Meet Jutta Wilberding

Today we’d like to introduce you to Jutta Wilberding. 

Hi Jutta, please kick things off for us with an introduction to yourself and your story.
I am a photographer and blacksmith. In many ways, my “origin story” is like so many others…I first discovered my passion when I was a child, but then it took a few decades, and a couple of life-changing events, to give me the courage to take the leap and try to do something with it. 

I first fell in love with photography when I was about 12 years old. The AV department where my mother worked gave me my first camera and taught me how to develop film in their dark room. (Definitely pre-digital) It was mostly a hobby for 30 years though. Being a professional photographer seemed completely out of reach for me, especially after I had children. It was easier to use a smartphone than carry my camera around. 

To be honest though, fear was really what kept me from seriously pursuing anything with photography. Showing your photographs is literally showing the world what you see. That was terrifying to me. Sometimes though, no matter how much you try to protect yourself, life has a way of getting in. 

Several years ago, my mother was killed in a car accident. Not surprisingly, I was in a pretty deep depression after her death. Photography became a real lifeline. As I went through her things, it was the photographs that meant the most. Photographs bring back the memories and the stories. So, I picked up my camera again, just in my backyard and with my kids. But I started feeling energy and life come back to me. I guess that’s when you know it’s a real passion when it fills you with an energy you can’t find anywhere else. That new energy led me to make some big life changes. Fear of anything, and everything, wasn’t my life’s motivation anymore. When your new motto is “well at least nobody died”, you start to try a lot of new things. 

One of those new experiences was blacksmithing. My son had been taking classes with Jon Reeves, at Combat Ready Art, in Kalamazoo, MI, for over a year. I watched and asked questions during the lessons, but it was really my son’s “thing”. I started photographing some of the bigger classes at the forge, like corporate team-building events. That led to photographing all of the classes. It connected perfectly with how I wanted people to have those photographs to look back on. 

If I was going to be at all of the classes though, I wanted to know what to do, as far as blacksmithing. So, Jon taught me. And now as life and business partners, we each bring our own talents in, and they complement each other. I’m the photographer and manage the office-type things, as well as being an instructor, but Jon is the master blacksmith at the forge. He has over 40 years of experience in blacksmithing. He has an incredible eye for design and talent with working with metal. 

Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall, and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
Oh heavens no! Nothing about my life has been smooth. But it’s all those experiences that help me connect to just about anyone. Whether it’s my photography clients or at the forge, if I can’t relate with actual personal experiences, then I’m so fascinated that I want to learn more. Either way, it leads to connecting with people. 

Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
Going through old photographs also showed me how important it is to be in the picture. I hate getting my picture taken. In my eyes, all I see is stress, stress to have just one nice picture. I know I’m not the only one who feels like this. But I also want everyone to have photographs that they really like. Photos that you aren’t afraid to show. The ones that bring up memories and fun experiences instead of critiques and self-doubt or even shame or trauma. I even have a session called “Out of the Fire”. This is a special session, tailored to people who have overcome a life change, or are still in the process, like divorce, illness, coming out, etc. Looking at photographs from your past can be difficult, and even painful. With “Out of the Fire” sessions, I want you to have new memories to look at. Sessions are scheduled a little longer than normal and are more flexible. They can be a combination of many styles, portraits, family, headshots, events. 

At the forge, I absolutely love it when someone comes in for a class who doesn’t think they will be able to do any of it because within 2 hours, they will have a whole new confidence. People who have never held a hammer before are now working with 2700 fire, and loud grinders with lots of sparks. It’s such an incredible transformation to see! I’ve had that transformation! I’ve never felt more confident than when I learned to weld at the forge! Every woman should learn to weld! 

Let’s talk about our city – what do you love? What do you not love?
I was born in Kalamazoo, went around the world, and came back. I never thought I would end up in Kalamazoo, but now I wouldn’t want to live anywhere else than in Southwest Michigan. Kalamazoo obviously has the taste of city life, albeit small city. But then there are so many little adventures to go on in the area. The magic Capital of the World is less than 45 minutes from Kalamazoo, in Colon. There’s the Ox Festival in Lawrence. You can drive through beautiful vineyards in Paw Paw and Lawton. Of course, the Amish communities throughout the area. Even Al Capone had a presence in the area in Jones. Every small village and town in Southwest Michigan has something unique about it. It’s absolutely worth exploring! 

Contact Info:

• Website: cutlervalleyphoto.com ; combatreadyart.com
• Instagram: @cutlervalley
• Facebook: facebook.com/cutlervalley ; facebook.com/combatreadyart

Image Credits
Jutta Wilberding