Welcome to October, where the weather is practically perfect and photo shoots are saturated with rich autumn colors and visuals!
Today BP4U’s featured photographer is Kentucky-based Heather Rous Weeks from The End Photography. Her work is moody, luxe and captivating; I’d even go so far as to describe her photography as beautifully haunting.
In Heather’s own words:
“I’m Heather, more often known as The End Photography. I use my camera to dream of grand adventures, faraway places and distant pasts. I’m a twenty-six year old with a lot to learn and a little to share. I was born and raised in Kentucky, something I’m more and more proud to say with every passing year.
I dream big, but tend to be the most practical person I know. My ultimate goal in life isn’t to be a photographer, but to be a storyteller.”
An Interview With The End Photography
When did you first realize you wanted to be a photographer?
I’ve often wondered that myself, actually. I’ve always been a creative person, but quickly recognized that I didn’t have the raw talent that drawing, painting, musical instruments and just about every other form of creative expression required. It’s never that I was bad at these things, but they never felt comfortable. I found myself frustrated that I couldn’t bring ideas together in reality the way I saw them in my mind. I felt like they were trapped inside my head, unable to escape. The first time I picked up a camera, it just made sense; it felt comfortable and natural, like slipping into back into my warm bed after a long and perilous journey.
When and how did you start out in photography?
While I was fairly young the first time I worked with a camera, it wasn’t until college that I found photography in the truest sense of the word. In search of a second part-time job, a saw a seasonal position open at a local portrait studio. I had never photographed people, so while the idea was a bit intimidating, it held much more appeal than folding clothing or stocking shelves. It didn’t take long to realize that I had found something special. While at this studio, I spent four years behind a camera every day. I met some of my closest friends. I learned about patience, perseverance and passion. Although the style of the studio is a far cry from my current work, the experience was invaluable.
What inspires you?
Although it may sound cliché, everything. While I find myself inherently inspired by nature, it’s certainly not my only muse. I love finding beauty in unconventional places or taking a concept that could be considered unsettling and discovering my own interpretation.
How do you get your ideas for sessions?
I love exploring everything from classic literature to fairy tales, movies or works of art. Sometimes, though, my inspiration can be as simple as a stranger walking by me on the street or even my own (often odd) dreams. After an idea strikes me, it’s not uncommon for me to spend several weeks or even months allowing the concept to mature. I approach my images as though I am writing a short story, so character development plays an important role in my understanding of where I want to take an idea. I try to imagine not only why a character finds him or herself in a given situation, but what series of events has led them there. While I rarely take these stories to pen, I will often spend evenings completing my mental novella, drifting to sleep thinking of adventures featuring characters that will one day appear in my images. By the time I finally begin photographing one of these stories, I find myself deeply connected to it. More than a photographer, I really want to be a storyteller.
How would you describe your style?
Ethereal, romantic and dramatic.
What’s in your gear bag?
I’m fairly minimalistic. I shoot with a Canon 5D Mark III and either an 85mm 1.8 or 50mm 1.4.
What’s one lens you can’t live without?
I love my 85mm.
How did know when the right time to start charging was?
When I felt ready. That’s not much of an answer, but it’s an honest one. When I felt confident enough that I could deliver a product I was proud to represent…to call my own. I still don’t know that I always feel ready today. So much of my work is personal, something that I do for myself, that many of my sessions aren’t done to make money. I have two fields of work: my personal, creative pieces and my client work. I try to find a happy marriage between the two, but there’s something intrinsically different between a high school senior or an engagement session and a dramatic, themed, emotional image. While I love both, it’s inevitable that many of my theatrical shoots will be unpaid, done in order to satisfy my creativity and to express myself.
How did you market yourself when you started out?
From the time I began until today, my primary resource has been social media. I’m quick to show my appreciation for this amazing outlet. With the click of a mouse, I can show my work, my heart and my passion to an audience that reaches not only across my own country, but also across the world.
Name the first person that comes to mind when you think of:
- Wedding photographer: Karrah Kobus (This one was an obvious choice, as she photographed my wedding this spring. I didn’t realize how inspirational and important wedding photographers were until I found myself choosing one.)
- Lifestyle photographer: Stephanie Pana Photography
- Most inspirational person: I’m going to turn this into “people” because I can’t think of just one! Tim Walker, Rosie Hardy, Brooke Shaden, Erik Johansson… I could fill an entire page!
Did you go to school for photography or were you self- taught?
I’ve never been formally trained in photography. Until recently, this has been something that I didn’t understand about myself; I knew I loved art and photography in plenty of time to pursue it in college, but something held me back and I found myself studying journalism and art history. I had always held the internal idea that this may have been from a fear of critique or judgment. However, in the past few months I feel like I’ve finally began to better understand myself and my motivations. I didn’t bother learning the rules because I didn’t want them to be a weight on my shoulders, telling me what not to do. I didn’t want to second-guess myself. I wanted to create images for the sake of creating—for the sake of expression—not to follow the guidelines that someone else set. I’m such a “rules” person, that once I learn one, I will subconsciously inherently abide by it. So by never learning the formal side of photography, I never carried that burden. There’s something liberating about that thought (all of that being said, I have a deep respect for those who are formally trained in photography, as it takes an extreme level of dedication and passion).
What has been some of the hardest things to overcome in your business?
Understanding my style and myself. In the beginning, it was a true struggle to figure where I wanted to take my art. I had experience with children, so I photographed children because it was what I knew. Every toddler or newborn I would photograph, though, I became increasingly aware that it wasn’t what I loved to do. Now that I’ve found my style and my genre, I am able to focus all of my creative energy on exploring it. It’s invigorating. I find that every time I finish a session, I’ve fallen even more deeply in love with my craft; it feels like a part of who I am.
Do you have any tips for photographers just starting out?
Shoot anything and everything to start, but eventually commit to settling into your niche. It’s so easy to become the person that says “yes” to everything, but realistically no one can be the best wedding, newborn, family, senior, couples and fine art photographer. Once you find what you love, chase it relentlessly and focus on becoming the best you can be.
If for some reason you couldn’t be a photographer what do you think you would be?
This one is easy for me, as I actually work a full-time job outside of photography. I work in Marketing and Design and love every minute of it. I’m grateful to have found both and can’t imagine my life without either.
What’s the best lesson in photography you’ve learned so far?
Shoot for yourself sometimes. It’s these sessions that push me the most and reinvigorate me. They’re an essential part of developing my style and understand my creative drive.
What are your thoughts on props?
Props are amazing tool for telling a story! I could spend hours sifting through old attics or basements, searching for the next piece that will serve as the glue to hold my narrative in place. Sometimes, the smallest things can become the focal point of an image and add just the right touch. I love finding a vintage piece, then basing multiple shoots around it, dreaming of the places it has been and things it has seen.
Learn more about The End Photography online:
Website / Facebook