Meet Kendrick Shaw | Destination Wedding Photographer

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

Hi Kendrick, can you walk us through the thought-process of starting your business?
When I started my photography business, I was already neck deep into the wedding industry. I began as a floral assistant and project manager for a new floral design company. I enjoyed the wedding industry so much, I knew I found a career in it. Watching teams come together and create a magical day was just so beautiful to be apart of. Watching our couples have the best time in the settings that we created for them gave me the best feeling. When I decided to leave the floral side of the business, I knew for sure I wanted to pursue photography full time. It was my passion, my calling. When I purchased my first camera in 2013, I was hooked and knew I loved the artistry behind photographing and wanted to create a career out of it full time. I had a great support system at the time and my family and friends encouraged me every step of the way.

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.
I look at each wedding and each session as it’s own art collection. I love finding unique ways of highlighting each subject or couple. I try not to make my last wedding look like my next. Each event or wedding is unique for its own traits and they deserve to be highlighted as such. I draw a lot of my inspiration from the talented people I follow on social media. Watching so many creatives constantly creating breathtaking work was a little intimidating at first. I used to think, there’s no way I could ever create work like that, but I quickly learned that comparing is the quickest way to self sabotage. I instead reached out to my favorite artist and decided to work together and draw inspiration from each other. I love it most when creatives get to come together and pull things out of each other that we normally wouldn’t do alone. I create my best work when I have others that think differently than I do and see art from a different perspective. I have a lot of pride for the diversity in my portfolio. Nothing makes me more upset than when I see an artist that i admire and really look up to and go through their portfolio and it’s all just one type of client. There’ is so much beauty in the world and we as artist deserve a chance to expand and challenge ourselves. When i am taken out of my “norm” and given the opportunity to experience and witness new traditions and cultures, is when I’m my happiest and eager to do my best work. That’s why I say yes to traveling to exotic places for destination weddings or why I’m so willing to shoot a 3 day, 32 hour cultural wedding. The challenges create a space for me to really use my creative juices to think outside the box and give my clients something really special to look back on.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
First, I would start the trip in my hometown, Mansfield, Texas. We have a diner called Our Place that has the best southern style breakfast! Next I would take them to Fort Worth. Preferably the historic south side. There’s so much to do now. From a unique pottery class, to learning how to blow glass. They even have a terrarium workshop that teaches you hands on how to create and what are the best plants and organisms to put in your terrarium. They also have a ton of great restaurants. Yucatán Tacos and Brewed are just a couple of my favorites. Next I would travel to Dallas. Show them the city of course. After driving around and looking at all the great, historical buildings like the JFK museum or Cathedral Guadalupe, I’d swing by Deep Elum and eat some more good food ! If you can’t tell, we love to eat. DFW for sure has some of the best food in the country. I would more than likely end the trip in Arlington, Texas and visit the new stadiums and Texas Live. If you ever thought the phrase, everything’s bigger in texas, was a lie, you haven’t seen our new stadiums and entertainment centers in arlington. It’s literally massive and you could easily get lost.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
First, I would have to say my family is my biggest support system. They believed in my dreams before I even knew what they were. From driving across the city to come to my art shows or to purchasing sessions to support my business, they’ve always had my back 100% and weren’t afraid to pull out their pocket book to make sure I was constantly booked and working. Second, I have to thank my mentors, Jodi & Reggie Washington. They completely took me under their wings and taught me all the essentials I needed to know to become a successful AND talented photographer. When I first met them, I was a hot mess. I knew i had the eye for photography but was failing at the technical end. They came together and said, “you’re great but you need some work,” and that’s exactly what we did. We worked and worked and WORKED until I finally got it. They never gave up on me no matter how much attitude and sass I gave. No one starting out wants to hear that they don’t know how to work their equipment but eventually I put my pride aside and I took in all the knowledge they gave and it honestly made me the photographer and business owner I am today. I couldn’t be any more thankful for that tough love.

Website: Kendrickterrellphotography.com
Instagram: Instagram.com/Kendrickterrellphotos
Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/kenkneeterrell
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/kendrickterrellphotography