Today we’d like to introduce you to Tammy Rickett.
Hi Tammy, so excited to have you on the platform. So before we get into questions about your work-life, maybe you can bring our readers up to speed on your story and how you got to where you are today?
Ever since I was a little girl, I have loved looking at people’s faces. I enjoyed drawing people and would spend hours doing so. I also used to love looking at the Avon magazines and I especially loved the photos where the eyes sparkled with the catchlights. I had never seriously thought of becoming a photographer.
Although in Jr High, I had a point-and-shoot camera, and I had some fun taking pictures with it. One time, I had a friend act as a model for me. I did her hair and makeup and put her in a fancy dress. I thought my lovely floral curtains would make a great backdrop! I got the pictures back, and it was completely off-center. I was so discouraged. Any thoughts of being a professional photographer went out the window.
After my first year of college, I needed employment. I answered an ad for a receptionist at a photo studio. It was for the company that does school photos. Luckily, I got the job, and this job changed my life. At first, all I did was call and confirm appointments, but as the summer ended and the new school year was about to begin, they needed school photographers. I told my boss that I wanted to be a photographer. He laughed at me. The camera and lighting equipment weighed a ton and the workdays included early mornings. I was a scrawny 19-year-old who hated mornings, but he agreed to let me try it out.
I was the only newly hired photographer to last the whole season. At the end of the school season, it was Christmas season, and so I transferred over to another division of the company and started doing family and children’s portraits. I loved it! One job led to another and then to another. I started photographing weddings, mainly for friends at first, but I enjoyed doing them and gained a lot of experience from it.
In 2007, I officially became licensed and opened up my own photography business. I feel so lucky to be able to do something that I love and that allows me to also be a mom to three wonderful children. Two of those three children are all grown up and I’ve been doing photography for over 25 years now. Time flies!
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?
The hardest thing for me when I first started taking pictures of people, was getting over my shyness. In high school, I was the kid in the back of the class trying to hide behind my books and hoping the teacher wouldn’t call on me.
Back then if you had told me that I would regularly stand in front of a group of people and tell them to LOOK at me and SMILE at me, I would have laughed so hard I would’ve peed my pants! But, that’s what I do. Along with posing people, I tell them to look at me and I do my best to get them to do a natural smile.
Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
I specialize in portraiture. I really enjoy photographing people. I have tried landscapes and I suck at it! But give me a person and I love looking at them and seeing what angle will work best to photograph them. Everyone has beauty, and I love finding it.
What quality or characteristic do you feel is most important to your success?
I am a life-long learner. I love to learn new things and I am always looking for new things to try out not only in photography but in life as well. Creating makes me happy. I also love connecting with people and finding humor in most situations.
Contact Info:
- Email: rickettphotography@gmail.com
- Website: http://www.rickettphotography.com
- Instagram: @t.rickett.photo
- Facebook: Rickettphoto
