Community Highlights: Meet Amanda Valkier of Creative Capture Photography

Today we’d like to introduce you to Amanda Valkier.

Hi Amanda, we’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
Creative Capture Photography is based in Grand Rapids, Michigan. Photography is my passion. Ten years ago, I bought my first DSLR and fell in love! I haven’t put my camera down since and now I feel so honored to be photographing for others and helping them create their own memories. Trust and friendship is the foundation of my business. All of creation is beautiful and full of wonders, and it is my passion and calling to recognize and creatively capture that beauty in such a way that the viewing audience would also be captivated and drawn to the image. Indeed, I want images to bring about positive emotions and allow the viewer to relive past events as well as imagine new ones. Our innate talent is also a gift through which I would like to provide services and products that will last for generations. I aim is to become an example of doing business with the highest level of integrity; good communication is one of the key tools that helps me achieve this end, that’s why I am always available to take your call or answer an email. Creative Capture Photography’s success is measured when past clients become our best representatives; the many stories of clients who were well satisfied in the past are our tribute and key motivation to strive to do better. In 2023, I reached another amazing part of my journey as a photographer and opened my own studio close to Downtown Grand Rapids. 

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?
Photography is so much more than just picking up a camera and snapping a photo. A photographic artist must possess a profound understanding of lighting, composition, and the intricacies of post-processing techniques. You also, however, need a deep understanding of color, perspective, weight, composition, design, line, the behavior of your medium, and often, the very structure or anatomy of the objects or people in your work. Learning these things all took a great deal of time, and I am always learning. The photography world is also a very competitive business; every social media post where an individual is looking for a photographer has easily sixty-plus comments from other great photographers looking to capture the client’s attention. I have come to the place in my career where I can say that my past clients and my work speak for themselves, and I get most of my future clients from recommendations. 

Appreciate you sharing that. What should we know about Creative Capture Photography?
Creative Capture Photography is really a company built on the blood, sweat, tears, and dreams of everything I am passionate about. What sets me apart from others in the community of photographers in Grand Rapids and in Michigan is the one-on-one relationship I build with each of my clients. I thrive to get to know the person/people I am working with before I jump behind the camera and start working. I want to know the love story of the couple that is getting married or the most recently engaged. I want to know the dreams and ambitions of the models who are working to build their portfolios so that I can help them bring their visions to life. I could easily say that I am most proud of my equipment, my studio, or my brand, but I am honestly the most proud of the relationships I have built over the last 10 years. My clients always come back, and that is what makes Creative Capture Photography what it is. In the last 10 years, I can say I have taken engagement pictures, wedding pictures, newborn pictures, first birthday pictures, Easter, and Christmas pictures all for the same family, and they come back time and time again. Not only because my work is great but because we have built a relationship with each other. 

In terms of your work and the industry, what are some of the changes you are expecting to see over the next five to ten years?
In the next 5-10 years, I see the photography industry becoming more competitive and trends in newer photographers offering low prices that seasoned photographers just can’t match. The clients don’t often see work behind the scenes after the photoshoot is finished. In some cases, there are hours and hours of editing that take place. For example, for an 8-hour wedding, a photographer can spend 40+ hours going through the process of getting the couple back their final images. A less experienced photographer will lower the price to make close cents on the dollar an hour. 

Contact Info:

• Website: https://creativecapturephotographygr.com
• Instagram: @CreativeCaptureGR
• Facebook: facebook.com/CreativeCaptureGR