We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Codi Wilcox a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.
Codi, we’re thrilled to have you sharing your thoughts and lessons with our community. So, for folks who are at a stage in their life or career where they are trying to be more resilient, can you share where you get your resilience from?
My resilience comes from the various challenges I’ve faced throughout my life. From a rocky childhood where I was constantly adapting to new situations with limited information as to why we moved or why things are changing, to motherhood without a maternal figure to lean on during tough times, and most recently overcoming stage 3 colorectal cancer. Despite being initially misdiagnosed, I persisted and advocated for myself to finally receive the correct treatment. Going through 9 cycles of chemo, 6 weeks of daily radiation, and multiple surgeries while working, has truly shown me the depths of my resilience. These experiences have shaped me and taught me to find strength within myself during the toughest of times
Thanks for sharing that. So, before we get any further into our conversation, can you tell our readers a bit about yourself and what you’re working on?
Hi, I’m Codi! I’m an Aquarius, an Enneagram type 6 and a massive Taylor Swift fan. My packages are all named after her songs/albums. I created CWP in 2019, but I’ve had a camera in my hand for as long as I can remember. I used to edit my friends’ photos for social media, and one of them mentioned, “you should do this for a job!” I had never considered that as an option until then. That night, I shared with my husband, Adam, that I was thinking about it, and we bought my first DSLR (a Canon Rebel, of course. iykyk) that very night.
I am a natural light family photographer. I love pushing the limits of “normal photography” and creating art. I love making sets for holidays and also stripping everything down to the bare minimum and just photographing my families in their homes—no props, just natural daily rhythms and love.
I have a deep love for documenting families, and what I do is evergreen. These photos will be shared and passed around at celebrations, graduations, dinner tables, etc. They will be how a mom remembers her baby’s chubby Michelin man arms, the gaps left in her daughter’s smiles from baby teeth falling out, and the love her parents had for her babies. I get emotional when I think about it. It’s so important, and I’m so happy and honored to be the one to get to do it.
I’m currently working on presets and putting the finishing touches on my mentoring packages, which I hope to launch around summer. I love what I do and truly believe in community over competition. I love sharing my knowledge and helping anyone get better at their craft any way I can.
If you had to pick three qualities that are most important to develop, which three would you say matter most?
1) Learn about ISO, shutter speed, and F-stop—understand how each of them impacts the others. Once you grasp these concepts, adjusting to different types of light becomes much easier. I found a YouTube video that breaks it down really well and makes it easy to understand.
2) Seek mentorship—find someone in the field you want to break into and ask for guidance and support. I had in-person photography mentorship and a Zoom social media mentorship, and they were the best things I did in my early days. Having in-person coaching allowed me to ask questions while actively taking photos of a family, and just seeing how a session flows in real time was incredibly beneficial. The social media mentorship also helped a lot, as it’s how we market ourselves now. If you can’t afford mentorship, seek out support in community Facebook groups for photographers, such as Unscripted. There are also helpful YouTube videos and photographers’ TikToks available.
3) Be kind—this is advice I carry with me and apply to every aspect of my life. “People will never forget how you made them feel.” I strive to ensure that every family I work with leaves feeling good and fulfilled after the session. I believe that’s one way I’ve maintained the client base I’ve had since 2019—simply being kind and treating people with kindness. Everyone is dealing with things you may know nothing about, and I never want to add to anyone’s mental load.
Bonus: Try not to fall into the comparison trap. It’s difficult, and imposter syndrome is real, but comparison is the thief of joy. Stay in your own lane, cheer others on, and do your best to avoid the comparison spiral.
One of our goals is to help like-minded folks with similar goals connect and so before we go we want to ask if you are looking to partner or collab with others – and if so, what would make the ideal collaborator or partner?
I am always looking for local businesses to collab with! Styled shoots are so much fun and truly let all of our creativity shine. I’ve made some of my very best friendors turned friends through styled shoots! If you’re reading this and want to create some magic together, slide in my DM’s on instagram @codiwilcoxphotography or shoot me an email at itsmehi@codiwilcoxphotog.com.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.codiwilcoxphotography.com
- Instagram: Www.instagram.com/codiwilcoxphotography
