Today we’d like to introduce you to Robert Hinkle.
Hi Robert, it’s an honor to have you on the platform. Thanks for taking the time to share your story with us – to start, maybe you can share some of your backstories with our readers.
I’ve always had a little bit of an entrepreneurial spirit, and working with people has always been really important to me. I arrived at a point in my previous career where I realized that while I liked the work, I didn’t love the schedule or work-life balance it gave me. From there, I just started trying as many new things as I could, looking for what would stick. I picked up a camera for fun and started taking pictures of friends. I got really into it and then started reaching out to local Wedding photographers asking to tag along for a day, and eventually shadowed one for a summer. I realized how much I loved the energy of a wedding day and how fast I had to think to create meaningful images. I could see that the sky was the limit and that this was a craft I could be continuously improving on and evolving the way I did it. It wasn’t until after I shot a few Weddings on my own though, that I actually saw the impact I could provide people with through this medium, and that’s when I really decided I wanted to buckle down and pursue it as a career. When I see my couples look through their Wedding albums, which are their final deliverables- it brings me so much joy and fulfillment. Providing a truly crafted product that’s totally unique to their story- and seeing them realize that they now have something to pass on to future generations- that’s my ‘why’!
We all face challenges, but looking back, would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
Not at all! Honestly, it’s been one of the hardest things I’ve done. Part of that is due to the Covid-19 pandemic, which struck about a month or two after I decided to pursue starting my own business. The other challenges have come from being a business owner. I quickly learned that improving my craft was not the answer to getting more work. I really needed to learn how to run a business from the ground up. I’m still learning new things every day! One silver lining of Covid striking right at the beginning of my journey was that it gave me an opportunity to sit down and study business essentials. Still, it took me a long time to realize that Rome wasn’t built in a day and that I needed to focus on the present and what was directly in front of me. Being a photographer, and really learning how to be a great wedding photographer has by far been the easiest part of my journey- learning how to turn it into a career has been a challenge that has made me grow immensely as a person and I’m so thankful for it!
Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
I am a wedding photographer. More specifically, I am a very authentic and documentary-style wedding photographer. I try to really lean into the idea of capturing what is real. I work very closely with my couples leading up to their wedding day, to figure out what moments from their day will best serve them 5, 10, 20, even 50 years from now. I really do not focus on any social media trends or really anything that’s overly posed or faked. My tagline is “Authentic Moments & Intentional Portraits,” and that’s exactly what I do. I document moments of deep human connection and help create really meaningful statement pieces that capture the environment and the feeling of the day, in a way that will allow my couples to revisit the feelings they had from their wedding day. I also provide every one of my couples with a custom-made heirloom wedding album. This serves as an anchor piece for my couples, so they can always have an easy way to look through their photos and be able to remember their ‘why’. It’s a callback to the start of something new and a way for them to be able to see how far they’ve come as partners in life.
Alright, so before we go, can you talk to us a bit about how people can work with you, collaborate with you or support you?
If you want me to capture your wedding or engagement (or anything really, I’m open to other work pending on my schedule and if it aligns with my ethos) then people can inquire through my website- www.roberthinklephotography.com
The best support people can offer is just sharing my work or my name to those in need of a photographer! 🙂
Contact Info:
- Website: www.roberthinklephotography.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/roberthinklephotography/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Roberthinklephotography
