.
Fast forward to August of 2023, and my grandma died. I had no motivation to create or even interact with my community. My dreams seemed pointless at that point because one of my favorite people was no longer around to witness them come true.
It took a few months for me to feel creative again, and when I finally did, I knew I wanted to completely rebrand my business. So, for the next two years– that is what I did. Through planning my wedding, starting my post-grad full-time job, and even more deaths in my family, I took my time to rebuild, and I am so glad I did.
Thanks – so what else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?
I am an event, lifestyle, and portrait photographer. I specialize in documenting raw and rare moments that make people feel, and creating environments where people feel safe to open up to me and work with me to create beautiful images.
I am best known for my bespoke portraiture of individuals and couples.
I am most proud of the way the photos I capture make my clients feel after our session has concluded. Knowing that I had a small role in something that will make them feel confident and bring them joy for years to come is one of the highest honors of my life.
The thing that sets me apart from others is that I will never aim to just be your photographer, but instead I will always aim to be your friend and a person you can count on and feel comfortable with. Capture With Camille is a lifelong passion project for me, and I treat my connections that I form through my business as a lifelong passion project as well.
We’d be interested to hear your thoughts on luck and what role, if any, you feel it’s played for you?
I was brought into this world knowing what I wanted to do from a young age by parents who supported me and had the means to support me in anything I wanted to take on in this life. I got into college and was able to study something I was actually passionate about, even though nine months before my first semester of college, I was adamant about not going. During my time in college, I started dating my now husband, who is equally as passionate ( if not more) about visual media than I am and supports my dreams while pushing me to be better and those same friends that would let baby photographer Camille take photos of them all the time in high school are still letting 25 year old Camille gather photo ideas and take their photos for HUGE life milestones almost a decade later. Some may call it good luck, but I call it favor.
All of these people and things have gotten Capture With Camille where it is today.
Pricing:
- -Portrait Packages start at $250
- – Graduation Packages start at $300
- – Engagement Packages start at $350
- -Event Packages Start at $500
- – Wedding Packages Start at $2500
Contact Info:
- Website: https://capturewithcamille.co
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/capturewithcamille/
- Other: https://www.tiktok.com/@capturewithcamille
