Today we’d like to introduce you to Bryson Buehrer.
Hi Bryson, can you start by introducing yourself? We’d love to learn more about how you got to where you are today?
There’s gotta be some sort of inexplicable tie between musicians and visual content creators. So many people like me started with an intense passion for the audio arts and transitioned to the visually creative space over time. Hi! I’m Bryson, an STL-based non-traditional wedding and portrait photographer.
My creative journey began through music. I began playing bass in junior high and became completely enraptured with the capabilities of the instrument. Throughout high school and college, I performed with so many of my friends, went on a few short tours, and played many small local venues. Music scratched my itch for collaboration and creativity and fostered a lifelong passion for the process of “making.”
One year, in the middle of college, I found myself in a strange circumstance. I had to undergo an operation that would make me “mostly” immobile for a month. During that same time, I also received a camera. My immobility coupled with this new creative tool allowed a spark to grow! I spent hours every day researching, testing, and reading about this new camera and how it worked. Like, 10 hours a day for a month straight.
By the time I was back up on my feet, it was time to return to school. At this point, was quite proficient with the camera and immediately began shooting anything I could. I started with shooting in dark concert venues, which gave me the preliminary experience of capturing motion in low-light situations. Over time, friends asked me to shoot their weddings, and I became obsessed with the high-risk, high-reward nature of wedding photography. Weddings are both photojournalistic and portraiture events, and my aim with my couples became to provide them with images that they’d never seen before.
Now, six years later and dozens of weddings covered, I wouldn’t trade those beginnings for anything. Week after week, I get to create art for amazing couples having the best time of their lives!
I’m sure you wouldn’t say it’s been obstacle-free, but so far would you say the journey has been a fairly smooth road?
I think every creative freelancer can relate to this, especially if they began their career while working for somebody else. In the beginning, after I graduated and as my business started to take off, I was working long hours as an Analyst at a local digital marketing agency. After a 10 hour day there, I would come home and edit for another six hours and continue to shoot most weekends. Layer that schedule with rent and student loans, and that lifestyle put significant strain on my physical health, mental health, and my relationship with my then-girlfriend (now wife). Ultimately, committing my time to my couples and their needs was the best thing I could have done for my business and life!
Additionally, there’s a certain evolution that every creative must undergo when they begin to attract paying clients. A balance must be struck between wanting to uphold a certain level of creative integrity while respecting and prioritizing your clients’ needs. Though it can be painful, growth comes from learning that your clients are the heroes of this story, not you.
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
I specialize in wedding photography. Some businesses do weddings and also newborns, families, or senior photos. While I’ve done my fair share of that work, I’m laser-focused on creating within the restraints of a wedding day. I don’t know why, but I just love it!
For my couples, my aim is to eliminate their fear around getting their photos taken, make the process enjoyable, and ensure that they come away with photos that are unique to them – regardless of the trend of the week.
As far as how I approach that in my creative process, I try to utilize photographic composition, color, and light in ways that are unique. Not every photo is of the couple snuggling. Sometimes I compose them apart from each other, sometimes they’re standing indirect light or any number of different compositional techniques.
My style is vibrant and bold, and focuses on unique perspectives of the surrounding environment to breathe life into otherwise mundane compositions! On the wedding day, 90% of my time is spent silently capturing moments as they unfold. The other 10% is focused on directing the couple and creating diverse, unconventional images for them!
Any advice for finding a mentor or networking in general?
In the wedding industry, you’ll often hear that the market is saturated. While I believe that a market is only saturated if you’re attempting to be like everyone else, that doesn’t minimize the importance of creating real, valuable relationships in the industry.
So much meaningful interaction can be nurtured through social media these days. On a wedding day, we photographers work with a single couple, but potentially a dozen different vendors. I make it a point to help other vendors out as much as possible with zero expectation for reciprocation. In a traditionally lonely line of work, your fellow wedding professionals are the lifeblood of a sustainable business.
Contact Info:
- Email: [email protected]
- Website: www.brysonbphoto.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/brysonbphoto/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/brysonbphoto
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCDo3NoJRvIhb2bjQT5yrz4g
Image Credits
Bryson B Photo, LLC.
