Q&A with Caity Wood—Daily Wellness Through Groundedness, Creativity and Boundaries
Photograph by: Caity Wood.
Interview featuring: Caity Wood
Editor: Jeni Fjelstad
Creative Direction: Catie Menke
Caity Wood is a photographer and business owner from Phoenix, Arizona, who believes in grounding herself each morning and empowering clients to capture confident and authentic photos. She is passionate about setting health boundaries for work-life balance and the benefits of nurturing her creative energy.
Some advice from Caity — “I think it's important, especially as the face of your own brand, to set healthy boundaries with your work and allow yourself space to just be you. Identity is huge, and it's important to not put your identity in what you do, but rather who you are.”
We can’t wait to find out her tips for choosing and interacting with photographers, when to say “yes” to new opportunities, and her words of wisdom and encouragement to other young people pursuing their passions.
Photographer and Business Owner
Phoenix, Arizona
When did you first know you wanted to start your photography business? How’d you get there?
When I tell you photography really did choose me, I mean it. :,) As a sophomore in college in the spring of 2019, my roommates and I wanted to start a “prom package” deal doing hair, makeup, and photos for high schoolers to earn some extra money. I picked up my mom's old Nikon camera and started a photography Instagram page, posting photos I took of my friends to market this prom package. That never really took off. However, I began to get inquiries for senior sessions — for which I felt I was in way over my head saying “yes" to — but did anyway! I learned a lot by doing and got a handful of clients that spring from word of mouth and social media. The next year, I studied YouTube videos, took a photography class at GCU, found some mentors, grew my portfolio, invested in new equipment, started my LLC and website Photo x Caity, and watched my business truly take off.
Photograph by: Caity Wood.
How do you prep for a shoot?
To prep for a senior or couples shoot, I will generally scout locations that match my client's vibe and put together mood boards for posing, outfits, and overall aesthetic inspiration.
To prep for larger events, such as weddings, I will schedule a phone call to go over expectations, preferences, shot lists, and timelines with my clients, as well as send them a questionnaire with additional questions regarding family members, the order of events, bridal party names, special requests, and more.
What’s your daily routine? Take us through a day-in-the-life of a photographer.
I have a pretty strict morning routine to start my day: I make my bed, spend time with God, and journal. After that, I create a list of daily intentions and then head up to a coffee shop to get my work done. I'll usually start by checking my email and responding to all my messages and new inquiries. Then, I'll send out invoices, contracts, and booking notifications for all new clients. Next, I'll check on my editing queue and timelines, and will spend the remainder of my morning/afternoon editing galleries and sending the finished ones out. Finally, I'll work on social media content for the galleries I have just completed. I usually make story posts for each session using Canva, and then put together and plan posts using Scrl, Feed Preview, and Instagram. I take the rest of my afternoon to rest, play with my dogs, exercise, or catch up with friends. In the evening, I will head out for my sunset shoot of the day, which is definitely my favorite part! Once I get home, I'll upload all the photos and then log off for the night.
What’s your most innovative or unusual daily habit? How has it helped you?
I think grounding myself in the mornings has helped me immensely. I tend to get easily overwhelmed or anxious looking at a never ending to-do list, and it's easy to slip into total grind mode. However, about a month ago, I started spending my mornings giving God my mind and heart for the day, and it has helped me to relax and enjoy my job so much more.
Where do you find fresh photography ideas? What’s your creative influence?
Photograph by: Caity Wood.
What place does creative energy have in your work? How do you balance your masculine and feminine energies while running a business in a creative field?
I think burnout is the biggest enemy of creativity. To avoid burnout this past year, I started only taking clients and sessions that I truly wanted to work with or on. I wanted to say “yes” to projects I genuinely felt excited to be part of. I feel that my creativity is optimized working with couples, seniors, and brands. So, I started only taking those kinds of sessions.
In between busy seasons, I try to leave space for fun sessions where I can be creative with zero pressure. I'll usually find some models and allow myself to try new things and just create with them. These kinds of sessions are just as important as the paying ones. These inspire me as a creator.
Photograph by: Caity Wood.
How do you uplift your clients to make them comfortable in expressing themselves?
This is my entire mission as a photographer: to serve each client in a way that leaves them feeling confident, beautiful, and authentically captured.
A few ways I accomplish this are by over-communicating with my client so they feel comfortable with my process, sending over inspo boards for visuals and to make sure we are on the same page, and then being their absolute number one hype girl throughout their entire session. I've found that by making the experience fun, lighthearted, and friendly, the client will usually lighten up and feel super comfortable and confident in front of the camera which results in authentic, beautiful photos that capture them as who they truly are.
What tips do you have for someone who’s looking for a photographer? How do they know they’ve found one that’s a good fit?
It totally depends on the kind of session you're booking them for! For example, if you are looking for a wedding photographer to capture your day, you'll want to first find someone who has a portfolio and style you love. Next, you'll want to connect with them to see how timely their communication is, their level of professionalism, and ultimately if you click with them enough to have them third wheel one of the most special days of your life and interact with all your friends and family. Also, feel free to reach out to past clients they've had! There are probably hundreds tagged on their Instagram that would love to share their personal experiences with you.
I think you have found your perfect fit when you love the photographer's work and you also love them. You should feel like you can trust them to be timely and reliable, and like they truly feel passionately about capturing you the way you want to be captured.
What things should a person say to a photographer to make a session go well?
“I trust you.” This is huge. As creatives, we hope that as clients you did your research and hired us because you love our style and what we have created in the past. This will give us a sense of freedom to use our best judgment and create images that you absolutely love.
Photograph by: Caity Wood.
As a successful young person, what words of wisdom and encouragement do you have for not waiting for your dreams to come true?
I think opportunities come in many different forms, all of the time. You don't have to say “yes” to everything. In fact, I've learned that a “no” in the present actually leaves room for a “yes” in the future. You have to decide what opportunities align with your goals and your values and excite you. Whatever you do say “yes” to, do it with the utmost integrity and with excellence. Small opportunities are the doors to bigger opportunities. How you do anything is how you'll do everything.
Photograph by: Caity Wood.
Is there anything else you’d like to add?
I think it's important, especially as the face of your own brand, to set healthy boundaries with your work and allow yourself space to just be you. Identity is huge, and it's important to not put your identity in what you do, but rather who you are — something I wish I would've accepted sooner. Set healthy boundaries with your work-life balance early on to set yourself up for a long-term job you love doing. :)
Also, I would encourage everyone to decide as early on as possible, what their mission, vision, and values are. These will help drive you, and they will be your filter and your measure for success.
Photograph by: Caity Wood.
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