Meet Monica Hunter | Photographer

We had the good fortune of connecting with Monica Hunter and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Monica, is there a quote or affirmation that’s meaningful to you?
do it with love

Before I was a professional photographer working in the DFW area and before I graduated from what is now East Texas A&M with a Bachelors degree in photography, I was a teenager taking my first photography class in high school…excited to learn about traditional analog processing and printing black and white film.

Class handouts were function-based, with lists of pertinent facts of f-stops and chemical reminders mixed with personal advice from a then-newish but later extremely revered and beloved photography teacher, Dan Regalado. On many of the handouts, on the whiteboard, often spoken was the affirmation “Do it with love.” A little high-school-edgy entendre that made students giggle initially…and advice many of us who took his class continue to live by.
Do everything with love. Give your heart into what you do, and the gaps fill in.
Don’t lose your focus and miss the point.
Do it with love.

Can you open up a bit about your work and career? We’re big fans and we’d love for our community to learn more about your work.
Photography is an industry that has drastically changed throughout my career. My first weddings were photographed on film – not because it was trendy or cool, but because professional digital photography was newish. Social media wasn’t a thing outside of colleges.

Adapting to the continual change comes with the territory of running a successful photography business. Adapting as needed… while holding true to a few cornerstones that do seem to set me apart from contemporaries. I base my business on referrals and don’t advertise. I like that my clients are extended branches of families or friends of friends of friends. I stay busy and hungry and always learning, but I don’t have a public social media presence.

The style I tend to describe my work as leans to a mix of traditional and playful documentary, that latter of which seems to be having a moment of popularity. Trends in photography shift, how a photographer tells the story shifts, but a viewer will always want two things – to know what things looked like…and to know what things felt like. I try to answer these questions with every session, no matter what type of session it is.

I am so lucky to get to do what I do.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
White Rock Lake and Grapevine Lake have tons of waterfront wandering spots
Parks – in Highland Park – turtle creek park, prather/davis, lakeside park

live music in LOTS of places in Dallas, Arlington and Fort Worth
museums and gallery district in Dallas, Arlington and Fort Worth
shopping at Northpark or the Galleria or at shops in Bishop Arts or Highland Village or Southlake

plus MUCH LOVE to the suburbs and sports teams (go Texas Rangers! They and Hurtado Barbecue or JGilligans or several other spots in Arlington) and special places there…

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
First, I must mention my Clients – some of whom I’ve photographed for over decades. They trust me to document their most special moments, their everyday moments and their full and beautiful lives. It’s an honor I don’t take lightly. I am so thankful for their trust and for letting me be a witness to their lives.

My mom and sister (and my brother in law and my nephew and niece) have helped me with referrals, filling in as test models and with general and practical and valuable life support.

My Dad believed in me, even though he didn’t quite understand why I wanted to be a photographer instead of an engineer.

The team of educators – Dan Regalado who ignited and nurtured the idea of being a photographer, Bill McDowell and Stan Godwin who focused that idea, and teams of adjuncts like Lupita Murrillo Tinnen who brought their unique perspectives from the industry.

Website: https://monicahunterphoto.com

Instagram: @monicahunterphoto

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/monicahunterphotography

Image Credits
Monica Hunter