Today we’d like to introduce you to Hannah Wells.
Hi Hannah, so excited to have you with us today. What can you tell us about your story?
I am Hannah Wells and I have run Hannah Korte Photography for over 10 years now in the Metro Detroit area. I am a photographer, retoucher, and assistant photographer. I have always enjoyed being creative and taking photos, but I really started to take photography seriously in High school when I was working on the yearbook, which led to me doing my fellow classmates’ senior photos. That’s when I realized I could actually make a career out of it and I started my journey applying for colleges, which I ended up sending me to the College for Creative Studies in Detroit! There I met so many people that I continue to work with today and have taught me so much. Since graduating I have continued to assist as well as work on my own doing all sorts of projects and photographing wonderful people!
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?
It has not always been a smooth road. One of the first big “fork in the road” moments that I encountered was deciding to take the leap in to being a full-time photographer. I was not happy in my “normal job” and I couldn’t take on photography jobs I really wanted because of the normal job. Both areas were suffering, and by taking the leap to full-time photographer I was also cutting off my access to a fairly consistent paycheck. Was it a huge paycheck? No, but it was guaranteed money in my bank account every two weeks and that was officially gone once I quit. It is a daunting decision, but ultimately one that needed to happen. And even 10 years later, it is still difficult not having a consistent paycheck. You have to constantly be marketing yourself as well as practicing your skills. Especially with the rise in AI people are choosing to go the AI route than hire professional artists/creatives and that is yet another hurdle to overcome on the journey of full-time business owner and creative!
Thanks – so what else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?
As far as my work goes, I try to do a little bit of everything to be honest! It keeps me learning new skills and having to problem solve in different ways which I think helps me improve day by day. However, while I photograph weddings, families, event. headshot’s, high school seniors, etc. as well as assist other photographers, some of my favorite photoshoots are with graduating seniors and couples! There is usually such an exciting energy there since typically during these shoots, it’s a time of transition to a different part of life for the people I’m photographing, and there is something exciting about it. With that being said, some of the work I am most proud of is my creative portraiture. I have not been able to do that in a while, but there is just something magical about having a weird idea in your head and making it come to life in an image right in front of you!
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?
The huge shift in the industry right now is the use of AI and it infiltrates basically every aspect of photography/art right now. There is such a big push for everyone to use it, and I personally feel like it’s devaluing the process of making art/photographs. I know people, me included, have lost many jobs and have been replaced by AI. Can it be a really great tool? Absolutely! I think there is so much potential for AI to be a useful tool, but I don’t think that is what it’s being used for at the moment. It’s being used as a way to cut real people out of things that need that human touch. With all of that being said, I don’t know what the photography industry looks like 5-10 years from now. It feels like it might be less authentic, but I’m hopeful that people as a whole will feel the value of real images and art and choose the less artificial route.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://Hannahkortephotography.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/hannah_korte_photography/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/HannahKortePhotography
- Other: https://www.tiktok.com/@hannah_korte_photo
