Today we’d like to introduce you to Christie McQueen.
Alright, so thank you so much for sharing your story and insight with our readers. To kick things off, can you tell us a bit about how you got started?
I started off as a math major when I was in college. I was always pretty good at math, but one day, I realized that it wasn’t what I wanted to do with my life. I was sitting in the back of a small college classroom, listening to the professor talk about math theories as he drew diagrams and numbers on the white board. There weren’t a lot of students in the class, because, really, how many people take a math theory class by choice? I was sitting in the second to last seat in one of the rows, so I could see almost everyone in attendance as I looked around. I pictured what my life might look like if I graduated alongside this overly intellectual group of mostly guys and worked with them. Would I be required to have a pocket protector on me at all times? Would we play games on our graphing calculators on lunch breaks and talk about number variations and statistics? I didn’t see myself fitting into that vision and decided that I wanted to do just about anything else other than that for the rest of my professional life. I wasn’t sure where I was headed, but I knew I had to try something different. In order to graduate on time, I only had a few options to switch my major to. I changed to organizational communications (something I had never heard of and had no idea what it meant) and psychology and I graduated with a bachelor’s degree from the University of Central Florida.
After graduation, I landed a solid job with great benefits and a 401k, but I didn’t feel settled. I was 23 and I wanted more than to sit at a desk under fluorescent lighting – I wanted to be outside and experience adventure and challenges. I decided that I wanted my job to be fun. On a whim, I applied for a job as a dolphin photographer at Discovery Cove in Orlando, even though I had zero experience as a photographer. While in high school, I had volunteered at Mote Marine, a marine research organization, and had been given the opportunity to be in a tank with a rescued whale. At that time, I had considered going to college to be a marine biologist, but I never thought that could be a reality. This opportunity to be in the water with dolphins sounded like a dream job; I knew I could learn the photography part.
Being in the water with dolphins every day, and getting paid for it, was an unforgettable experience. But, after about a year, I knew I needed to move on. My husband graduated from Full Sail around that time and we decided to move to Los Angeles for job opportunities. I bought a Nikon film camera, and as we drove our ’77 VW bus from Florida to California over a six month period, I tried to document our camping travels. I still didn’t know much about photography and when the film was processed, I was disappointed to see that many of the photos were blurry!
We landed in California with $50 in our pockets and began to build a life. I decided to stick with photography and was hired at a pro photo print lab on Santa Monica Blvd. We processed slide film, infrared film, E6 slides, and did custom prints in the dark room. Production houses brought us their on-set movie stills film, models and actors hired us to print their headshots, professional photographers brought us their work and celebrities dropped off their rolls of family photos. I learned all about photography from the people I worked with, the photographers who came into the lab, and I studied the professional work I saw being processed.
Through my connections at the pro lab, I was able to start freelancing and assisting professional photographers in the SoCal area. I was given the opportunities to shoot everything from elaborate weddings at cliff side mansions in Malibu to professional skateboarding at the X Games. Along the way, I even found myself shooting at over the top private parties in the Hollywood Hills with guest lists that included celebrities and even the astronaut, Buzz Aldrin! At one of these parties, my job was to photograph every guest as they arrived. It was late in the evening and I was standing outside of an outdoor tent that covered a large bar area and a number of beautifully decorated tables. Once the guests arrived, they headed to the tent to have a drink and mingle. In the second, larger tent behind me, where dinner was going to be served, there was a large stage and a dance floor where Micheal Buble performed that night. As I photographed guests arriving, one of the women came in quickly and walked right by me, she was one of the First Ladies of the United States! My job was to photograph EVERYONE that arrived and with her quick entrance, she didn’t give me the chance to do that. I had no choice but to walk up behind her and ask her for her picture. I politely said, “excuse me”, to get her attention, but she ignored me. I started to reach my hand to tap her on the shoulder and as soon as I got near her, secret service swarmed around us and told me not to touch her!! I was stunned, but gathered my nerves and explained that I was hired by the family throwing the party and they had asked me to take a photo of everyone arriving. She refused to have her photo taken and continued past me. Later that night, I parked my little two door honda civic in front of our small apartment building off of Venice Boulevard and thought of the irony between the party I had just photographed and my life. Photography had given me the opportunity to see things that I otherwise would have never gotten to see or experience. It was challenging and exhilarating and I loved it.
When we were ready to start a family, my husband and I moved back to Orlando to be closer to our families. I started freelancing as an assistant to local commercial photographers in the area and the subject matter changed to theme parks, products and food. I missed the excitement of the work I did in California, but the more time I spent in the studio crafting light the way I wanted it to look, the more I realized that studio photography was something that I could really enjoy. In 2020, I was offered an incredible opportunity to work as a full-time studio photographer for Wellcom Worldwide, a global creative agency based out of New York and Australia. At our Altamonte Springs studio, we specialize in photographing food and products commercially for advertising. I love my job because every project is different, every subject is different and I have the opportunity to work with a diverse client base.
The journey to my current career position did not follow a straight or easy road. And as much as I like adventure, I like to do it inside the parameters of a plan.
Personally, the hardest part to becoming a commercial photographer was figuring out how to get to a place of stability without a clear path. I learned that I had to create my own path, decide who I wanted to be, put myself and my work out there and practice, practice, practice. There was freedom in this realization, but it was also scary because it didn’t include a plan. There have been bumps along the way and many days where I’ve considered going back to school and switching careers to something with a much straighter line of progression. But, thankfully, that’s how I started this journey. I know it would require the creative and adventurous part of me to die, and I’m not willing to do that. As I mentioned earlier, I excel in an environment of variety and creative challenge. Every day, I push myself to be a better visual storyteller by constantly looking at photos, collecting way too many screenshots for inspiration, studying design details everywhere, looking at how light naturally occurs, watching videos on YouTube and taking online classes.
I’ve been doing a lot of reflecting so that I could share my story with you. My goal was never to be the best. It was to be good enough to work alongside other creatives in the industry, and for my work to be enjoyable so that it would afford me a happy and fulfilling life. It does take something special to get to the level where I am.
Some of the things I think matter most are:
1. Your success is not going to look like anyone else’s.
2. Setting goals and perseverance are necessary.
3. Don’t lose sight of today’s experiences because they will be tomorrow’s memories.
4. The journey is much more important than the destination.
Thanks – so what else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?
As a commercial photographer, I have to be a versatile image creator so that I can execute the vision of the client and keep the images on brand. But, when I get to choose the direction of the image, I generally prefer product lifestyle images that are bright with directional light that emphasizes texture, draws the viewer in and comes to life. I love a visual challenge and figuring out how to create different lighting, although sometimes, it can be stressful crafting light and a set under the meticulous eye of the client.
What do you like and dislike about the city?
Orlando has grown so much! We have everything from little shops and restaurants that are unique to our area to well-known places and malls. The beach is only an hour away and we have a lot of great camping destinations close by. And of course, if you want to be a tourist, there are a lot of things to do! Orlando is very spread out, so you have to search for places that interest you, but it isn’t hard to find new things if you’re looking.
If you are interested in hearing more about my journey or in the opportunity to work together, email me and let me know!
Contact Info:
- Personal Email: christiemcqueen@gmail.com
- Personal Website: https://link.edgepilot.com/s/5586564e/4L6_H13Hn0et5nIuZ2opIg?u=http://www.christiemcqueen.com/
Image Credits
All images photographed by Christie McQueen in the Orlando Wellcom Studio
