Today we’d like to introduce you to William Riddick.
Hi William, so excited to have you with us today. What can you tell us about your story?
My passion for photography started while in college in Mobile, AL. The intent for the first camera I brought was to build a modeling portfolio for myself. I’d create various fashion looks and then model them. I would set the camera setting, then coach a friend on how to capture the photo for me. As I gained traction on my content, I began receiving inquiries about doing portraits and graduation shoots. This opened my eyes to the career opportunities in photography. From that point, I began to creating more concepts with friends and family. This helped me to build a more prominent and distinguishing photography portfolio. Upon graduating, I took on a job opportunity here in Florida, doing Marketing for a Beauty and Skincare company. During my time there, I received a lot of insight on the Beauty Industry and the photographers that Beauty Brands hire for campaigns. It was an enlightening experience and I learned a lot. In 2020, when COVID hit, our marketing team downsized and I was laid off. Which like many Americans, I didn’t know what the next step would be but I know I had my camera. This forced me to hone in on my craft and take it more serious than ever. Which ultimately led to my path of being a full-time photographer today.
I’m sure you wouldn’t say it’s been obstacle free, but so far would you say the journey have been a fairly smooth road?
The road hasn’t been smooth, nonetheless it has been rather rewarding. The main struggle with Photography is that there’s a huge startup cost. Most of the profit gains generally get reinvested to buy new equipment, until you have all that you need. Once obtained, the equipment can provide a great amount of income. Plus, the equipment holds value for long periods of time. The initial investment is just pricey, even on the cheaper end of equipment. Which, can make things difficult at time.
Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
I specialize in Beauty and Lifestyle Fashion Photography. Most of my projects and concepts fall within these two categories. However, I also do graduation, maternity, and special occasion photography
Where do you see things going in the next 5-10 years?
In the next 5-10 years, I see photography still be a thriving and growing industry. As time goes on, photography will continue to become readily available to everyone more than we see today. Photography used be more of a luxury with limited accessibility. As not just anyone could pay for photoshoots and equipment wasn’t as easy to obtain. I think more accessibility will open all new avenues of income for many Photographers.
Contact Info:
- Email: Info@shotsbywill.com
- Website: www.Shotsbywill.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/_shotsbywill/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/shotsbywill/
Image Credits
@_shotsbywill
