Check Out Hunter Hennes’s Story

Today we’d like to introduce you to Hunter Hennes

Hi Hunter, we’re thrilled to have a chance to learn your story today. So, before we get into specifics, maybe you can briefly walk us through how you got to where you are today?
I started in photography when I was in junior high filming and photographing my brother’s wrestling tournaments. I’m from Minnesota so that was just a way of life back then. I didn’t go the art route in college, but instead focused on the sciences and language. It wasn’t until my husband bought a proper DSLR for me in 2017 that I began looking at photography as a serious career option. Funny thing, with that camera I started photographing his football players at their practices and games (he is a college football coach). The guys loved the photos and that was when my husband really encouraged me to make the plounge and create my business. I began in weddings in 2020. From Oklahoma, we moved to Kansas City and brought my business with. Kansas City was super welcoming and everyone in the community was wonderful. Our time there was short lived when he accepted another job in Atlanta, Georgia. It was then I officially went the route of destination wedding photographer and service many destinations around the world. Since beginning my photography business, my work has been published in outlets like People Magazine, The Today Show (both of these were for a wedding I captured in Kansas City), Style Me Pretty, Green Wedding Shoes, Loverly, Destination I Do, Brides of Oklahoma, and more.

Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
I don’t think any journey is smooth 100% of the time. Moving to three different states in a very short time makes building up your business in any particular area challenging. I wouldn’t change it though. I really appreciate all the connections I’ve made in each place we’ve lived and know my business wouldn’t be where it is today without them.

Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
I am a destination wedding and editorial photographer based out of Atlanta, Georgia. I specialize in a destination weddings and approach each day in a photo-journalistic way, but add an editorial flair to it. I’m most proud of the relationships I’ve built with my couples and fellow vendors in the industry. I shoot very limited (up to 10) weddings per year, so it’s extremely important for me to connect with my couples and vendor teams. Most of my couples have become dear friends of mine and have asked me back to document different chapters of their lives after their wedding and that’s really special to me. Another thing I am really proud of is what my business gives back to. I am an IVF mom and am so proud of the family my husband and I have built. A portion of each wedding I book goes into a grant fund I created called the Hunter Hennes Photography Family Building Grant. It helps HHP couples, past, present, and future, lessen the financial burden of high medical costs associated with IVF. I want my couples to know that I support them far beyond the wedding day, and that if the need is ever there, that the HHP Family Building Grant is there for them to use as a resource and that the journey of infertility doesn’t have to be done alone. It’s something that is near and dear to my heart and something I am very proud to offer my couples. I think* I am known for being a friendly and encouraging face in the industry, always willing to help where I can. I really try and be a resource to newer photographers and vendors because everyone starts somewhere and asking questions only makes us all better. What sets me apart from others, oh I don’t know. I’m very detail oriented, a bit of a perfectionist, but always have my couples and their best interest in mind. I’ve also been told my outgoing personality and willingness to be flexible to what my couples want sets me apart.

Can you talk to us about how you think about risk?
I think taking risks is huge in business. Any large investment you make during your entrepreneurial journey involves risk. I’ve made many in mine, and while some haven’t been as beneficial as others, they’ve all played an important role in where my business is at today. My dad is a big pusher of “you have to spend money to make money.” Although sometimes it’s hard to bite the bullet in the moment, often times later down the road I see some sort of improvement that I can link back to whatever it was I was biting the bullet on. So it all comes full circle. Risks I’ve taken in my business are things like investing in education, international workshops, networking events, creative projects, outsourcing, all things that I was scared to do in the moment, but am thankful I did down the road.

Pricing:

• My pricing begins at $10,000

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.hunterhennes.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/hunter.hennes
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/hunterhennes
• Other: https://www.pinterest.com/hunterhennes/