Frame of Mind with Ted Wimbush

Welcome to the Frame of Mind series, the brain child of Chase Price with RedefineU Media. At hygge, we’re kind of known for keeping it short. Most of our videos are under one minute and at Zero Day we strictly enforce the 10 minute rule. But a few months ago, Chase came to us with an idea: interview local start ups and entrepreneurs about their stories and ask them questions that small business owners, creatives and community leaders everywhere are struggling with. This series of long interviews (yup, 30-45 minutes) is designed to get in-depth and personal, so get ready to dig in.

We found someone doing something even tougher to say than “hygge.” Meet Ted Wimbush, a photographer who specializes in boudoir photography. That’s right y’all – today’s Frame of Mind is getting a little risqué.

Ted is a former Charlotte photographer who pretty recently moved out to Phoenix, Arizona, as a stepping stone to ultimately get to Los Angeles. “I’ve been in Charlotte for years and it’s been growing like crazy,” he says. “I think I’ve been here a while, I’ve shot a lot of models and people, so it’s like, it’s time to get out, get to the west, find some new faces.”

It all started when he was 19 and in college, carrying a camera with him everywhere and taking pictures of any party or event he could find for free. When someone offered him money to photograph their event, Ted realized he could make a career out of his hobby.

It wasn’t until he got feedback after his first boudoir session that he felt he had found his niche. Hearing firsthand how powerful the woman felt after the photoshoot was all it took. Though he still photographs engagements, weddings, fashion and other things, his main claim to fame is still boudoir.

It’s a tough niche to carve out. Not only does the photographer need to keep in mind all the typical things: light, skin tone, composition of the photo, etc. They also have to make someone feel comfortable in front of the camera while they’re wearing little to no clothing.

It requires a personal element that other types of photoshoots don’t, Ted says.

“Be a human being,” he says. “Don’t just come and be a photographer. You actually have to connect. I think communication is the biggest part of that.”

On this episode of Frame of Mind, Chase talks with Ted about how he makes a woman feel comfortable during their first boudoir shoot, how he incorporates his minimalist lifestyle into his photography and how he gets his subjects’ skin tones to pop like no other photographer we’ve ever seen. Hit pause on your day for a bit and watch the full interview below.