Conversations with Judith Hill

Today we’d like to introduce you to Judith Hill.

Hi Judith, 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?
I’m a portrait photographer in Nashville. I picked up a camera for the first time at age 29. At that time in my life, I did not feel seen or valued, and we always seek out in others what we seek in ourselves. So I picked up a camera to see. I knew I had an eye. I just needed to learn all the tools. And once I started photographing people, I started to see myself in others. And when I figured out that I could hold space and provide an experience for women that would capture the most gorgeous image they have ever seen of themselves, there’s was no turning back because I knew that experience was having a ripple effect in their life. And that’s how we impact and change the world – one person at a time.

Also believe that the greatest gift I can give another human is seeing them, honoring them and showing back to them who they truly are. I told my fiancé on our first date- “I see people as they truly are which is very different than how they see themselves. Then I capture it show it back to them.”

My team and I do that by providing professional hair and makeup with up to four outfit changes and those outfits are photographed on different backdrops and lighting scenarios, just like a celebrity in a magazine. Women will bring in lingerie, jeans, up to glam outfits. For Personal Branding session, men and women will bring 3-4 different looks to elevate their brand in the marketplace.

So we focus on Contemporary Portrait, Glam and Boudoir, and Personal Branding in my gorgeous studio located in Marathon Village.

As I mentioned, I wasn’t always a photographer. I came to Nashville by way of working for Governor Bredesen in economic development. I had 14 years career in economic development for the Nashville Region before opening my portrait studio full time. I worked at the Nashville Chamber for 11 years helping mid-to-large size companies expand and relocate to our city. I loved that job and the people I worked for but I also knew that I couldn’t continue serving two masters. Photography was a serious side hustle for about four years while working at the Chamber. It wasn’t fair to both pursuits and I had to follow my passion for others and my craft. I opened my studio full-time in 2018, and it has been a beautiful, fearful, joyful and rewarding ride ever since.

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?
There have been challenges as a business owner and an artist.

The first one that comes to mind is navigating how much to charge and when to raise prices. Also understanding your own worth and the value that you offer. Worth and value are tied to your pricing and how you speak about your business. Those are some big ones to face. Another one is building resilience against your own humanity….we are deeply afraid of failure and rejection. Tie those fears to the art you make and it can become a challenge to keep going at times. Resilience is key.

Those are a few of the bigger blocks that I had smash through. Productivity and time management can also be a challenge for a creative brain who is running a business, but I’m getting the hang of that! The thing about time is that you can never get it back. You can recover and make more money but time is life’s one true currency. Learning to overcome the overwhelm by balancing time to accomplish goals in business and in life has been a focus of mine since I opened my business. This can be a challenge for most people. I’ve been teaching myself about time blocking and breaking down goals into actionable steps. I’ve been implementing tools that have helped me tremendously, and I’m excited about my progress. Yay me! 🙂

And because there are going to be ups and downs, I am very grateful to have positive, supportive people in my life. From a business standpoint, it’s great to have community and network. I’m in a very supportive women’s entrepreneurship community and an international photography community where the goal is to elevate everyone and the craft of photography. Those organizations are BrainTrust and Sue Bryce Education.

Whether you are in business or not, you will face obstacles and challenges in life. When I face any obstacle or challenge, it has helped me to break it down and focus at one thing at a time. Lean on my communities for support and shift my focus to solutions and not into drama. If you want to change your life, change your habits, your thoughts, and shift your energy to focus on service of others, and that shift will change your actions. Then enjoy what shows up for you.

Thanks – so what else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?
I am a portrait photographer and artist. My business is the business of celebrating lives and building confidence.

We do this with contemporary makeovers and a photoshoot experience like a celebrity in a magazine.

We offer professional hair and makeup and multiple outfit changes then photograph you against different backdrops and use different lighting setups throughout the shoot.

I offer four types of sessions:

1. The makeover photoshoot that is a one-on-one session. Anything from lingerie to jeans to full glam. It’s your day and it’s all about you. The shoot is based on you, how you would like to be photographed and who you would like to be photographed with.

2. Or you can make it a girl’s day out that you share with your mom, girlfriends, sisters or you can make it a generation shoot.

3. Headshots and Personal Branding for men and women to elevate their brand and self-image. You can replace the word brand with reputation or legacy. Your brand is what people say about you when you’re not around and marketing is what you do about it. The quickest way to get noticed is to update your profile. We are meeting people for the first time online so it’s important to put the best version of yourself out there.

I started my business because I wanted to photograph anyone who ever looked in the mirror and felt like not enough. I believe a portrait session is more than taking pretty pictures of my clients. It is a place to feel seen and heard; a place of self-discovery and place to have fun. It has the power to awaken your confidence and transform the way you see yourself. Watching women discover parts of themselves by seeing it reflected back to them in a photograph while allowing them to fall in love with who they truly are, ignited a passion in me to help every single woman reconnect with who they are. And that’s what we do at Judith Hill Photography and that what sets me apart and what I’m most proud of.

What are your plans for the future?
I’m focused on growing my portrait studio and mastering my craft. I love creating composite art and I intend on putting more focus there.

The most exciting at this moment is my 40 Over 40 project for women. I’m searching for 40 women who are at least 39 – 65+ who would like to empower themselves through a contemporary portrait session. I turned 40 this year and I want to celebrate other women my age and beyond.

I want to empower each of these women to see in them what I see and celebrate the confidence and self-discovery which occurs when you find your own power and grace staring back at you.

I want to start a conversation around the beauty of aging and change the way the world sees and hears us. The project will wrap early next year and be celebrated with a book and party. You can find more information about that at www.judithhillphotography.com/40-over-40-project.

Contact Info:

• Email: hello@judithhillphotography.com
• Website: www.judithhillphotography.com
• Instagram: www.instagram.com/judithhillphoto/
• Facebook: www.facebook.com/JudithHillPhotography

Image Credits
All images were taking by me, Judith Hill, even my own headshot.