Meet Caydie McCumber | Commercial Advertising Photographer

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

Hi Caydie, what role has risk played in your life or career?

For me I think the classic saying, “no risk, no reward” holds true. My entire career could be attributed to a healthy dose of risk, albeit calculated. Building a business from scratch means that most of money you earn needs to be redistributed back into marketing and other business expenses one way or another. I started shooting full-time nearly 10 years ago, and since then I’ve had to make a decision with every dollar I’ve earned. For me saving for retirement has taken a back seat to reinvesting my money into portfolio shoots, marketing material, trips to meet with potential clients in different cities, and buying more equipment. I’m taking a risk that the work I put into my career now will pay off and allow me to have a less risky financial future.

Another way to consider the ways I take risks in my career is the work that I shoot. I shoot a lot of personal work. Most of the personal work I shoot is connected off of what resonates with me at the time, and so I have to trust that the work that I’m passionate about shooting for my portfolio is something that will resonate with my target clients (or with clients I’d never considered). Though that feels like less of a game of risk and more like knowing who you are and what you stand for.

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.

Within my career I’ve always prided myself in what I’ve proven myself to be capable of, and I attribute my self confidence in my abilities to growing up with three brothers.  As a kid I followed them everywhere, and wanted to do everything they did. As a result there really isn’t a challenge too big in my mind, in fact I thrive on a challenge. I think this is something that serves me well, it gives me the tenacity to face any barrier or blockade as a freelance artist (of which there are many). I think the photographers who’s careers have lasted decades in this industry are the ones who have been bold and tenacious, and that’s something I’ve always respected and strived towards.

In my own work I see the reflection of all of this influence. I’m often intentionally telling the heroine’s story in my photography. I love photographing women doing powerful things, and traditional gender role reversals also come into play frequently. Ultimately my favorite thing to capture is the feeling of joy. And to me joy can come in the form of laughter, empowerment, and in the moments of quiet.

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?
I’m an east-side girl through and through, so I take anyone who visits to all of my local favorites. Coffee at the General Store is the first stop before walking the Silver Lake Reservoir with my pup, Oso. Other great hikes close by include Elysian Park and Griffith Park. For lunch I love to grab tacos at Home State in Los Feliz or Salazar in Frogtown, and my all time favorite dinner spot is Blair’s on Rowena. Their Bolognese will change your life. If you want to really show someone the heart of Hollywood my favorite way to do it is with a comedy show at The Comedy Store. Though since Covid happened I’ve embraced my inner hermit and have started spending more nights at home, maybe with a few close friends, and I’ve found that to be one of my favorite way to enjoy LA. 🙂

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?
Oh man, this is a hard question as I had help from so many people along the way. Family members who encouraged me to go to college to study fine art photography, teachers who brought me along to assist their commercial shoots, photographers who taught me lighting as an intern, crew I met along the way who referred me for assisting jobs, producers who stuck their neck out for me to get me my early gigs shooting, the crew I now get the privilege of hiring as my assistants and techs (some of whom I’ve known my entire 13 year career), incredible clients who I’ve worked with for years who have been so encouraging of my growth…the list is endless. To mention one person would be a disservice to the many many people who are cycling through my mind right now who have helped me get to where I am in my career. I think that the best thing that I can offer all of them as credit and recognition is to pay it forward.

Website: https://www.caydiemccumber.com

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/caydiemccumber/?hl=en

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/caydiemccumber/

Image Credits
Caydie McCumber