Today we’d like to introduce you to Joshua Fuchcar.
Hi Joshua, 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 backstory with our readers?
I was born in Romania, adopted at the ripe old age of two, and brought to Middle Tennessee in 1996. Some say I’ve always enjoyed being the center of attention. I like to think it was less about attention and more about curiosity. Even as a kid, I couldn’t help but look at things from unusual angles, twist them around in my head, and try to figure out how they worked or why they mattered. I was drawn to novelty, to moments and details that felt different from the everyday.
That restless curiosity had its downsides. I had a hard time sticking to one thing for long. Procrastination was a familiar companion. When I was old enough to work, job-hopping became my way of searching for the right fit. I managed a landscaping company, did delivery work, and for a while, I worked in mortuary transport, a job where people were literally dying to see me. It gets a laugh, but each of those jobs taught me something about people, pressure, and what I did not want for the rest of my life.
My introduction to photography happened in a way I never could have planned. My girlfriend at the time, now my wife of four years, Rachel, had an old Minolta X-700 that didn’t work. She told me if I could fix it, I could keep it. I had it repaired, bought an embarrassing number of film rolls, and started carrying it everywhere. From the first roll I developed, I was hooked. Freezing the exact thing my novelty-seeking brain focused on felt like magic.
It was not long before I bought a cheap DSLR from McKay’s and started bringing it with me on delivery routes. I would pull over to photograph interesting streets, textures, or light. I took it on trips, to family gatherings, even on our honeymoon, much to the annoyance of everyone around me. I did not care. I loved it. It was as if my eyes had been seeing the world one way my whole life, and now I had a way to keep what they found.
After a few years, a professional photographer friend complimented my work and told me I had a unique eye. That encouragement planted a seed. I was still stuck in a corporate job that was draining the life out of me, and the thought that my creative instincts might be worth pursuing started to grow. Eventually, I decided I could not keep going through the motions. I quit, to my wife’s cautious dismay, and launched Exposure Essence.
I began under what I thought would be a long-term mentorship with a veteran photographer. That ended quickly when she told me, in no uncertain terms and insultingly, that I was not good enough to go professional and would not be for a long time. It was crushing to hear, but it also became the fuel I needed. I realized I wanted to do this work not because someone told me I could, but because someone told me I could not.
I went all in. I took on low-cost weddings and family sessions to gain experience. I kept my camera with me everywhere. I learned through YouTube, trial and error, and advice from professionals who were willing to share. I tried everything to see what worked. I upgraded my gear twice and discovered videography, which opened up an entirely new way for me to tell stories.
Nearly three years in, I run Exposure Essence with a two-part focus: photography for families, weddings, and individuals, and high-quality content creation for commercial clients who need their work and brand captured in an authentic way. The name started as a pun, but it has become my philosophy. I aim to expose the essence of people, businesses, and moments worth remembering.
I am not interested in chasing trends or producing cookie-cutter work that could have been shot by anyone. My style focuses on novelty, raw emotion, overlooked moments, and memories worth holding onto. It is not always the polished, picture-perfect version of a person or place. It is the truest version I can find, and that is what makes it worth capturing.
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
No, it has not been a smooth road. If anything, it has been a series of jolts, potholes, and moments where I wondered if I was out of my depth entirely.
One of the hardest early challenges was the mentorship I mentioned before. I went into it thinking it would grow me, challenge me, and maybe even lead to taking over a well-established business someday. Instead, it became a daily reminder of my supposed inadequacy. I was being held to the standard of a ten-year veteran, even though I was just getting my bearings on editing and post-processing. Every interaction felt like I was being spoken down to. It was not just disheartening, it was offensive. Eventually, I had to get out before it drained the last bit of confidence I had. Leaving even escalated to the threat of a lawsuit, which never amounted to anything, but the fact that it happened at all made me question myself in ways I never had before.
Then there was the issue of client acquisition. Everyone says you have to “pay your dues,” but no one tells you how to graduate from the family-and-friends-discount stage to actually charging what your work is worth. I learned quickly that it is not always what you know, but who you know, and just as importantly, what you bring to the table beyond the craft. There are plenty of talented creatives out there. Standing out meant realizing people do not just want a service. They want a relationship. Families do not want to see a stiff version of themselves that looks like it came from a stock photo catalog. They want to be seen. They want someone who notices the real moments, the quiet laughs, the way a child looks at their parent. As my business name implies, everyone and everything has an essence. If I can capture that, not just a technically good shot but something that lasts, that is where the work becomes more than just a transaction.
Another difficulty was the financial reality of starting with no backup plan. I jumped into this business jobless, thinking we were stable enough for Rachel to stop working. She quit her job, and almost immediately everything shifted. To keep the bills paid, I took whatever I could find. That meant bounce house deliveries on the weekends, brush clearing during the week, and even selling plasma. It was rough, but it lit a fire under me to get better quickly. I often say, half-joking but mostly serious, “The things I have stuck to the longest have been my wife and my photography.” That is still true. I have built something sustainable, and the blood, sweat, and tears have been worth it. They continue to be.
