Meet Christina Hutchens | Family Photographer

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

Hi Christina, what do you attribute your success to?
I have always heard the phrase, “Love what you do and you’ll never work a day in your life.” This is 1000% true with my business. It is so much easier to be successful when you love what you do. I still have to pinch myself sometimes that I get to be silly with kids, make people feel good about themselves, have an outlet for my creativity AND get paid for it. It feels like I’m living the dream! I think once you find what your passionate about, it’s so much easier to find success.

Can you give our readers an introduction to your business? Maybe you can share a bit about what you do and what sets you apart from others?
I’m a professional photographer who specializes in family and lifestyle photography. I started this business a few years ago as a way to get out of the house and take a break from mom-life. I love getting to spend time getting to know my clients and make them feel good about themselves while capturing the season of life they’re in. I want my sessions to be laid back and fun so my families can look back on these photos years from now and remember how tiny their child’s hand once was or what it felt like to give Eskimo kisses to their toddler. I think the most sincere compliment I get from my clients is when the dad says something like, “Wow! That wasn’t so bad after all” or “That was actually fun!”

I think the biggest challenge I’ve faced and still continue to face is not having imposter syndrome. I am always my own toughest critic and often times feel like I’m not good enough to be competing in the photographer market DFW has to offer. There are so many amazing photographers right here in North Texas so it’s easy to feel discouraged or wonder if this is the right path for me. Fortunately, I have so many repeat clients who return year after year who help silent this fear and make me realize I’m doing what I love and giving them something special to look back on for many years to come.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
For sure a taco tour would be on the itinerary! We would hit up several local Mexican restaurants and try their signature taco and margarita over the course of several hours. Some for sure spots would be Salsa Limon, Velvet Taco, Ruins, and Manny’s Uptown.

Other restaurants I love are Taverna Rosa, Midici, Big Daddy’s, Shinjuku Station, Ellen’s, Sixty Vines and Legacy Hall. (I’m a foodie so a lot of activities I would want to do include food.)

For kid-friendly activities I would want to go to the Perot Museum in Dallas, have lunch at Klyde Warren Park and visit some waterparks like NRH2O or Epic Waters Indoor Waterpark.

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
My husband is the person who encouraged me most to take a leap and start a business. When I first started photography I did it as a way to get out of the house and have something to do other than tend to my kids. I kept doing photoshoots for friends without expecting compensation. He finally asked me one evening when I was going to actually turn this into a career. He encouraged me to make a website and see where it takes me. I remember feeling totally unsure about all of it, but before I knew it he shared my website on social media so there was no turning back. He has managed to balance his own successful career while cheering me on and being an incredibly involved father to our kids. My schedule isn’t always the easiest- lots of nights and weekends away from my family, yet he makes it look easy to manage all aspects at home while still working long hours at his own job.

Website: www.christinahutchensphotography.com

Instagram: instagram.com/christinahutchensphotography

Facebook: facebook.com/christinahutchensphotography