Daily Inspiration: Meet Whittney Hammons

Today we’d like to introduce you to Whittney Hammons. 

Hi Whittney, we’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
I’ve had a camera in my hand since I was 13 years old. Even before then, I would always grab my mom’s Fujifilm disposable camera out of her purse and smack in on my hand with the flash to make experimental images. I attended the Art Academy of Cincinnati for my BFA in Design only to find all of the photography classes were during the same time as my required design classes. So, the thought of pursuing a career in photography didn’t feel obtainable to me at the time. I began shooting images for a development firm I worked at, right out of college. That was the first time I felt like I could be taken seriously by others with my work, but to be honest I didn’t really take my photography serious as a career until a couple years later when I started shooting weddings. 

I moved to Colorado in 2019 just outside of Denver metro area. I decided it was time to take my photography more seriously. I established a WhittDigital LLC for all my creative services and found a ton of Facebook groups for photographers/models/hair and makeup artists in the area. I began networking and doing a lot of TFP (Trade For Photo) shoots in the area, which helped me learned the lay of the land geographically and metaphorically. Since then, I have been published in 9 magazines and have added branding, product, elopements, engagements, couples, portraits, and boudoir to my services. 

Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall, and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
It has definitely not been a smooth road. I really struggled with imposter syndrome for years. I couldn’t even begin to count the amount of people who tried to pay me to shoot for events/headshots/etc that I turned down because I didn’t think I could produce good enough results. And because I didn’t believe in myself for so long, I lost a lot of time I could have been growing and learning. 

The moment I decided to take a leap of faith in myself, I learned I’m actually really great at photographing people. I remember realizing that there are other people out there that are doing the same thing you are dreaming of doing and the only thing separating you from them is that they’re just choosing to do it. Whether or not they’re doing it well. So why not give it a shot? 

Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know about your work?
My favorite thing to shoot is creative portraits. My style straddles the border between documentary and editorial. The candid images are some of my favorite to capture. There is something incredible about shooting images of someone the way you can see them that they can’t see themselves. And then delivering that to them and seeing their expressions. 

The people who know me in Cincinnati, know me for weddings and brand photography. I love that because I love to do both of those. I don’t specialize in any particular genre because I really enjoy photographing all different kinds of things. I know that that’s preached as bad practice for business but knowing I will always be doing design work alongside photography, gives me the flexibility to bounce around. 

I am most proud of my published editorial work. A lot of it was just me and a model. There were a couple that I had a great team to work with but knowing that two strangers with a creative goal can meet up and create high level work. 

Something that likely sets me apart from others is my ability to create a relaxing environment for my clients. I look forward to meeting new people every chance I get and when I get to meet my clients for the first time, I want them to leave feeling like they just hung out with a new friend. I hate getting my photo taken, ironically, so I go out of my way to curate the ideal experience for whoever is sitting in front of my camera that day. And I honestly enjoy that the most. The great images after are really just bonus for me. 

Alright, so to wrap up, is there anything else you’d like to share with us?
Ignore the voice that tells you that you shouldn’t. Lean into not knowing what might happen if you just do it. 

Pricing:

• Elopements starting at $1800
• Weddings starting at $2000
• Brand Images starting at $400

Contact Info:

• Email: WhittDigital@gmail.com
• Website: whittdigitalphoto.com, whittdigitaldesign.com
• Instagram: instagram.com/whitt_digital