Today we’d like to introduce you to Walker Winslow.
Hi Walker, thanks for joining us today. We’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
I started off by just taking photos with my phone while going on various trips. I found that I was really drawn to taking photos not only as a way of remembering but as a way of pointing out details and smaller stories for myself. I visited Moldova a few years ago and took a photo with my phone of some candles burning in the corner of a hilltop monastery. This is one of my favorite photos I’ve ever taken because I can still remember the smell of the incense burning and the sounds of the monks singing. This photo is not a good photo by photographic standards, but it allows me to connect to a subplot of my time in Moldova and remember particular details about a specific time and place that other photos from my trip do not. So, that’s where it all started, taking photos to remember specific stories and connect to the specific feeling of a place. I slowly started getting more interested in learning how to use a camera and watched thousands of hours of YouTube videos and the rest is history. I’ve been trying to take photos and connect with landscapes and locations for about 2 years now and love sharing the photos I take along the way.
I’m sure you wouldn’t say it’s been obstacle free, but so far would you say the journey have been a fairly smooth road?
At first, getting into photography there was a very steep learning curve. I devoured information and was shooting all of the time. Walking through my college campus to my classes I would stop and take photos of everything while trying to understand my camera settings, learn compositional rules, and determine how I liked to shoot. Most of these photos were terrible, but I slowly got to a point where I felt more confident with my images and it was easier to frame up a good composition in certain scenarios. Right now my main challenge is going out and shooting. My college courses have gotten busier, and I’ve also found myself having to be really purposeful about making time to go take photos. Photography, or any art, is like exercise. You have to exert energy to grow in your craft and continue producing quality content. If I don’t give myself the time to go practice or explore a new location, I tend to get disappointed with myself and often feel like the work I produce is lower quality.
Thanks – so what else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?
I am a landscape photographer, so I enjoy taking photos of different scenes and allowing people to see new places or a normal place in a different way. I really love taking photos of places around downtown Raleigh and Durham and helping the community see the cities in different ways. I also enjoy going out and exploring new places in the area and showing people the scenes and landscapes that are around them, especially those that they may not have known about before. I think I take the most pride in certain images I produce. There is one image of Yates Mill in Raleigh, NC that was one of the first images I took as a landscape photographer and was the first image I ever sold a print of. I was really lucky with the timing and the colors I captured in the sky and was able to show a historic part of Raleigh in a unique way. I think this is what makes me most happy with particular images over others when I am able to give people a unique perspective and showcase beauty of locations or scenes that are familiar. I also just love capturing beautiful places across North Carolina. Because the state is so diverse and has so many unique geographical features, it’s the perfect place to explore and practice landscape photography. Many people think of the Blue Ridge Parkway and the Outer Banks, but North Carolina has several relatively un-discovered locations too that are perfect for photography like Uwharrie National Forest or the rural/coastal areas of the northeast. I’m still finding new places to go and take photographs, and I still have places I’m hoping to get to soon.
Can you share something surprising about yourself?
I think some people may not realize how early I am in my photography journey, I bought my first camera a little over two years ago and have already grown and learned so much. Also, I think that people may not realize that I’m a full-time student. I take time and effort to go on landscape photography shoots, explore new places, and at the same time attending classes.
Pricing:
- Prints on my website typically start around $35. You can also request a print of any image on my website or social media.
- I partner with tourism boards, travel agencies, and outdoor companies frequently and work with them to develop photo or product campaigns. The prices on these fluctuate and are dependent on scope of the photo campaign.
- Portrait packages starting at $200 per hour.
- Wedding packages start at $1,500
Contact Info:
- Email: [email protected]
- Website: walkerwinslow.weebly.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/walkerwphotos/
