Meet Heather Grissom: Owner of HG Ranch Photography

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

Hi Heather, other than deciding to work for yourself, what was the single most important decision you made that contributed to your success?
The day I decided to believe in myself. As cheesy as it sounds, once I decided to believe that I would be successful, my business started to grow. When you first decide to branch out on your own and chase your passion, there are tons of questions that come into your mind. “How will I gain customers? How do I define my brand? What if people don’t like me? What if I don’t know how to grow? What if I fail?” I found that starting out, I was so hesitant to do the right thing all the time that I didn’t trust myself to be confident in my business. Once I started believing in myself, my talent, my style of work, and my abilities, I found it easier to rise.

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
Starting my business, it was important to me to be a good representation of the southern way of life through my photographs. While I photograph a lot of elegant celebrations like weddings, graduations, and families, I also fuel my passion for photography through taking landscape and lifestyle pictures on ranches. Most of my wedding couples are farmers, ranchers, or apart of the agriculture industry. I get to explore lands that are important to them and photograph engagements on places that are apart of their family history. I think it sets me apart from other photographers because I thrive when people want their cows or horses in the background. Though I have a passion for western style photography, I’m proud of how versatile my art can be. It’s common for me to travel all over the country and be in different settings. Whether I’m taking pictures of people on a beach, home in Texas, or hiking a mountain in Utah, I love getting to bring the colors and style of my photographs to different markets of clientele. No matter your social class, sense of style or location, I’m willing to work wherever with whoever.

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 a firm believer that Houston has some of the greatest food selections in the state. If my best friend came to visit, you would probably find us going on “a tour of queso” visiting different Mexican restaurants like Ninfa’s, Escalante, or Candente, to determine which margarita and queso she likes the best. To ensure we could burn off the calories, we would go on a morning walk along Buffalo Bayou Park or the Houston Arboretum & Nature Center.

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?
Through my career, I’ve had tons of support from clients, mentors, and friends. My clients drive my business and fuel my passion. My friends support me and help get my name into different markets. My mentors through styled shoots, YouTube videos, and fellow professionals assisted me with learning the tricks of the trade. Aside from the many people that haven’t grown me (“my village”), the most important people I attribute my success to are my parents. My dad always engrained in me that I could do anything I wanted and be whoever I wanted to be. He was a voice of logic, reason, and spontaneity. My mom has always been a constant cheerleader and offered unconditional love through every decision I’ve made. She is a voice of motivation, encouragement, and faith. I have always appreciated my parents for the way they raised me, but more importantly I’m grateful for who they are as people.