Featured Showiteer – Andrew Smith
Former mechanical engineer turned full-time wedding photographer, Andrew Smith is a jack-of-all trades. Not only has he found success and joy in the world of photography, he shares his talents and knowledge with other photographers without hesitation. Our last Featured Showiteer, Alisha Guild, spoke his praises as she recalled how much she had learned from him. Tonic Site Shop, who designed his Showit site, not only enjoyed the process of working with him, but could see who his talented extended in all fields. “Such a great guy, brilliant photographer and savvy businessman!”
Andrew started in the wedding industry when he was still in college. In fact, he had been juggling a full-time position as a manufacturing prototype engineer while shooting 15 weddings per year until making the leap last summer. “I was no longer passionate about what I was doing with engineering, and often times I would find myself more excited to go shoot a wedding and bring joy to my couples then I would going into my engineering job. I had booked enough weddings for this year to create a significant income to live off, so I felt like the time was right.”
While it seems everything was a smooth ride, quick ride for Andrew, he assures us that everyone starts somewhere. “Resist making comparisons between you and other photographers. Mainly photographers that are at a point you want to be at. You can get so easily discouraged right out the gate when you feel like your work doesn’t match up to theirs. You then do yourself a disservice and undervalue your work and yourself. You must remind yourself that at one time they were in your shoes! No one is born a photographer.”
As we in the Showiteer community continue to benefit from all Andrew’s insight and knowledge, he too has benefited from the community. “It all started when I stumbled upon Katelyn James a few years ago! From there I discovered so many other great photographers such as Zach and Jody Gray, Justin and Mary Marantz, and Matt Kennedy. I obviously immediately started following their Instagrams, Facebook accounts, blogs, etc…Between everyone I learned so much about shooting techniques, running the business, and even little tidbits on running my life! They all gave me inspiration I needed to pursue a career in wedding photography, and without that I would not be where I am today.”
We are happy to announce you can learn from Andrew, in person, this October at Showit United. He will be sharing his tips and tricks on wedding posing at the beautiful Desert Botanical Gardens here in Phoenix, AZ. Until then, you can follow him on Instagram, check-out his website, follow his photography and business on his blog, and reach out to him on Facebook.
We are so grateful to Andrew for the contributions he has made to our community and for sharing them with us at the 2015 United. If you have not yet purchased your tickets, there are a few left. Styled shoots go on sale August 11 and fill up quickly! If you are interested in sharing your career path and experiences with us, let us know! We love to be inspired!