Daily Inspiration: Meet Justin Wright

Today we’d like to introduce you to Justin Wright. 

Hi Justin, we’d love for you to start by introducing yourself
My photography journey started as a teenager. I lived overseas in high school and was lucky enough to travel to several countries in my teens. I started carrying around a clunky film camera on all our family adventures. When I got to college, I took a black and white film class but didn’t start pursuing photography seriously until a few years after college. I have always had several interests and hobbies, but one day I thought it would be a good idea to stop dabbling in so many different things and focus on one…photography. 

I went out and bought the best camera I could afford and took it with me everywhere I went. Any free time or extra money I had went back into photography education and gear. I had a lot of friends who were getting engaged at that time in my life and they would ask me to do their engagement session photos. A few couples took a chance on me and let me photograph their weddings. I quickly fell in love with wedding photography and in 2009 I left my job as a youth minister and launched my photography business. 

We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
I have to admit that for the most part, it has been an incredibly smooth journey. In 2019 I took a job as the Chief State Photographer for Tennessee. It’s basically a fancy title that means I got to follow the governor around and take photos. I stopped booking weddings when I accepted the job, only to resign 3 months later. The people and job were great but it took me away from my family way more than I ever want to be away from them. I basically had to rebuild my wedding photography business in 2019 only to be hit in 2020 with Covid cancelations. It was stressful at the time, but God provided the work I needed to pay my bills and things are back to normal now. 

As you know, we’re big fans of you and your work. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about what you do?
I am mostly known for my wedding photography, but also love working with small businesses and taking portraits of friends in my home studio. 

When I think about what I am most proud of in my career it has less to do with the photos I’ve captured and more to do with the experience I have been able to give to couples on their wedding day. It is such an honor to be asked to photograph a wedding. A couple chooses one day out of their entire lives to celebrate with everyone they love in the world for a few hours at one location, and I get to be there to capture it for them. I spend more time with couples on their wedding day than anyone else. This is a huge opportunity to infuse joy, love, and laughter into their wedding day experience. 

What makes you happy?
There are so many things that make me happy. My Family. Coffee. Dogs. Late-night SATCO after spending all day shooting a wedding. I have so much to be grateful for. 

When it comes to my career, it makes me happy to know I am creating images that will be treasured for generations. It’s difficult as an artist to find opportunities to create something that will carry so much value to others. With wedding photography, I get to do that every time. 

If you lost all of your photos of your loved ones, how much would you pay to get them back? 

You know, over the course of my career I’ve had several clients reach out to tell me that they had a parent or grandparent pass away. The message always comes with a photo I was able to capture of them with that person, and how they will treasure that photo forever. 

These messages always remind me of how powerful and important photography is. 

Contact Info:

• Website: www.justinwrightphoto.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/justinwrightphoto/

Image Credits
Justin Wright