We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Cheyenne Simpkins. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Cheyenne below.
Alright, so we’re so thrilled to have Cheyenne with us today – welcome and maybe we can jump right into it with a question about one of your qualities that we most admire. How did you develop your work ethic? Where do you think you get it from?
I was raised by a single mom who did everything in her power to care for us. I watched her work 16+ hours daily as a nurse ad the come home with a smile and care for me as a child. Watching her my entire life is definitely where I drew my strength and work ethic!
Thanks, so before we move on maybe you can share a bit more about yourself?
As cliche as it sounds, I love capturing love. The real moments that happen in between poses when couples look at each other with love in their eyes. Growing up, I always loved landscapes and wildlife photography but at some point in my early 20’s I realized how much I love capturing people’s memories. While the business side is always fun to work on, I enjoy the artistic side of photography and I think that’s what always keeps me going.
I’m slowly shifting my brand to be more cinematic and documentary. I feel like real moments and movement bring out more emotions. And I always want my focus to be on creating an environment for my couples to feel like themselves in. I plan on adding a film option to all of my packages in 2025 and can’t wait!
If you had to pick three qualities that are most important to develop, which three would you say matter most?
The first piece of advice I always give is to be yourself openly. Let your personality shine through your work, your social medias and with your interactions in person. Your clients will fall in love with you and your work if you are authentically yourself and you will draw in more like minded individuals!
Secondly, don’t be afraid to be creative and shoot exactly what you want. I spent several years only shooting trends and what I believed to be standards set by the photography world. It wasn’t until I watched a class by India Earl that I realized it was completely okay to create whatever I felt like. Fall in love with your own work. So for me that meant blurry and off focus images, lots of grain, and in between moments that I used to discard during the culling process.
Lastly, STEP OF YOUR COMFORT ZONE. It’s terrifying. But will always be so rewarding. Hop on that plane for that elopement in the mountains; ask random people on the side of the road if they would be down for some photos; share your work in contests and magazines. I have never regretted stepping out of my comfort zone and neither will you!
What is the number one obstacle or challenge you are currently facing and what are you doing to try to resolve or overcome this challenge?
I’m currently facing burnout and imposter syndrome. I think it is inevitable in the industry and happens to the best of us. When going through these its hard to focus and it makes you feel like you’re just going through the motions. I have found that it helps to go back to my foundations. Getting creative with my couples and photographing moments that make me realize why I love what I do.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://auroralanephoto.com
- Instagram: @auroralanephotography
- Facebook: https://facebook.com/auroralanephotography
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