Meet Tracie Smith-Hughes | Photographer

We had the good fortune of connecting with Tracie Smith-Hughes and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Tracie, can you walk us through the thought-process of starting your business?
My process wasn’t so methodical or thought out, it kind of organically happened. I’ve always been a photographer. I’ve had a camera on my hands on one form or another since I was a child. I started in the photography world as a concert photographer, primarily documenting the punk/ska and hardcore scene on the east coast back in the mid to late 90’s. Back then, film was the only medium and I learned how to shoot in clubs and concert halls. At some point in my journey, I picked up wedding photography, did a few hand fulls of weddings and honestly enjoyed it. At some point I stopped pursuing photography and fell into a career as a paralegal after putting myself through college for a second time and looking at photography as nothing more than a passion project. Fast forward to Christmas 10 years ago in 2012, my great Aunt, who was 82 at the time, sat me down and asked me why I stopped shooting, because she knew it was something that I truly loved to do. She was always one of my biggest cheerleaders and my grandmothers sister. My Gram was the photographer in out family and looking back I think I inherited my love of documenting from her. My Great Aunt, in her very special way, got me to agree to go back to pursuing photography in some form of a professional capacity that night. At first, all I wanted to do was go out on cold east coast mornings with my friends and photograph sunrises over the Chesapeake Bay. I didn’t have a burning desire to work with human subjects, but , the more and more I went out with my friends shooting, the more I realized I craved working with people and I was focusing on photographing my friends shooting, versus, shooting the landscapes. I had already taken a turn in the photography world and left it behind once. In 2012, social media and Facebook followings were everything. It felt like a popularity contest and I was not popular. I honestly wondered how I could build a business in this current landscape. I wasn’t a 22 year old fresh out of college, I was in my early 30’s. Finding someone who looks like me/is remotely in my age category who is a woman, who made a career out of photography was few and far between. Then I found Susan Stripling, a New York based Wedding Photographer whose work truly inspired me and we were about the same age, was mind blowing. Seeing her level of artistry and success in building a business from nothing, she became someone in the industry I could look up to and learn from. Early that year, I took on my first clients and photographed an engagement session. I haven’t looked back since and I’m in my 10 year back as a wedding photographer.

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
Everyones creative journey is not the same . My second round in the photography world started very differently than most. the advice that is given to aspiring photographers who want to dive into the wedding world is to crate styled shoots and to second shoot, a lot, before attempting to take on a wedding on your own. For me, I never had to do any of that. Because I had been in the industry prior, I knew how to run a wedding day, I knew how to serve my couples and their families from a genuine place. I also already knew how to shoot in any lighting circumstance that could be thrown at me from learning how to shoot in the high paced. high stress, high chaos world on concert photography. A lot of the same guidelines come onto play in both arenas of work. Shooting a show, you’re in the press pit, you have three songs to get your shots and you’re done. If you didn’t get what the publication or label needs, then you’re done and they won’t use you again. Weddings are VERY much the same way. You have one chance to get it right, there are no do-overs, so you have to be on your A-game. Wedding photography isn’t for the faint heart, if you thrive in a fast paced, somewhat chaotic environment and can create on the drop of a dime, weddings are a really fun working environment .

Celebrating 10 years back in the wedding industry and working in two distinct markets was no easy feat. I’m originally from Baltimore, Maryland. I met my husband in New Orleans in 2016. When I met him I was looking at moving myself further down south and when I met him, the door opened to market my business to the Gulf Coast. I figured, I built a business once, I can do it again! I learned that expanding to a new market was not going to be as easy as I thought. For advertising and marketing back east, I was using WeddingWire, which worked great, so I added the New Orleans market to my advertising and nothing happened for a year. I received so many scam requests I felt like I had dumped almost two thousand dollars in the street. So then I tried The Knot the following year and it was better, but not at the caliber of quality leads that I was looking for. After that I researched wedding shows and got myself in front of couples. I would donate to the shows door prizes 5-6 hours of wedding day photography and I would gather email addressed from couples and message them immediately after shows. I’d network and make friend with other vendors participating on the shows. I’d enter every Facebook wedding group I could find to putty name out there. Slowly but steadily, bookings started coming in and I finally started to get some footing in the New Orleans market. I had so many things working against me. I wasn’t a local, I wasn’t living down here at the time, no-one knew who I was and I didn’t have a deep circle of friends or associates to take a chance on me. But through those FB groups, I made friends, and those friends wanted me to photograph their wedding day, or their bridal session, or there family portraits and I gained ground. Each year my bookings in this market grew and I was the percentages of work along the gulf coast eclipse my work on the east coast. 2023 is the year that I have 80% of my work in the New Orleans area!

