Daily Inspiration: Meet Kendra Wiebke

Hi Kendra, please kick things off for us with an introduction to yourself and your story.
I started my photography journey when I was in my early teens. My dad had recently bought an SLR camera and I fell in love with the sound it made. I just had to use it. He never got it back. Since then, I’ve taken photography classes and taught photography classes but never thought about making it a professional gig.

Even after a delightful trip to Teton National Park where I woke up every day to catch the sunrise with my new digital SLR camera, my mother commented that if I was that committed I should do something with it. At the time, I thought getting paid to do this thing I loved would ruin it. (She was right, of course, as mothers tend to be). Over the years, I thought more and more about it and am finally now coming to a point where I think that yes, I would like to do more withthis.

I’m still on that journey towards that goal as it’s not easy putting yourself out there with your art and with so much competition. Though I do believe in the saying “a rising tide lifts all boats” and there is a place for everyone, right now I’m focusing on taking more photos with the intent that they’ll be shared with a broader audience and not just for me to show to friends.

We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
Not a smooth road at all! Or even a constant one. The most challenging part for me has been getting past my mental hurdles.

I feel like I’m not good enough, don’t have enough time (doing photography around a full-time job does not help this lie of a feeling), and like there’s nothing I have to say.

Giving yourself grace and remembering everything has seasons has helped me. I always remind myself that even just picking up a cameraand taking a photo or editing 1 photo is enough sometimes. It doesn’t have to be full throttle every day.

Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know about your work?
I’m a landscape and travel photographer, just starting in the world of professional photography.

In the last few years, I’ve mostly done Colorado features with a few other US locations thrown in. I’m most proud of the photos I took in Kebler Pass and how far I’ve come with photo editing.

I think one thing that sets me apart is giving the photo a feeling as though you (the viewer) are standing right there with me; that if you were to go to that exact spot in real life, you wouldn’t be surprised or let down that the view doesn’t match what you saw.

Can you tell us more about what you were like growing up?
I was an adventurer from the start. My parents are a large part of why as they took my brother and me camping all over the West when we were young (and they still take us camping though there’s a broader range of places). I loved exploring and playing outside, collecting rocks, and pointing out cool birds – and every single horse I saw.

As I got older I got into writing and took lots of creative writing courses.Soon after I commandeeredmy father’s camera and it seemed a natural extension of my creativity. When I wasn’t doing those activities, I could be found reading. I liked reading nearly everything but found particular joy in historical fiction, fantasy, and mysteries.

Every summer my cousins and I would visit our aunt and uncle in Texas and spend our days roller coaster riding, soaking in the sun on their boat, going as fast as we could on jet skis, and having general summer fun. My wanderlust only increased and upon high school graduation I took my first international trip to Europe for 2 weeks.

When I was little I wanted to be a vet. As a teen, I wanted to be a journalist or maybe a novelist. In college, I tried journalism classes, marketing classes, and creative writing classes. While I’ve completely moved away from being a vet, I do use a bit of the rest in my life nowadays.