Rising Stars: Meet Hillary VanGuilder of Duluth

Today we’d like to introduce you to Hillary VanGuilder.

Hi Hillary, it’s an honor to have you on the platform. Thanks for taking the time to share your story with us – to start, maybe you can share some of your backstories with our readers.
I grew up with love for the camera! My Grandma was known as “Grandma Flash” because she was always taking pictures, and some of my favorite memories are looking at her photos and reminiscing with her and Grandpa. It wasn’t long before I became obsessed with those little disposable cameras; I’d bring them everywhere! I was always too impatient to wait very long, so I would bring them to the 1-hour photo to get them back immediately to show off to friends and family. My parents got me my first digital camera for graduation. While I swore I wanted to be a landscape photographer, I created my own Studio in my house and started playing around with portraits of people. I completely fell in love with it! After starting and quitting a couple of other programs in college, I realized perhaps I should go for my true passion! I started at Lake Superior College, where I got my AA degree. I eventually went on to the University of Wisconsin Superior, where I got a Bachelor of Fine Arts focusing on Photography. While still in school, I started a business with my Brother, who also grew interested in photography. We started doing all kinds of photos from Graduation photos, baby photos, families, boudoirs, and even weddings. Friends of friends were willing to take a chance on us even though we were still pretty new, and I am super thankful for that. Weddings quickly became my favorite! It’s always such a whirlwind of a day, and I loved that I was able to capture it so that the couples could go back and see everything that happened on their day. After a couple of years, my brother got an awesome job that he couldn’t pass up, so I went out on my own as Hillary Joy Photography. Soon after, I moved to Georgia for 7 years, where I continued to photograph mostly big weddings both for myself and second shooting for other photographers, but after a few years, I was starting to feel a little burnt out. All these big southern church or barn weddings started to feel similar to me. I started feeling like some were just about the show and how they could one-up their friends. I am not saying they were all like this, but just seeing all the money going into this one day’s production made me feel a bit weird. Finally, I got to photograph a couple of very intimate backyard weddings, which changed things for me. I realized that this was so much more than my scene. The love and authenticity in these smaller weddings were undeniable, and I had the opportunity to connect with my clients on a deeper level and be much more creative. Not long after, Covid hit, and as we all know, Weddings took a big hit! I was spending a lot of time outdoors during that time as that has always been another passion, and that was the one place I could go. Eventually, I came across some photos of Adventure Elopements on Instagram, and it hit me! Wait, this is a thing?

Could I be doing this? I could travel and photograph a small intimate wedding ceremony out in my very favorite place: Nature!? I changed my business immediately to Joy & Wander Photography. Without hesitation, I knew this was the direction I needed to go. I even decided to move back to Minnesota and buy myself a Camper to live in full-time so that I could travel anywhere I wanted to! So that’s what lead me here! Now I am living in my little 22ft. camper in my parent’s yard in the summers here in Minnesota, and I am out traveling in warmer places during the winter. I fell in love with Arizona, which is my primary winter location!

We all face challenges, but looking back, would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
It has not been a smooth road. I have never been as fully booked as I want because, as an artist, I struggle with the business side of things!! Marketing myself has always been the hardest part. Having to sell me just feels icky to me. I just want to do what I love, and I honestly wish I could do it for free!! Not quite how the world works, as I have to eat and pay the bills just like everyone else. Haha! Running a legitimate business is incredibly expensive and takes up all your time. It also feels a bit like being Photographer as a profession is starting to be downplayed in society. Nowadays, it seems like everyone is a “Photographer,” with good cameras being more accessible and even cellphone cameras becoming pretty amazing. Still, a select few go through all the hoops to be a legitimate business. There is so much more to it than clicking a button and taking a few pretty photos.

Thanks – so, what else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?
I specialize in Adventure Elopements and helping couples create a unique experience about themselves and their love for one another! Society has laid out what it thinks weddings should be over the years, but I’m here to give couples the space to instead commit their lives to one another on their terms, whether with a small group of friends and loved ones or just the two of them. Not everyone is up for that big party and standing up in front of a bunch of people (half of whom you don’t know), and I think it’s super important that they are given permission to do something a little different if that is better suits them. As an introvert, this smaller setting also allows me to better connect with my couples and get to know them so that I can really make a point to capture their day in a way that is truly meaningful to them.

Is there any advice you’d like to share with our readers who might just be starting?
This job is a constant learning opportunity! Try out all types of photography, find what you are truly passionate about and run with it!! Sometimes that can take years, but be true to yourself and don’t just follow the trends. Also, never stop learning from those making it and doing what you want.

Pricing:

• Starts at $3400 for US elopements
• Starts at $6500 for international elopements

Contact Info:

• Website: www.joyandwander.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/joyandwander/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/joyandwander
• Other: https://www.pinterest.com/joyandwander  

 

Image Credits
Photograph of me photographing couple with horse was taken by Kayla Morse.