Progress is not an overnight thing. It takes consistent , dedicated energy to grow something from nothing. When you’re not a local and you don’t have a community around you or behind you the support you, becoming successful ( whatever that means to you) makes your journey infinitely more difficult. However when opportunity presents itself, you need to show up and make the best possible impression upon your clients. Serve them well, care for them honestly and genuinely and provide a product and experience that no-one else could ever give, and you will have them singing your praises and referring you to friends, family and online.

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?
This is such a great question for me! Over the pandemic, I started a new Instagram account called 410inthe504. I started it as a place to document my daily life and a space for my New Orleans based personal photography work. Somehow, it took on a life of it’s own, and I’ve met so many Maryland transplants and people coming to visit New Orleans from the Baltimore area that I get hit up consistently for recommendations.

Right now, my mom is in town for the first time since my husband and I were married in January if 2020! Here’s a little of what were are up to over the next few weeks. First things first, when anyone comes to New Orleans food, music , culture and history are on the agenda. Lunch at Antoine’s, where we had our wedding reception, Dinners at Commander’s Palace, Brunch at Arnaud’s and lots of meals at Lil’ Dizzy’s, Saint John, Country Club in Bywater, Bacchanal, Brennan’s, Galatoire’s and so many more! The Vintage on Magazine is a favorite spot for champagne and French fries and across the street at the Rum House the Rum Punch and the Mango Guacamole are heaven!

Since this is December, one of the most iconic things to do in the city is to hotel lobby hop. Each year loads of the hotels in New Orleans decorate their lobby’s in decadent fashion. A few of my favorites are The Roosevelt, The Ritz Carlton, The Windsor Court, The Royal Sonesta on Bourbon and we can’t forget about the massive display in Canal Place, and all the decor in and around Jackson Square!

Music is a must in my world so taking in a show at Tipitina’s, the Howlin’ Wolf, or one of the many options on Frenchmen Street would need to happen, and since we’re at a show, grabbing a cocktail pre-show is a good way to start! The French 75 bar, the Herme’s Bar, the Carousel Bar in the Monteleone are all great spots for a fancy drink, but I’m also a big fan of dive bars so Snake and Jakes, Le Bon Temps Rouler , the Three Legged Dog, the Toulouse Dive Bar, and the Erin Rose are all good ones!

Any trip to New Orleans requires stimulating the local economy so throwing money at my favorite small businesses like Home Malone, Dirty Coast, Fleurty Girl, Trashy Diva, NOLA Craft Culture and Alligator Eyes. Also, we have an incredible community of artists and purchasing at from Elaine “Adel” Cummins or Reggie Ford from around the Square is something you will love and remember your trip by for decades to come!

Theres so much to do and see in New Orleans, but if you get outside the city theres a whole world of opportunity and activities and I’m such a sucker for anything that allows me to be on the water! Fanboat tours out to the bayou’s and swamps, kayaking on Bayou St. John, sailing on the lake, driving out to the coast towards Orange Beach and Gulf Shores is one of my favorite spots to visit on the off season.

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?
Like with all things in my life, everything I’ve done is through brutal hard work. I’ve never been handed anything and I’ve been able to carve out a career from nothing, but I wouldn’t be where I am today, if it weren’t for my Great Aunt Honey. She always saw something in me that I never did and without her constant support and genuine desire to see me happy and successful, whatever that looked like to me, I wouldn’t be here without her influence and support. She passed away at the age of 92 this year and she was and is the driving force behind everything I do with a camera.

Website: www.photographybytracie.com

Instagram: www.instagram.com/photographybytracie

Facebook: www.facebook.com/photographybytracie

Other: instagram : www.instagram.com/410inthe504