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 run Exposure Essence, a photo and video business based in Middle Tennessee. On one side, I work with families, couples, and individuals, capturing everything from weddings to everyday moments that deserve to be remembered. On the other side, I partner with businesses to create high-quality visual content for websites, social media, and marketing. My work is evenly split between personal storytelling and professional brand storytelling, and in both cases, my goal is the same: to capture the truth of what is in front of me.
When I say truth, I mean the moments that feel alive. For families, that might be a quiet glance between a parent and child or a laugh that comes out of nowhere. For businesses, it could be the way a team interacts when they are in their element, doing what they do best. I am not interested in overly staged, trend-chasing work that could belong to anyone. I want my clients to be able to look at the final product and see themselves in it, not just a polished version of themselves that exists only for marketing.
My style was born out of street photography, so raw, unscripted moments are the pinnacle of what I do. Over the years my work has been described as rule breaking, authentic, imaginative, and while unorthodox, somehow future proof. I do not aim to be hired because I am a photographer or videographer. I aim to be hired for my eye, my unconventional approach, and the vision I bring to every project.
On top of that, I make it a priority to be accessible and relatable. For my commercial clients, I want to feel like I have been part of their business for years. For weddings, I want to feel like a longtime friend who just happens to have a camera. For individuals and families, I want them to know that I truly see them. It is never about creating a final product that looks like everything else. It is about delivering something that looks like them.
Everyone is unique, so their media should be too. The world is saturated with recycled trends, patterns, and cookie cutter models. I do not work that way. I want to bring out an experience and an outcome that feels authentic, that has staying power.
Take weddings as an example. Everyone knows the classic wedding photos, and those can be and often are beautiful. But my fear is that they end up locked in an album on a shelf, only pulled out every few years for a quick “these are nice” moment. My hope is that my work transports people back not just to how things looked, but to how they felt. I want someone to look at their photos or video years later and feel the rush of the day, the atmosphere, the little things that would have faded without being captured.
That is what sets me apart. I am not here to give you what you have already seen a hundred times. I am here to show you what you will want to see a hundred times more.
So, before we go, how can our readers or others connect or collaborate with you? How can they support you?
The easiest way to work with me is to start a conversation. That can be through my website, by email, or even a direct message on social media. I like to keep the process human and approachable. Whether someone is planning a wedding, wants family photos that feel like them, or needs brand content for their business, the first step is always the same. We talk about what matters most to them, what they hope the end result will feel like, and what makes this project important in the first place. From there, I build a plan that fits their needs, not just a preset package.
For example, if I am working with a business, I might spend a day with their team to see their workflow, talk with them about what they want their audience to understand, and pick out moments that show their strengths. With families, I might spend a morning in their home or join them for an outing so I can capture the little in-between moments they would never think to ask for but will treasure forever. With weddings, I might arrive early to catch the behind-the-scenes details that most couples never see because they are caught up in the whirlwind of the day. Every project is different, and I want the process to reflect that.
Collaboration is another big part of what I do. I am open to partnering with other creatives, business owners, or organizations on ideas that push beyond the usual. That could mean teaming up with a marketing agency to provide visuals for a campaign, working with a nonprofit to tell a story that sparks support, or joining forces with another artist to blend styles into something unique. The only requirement is that the collaboration serves the story we are trying to tell and feels authentic to the people involved.
Supporting my work does not always have to mean hiring me. Sharing my work with friends or colleagues, tagging Exposure Essence when you post images or videos I have created, and recommending me when you hear someone looking for what I do all have an incredible impact. Word of mouth is one of the most powerful tools for a small business, and I do not take those referrals for granted. Even following along on social media and engaging with my posts makes a difference. Every like, comment, and share increases the chances that my work will connect with someone new.
What I want people to know is that working with me is not just about getting a set of deliverables. It is about creating something that matters to you and that you will actually want to revisit for years to come. My commercial clients have told me that I felt like part of their team by the end of a project. My wedding couples often say they were surprised by how many moments I caught that they did not even remember happening. Families I have worked with have told me their kids were completely comfortable and themselves in front of me, which is not something you hear every day. Those are the kinds of experiences I want to keep creating.
If you are looking for a photographer or videographer who will bring more than just technical skill, someone who will invest in your story, tailor the process to you, and work to make sure you see yourself in the final product; then I would love to talk.
Pricing:
- Weddings- 8hrs 2 photographers, ~2500 depending on addons
- Individuals – Starting at $120 and up depending on scope, time commitment and goals
- Commercial- Month to month can start as low as $1000 and up depending on how much content one might need.
- Real estate – Starts around ~$200 for photos, and scales by home size and content needs
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.exposureessence.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/exposure_essence_photography
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ExposureEssencePhotography
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/exposure-essence
