1. You’ve bounced between sports, editorial and wedding photography. What have you learned from each stage?

You know, it is really interesting how all three are interconnected in many ways. Sports taught me to have a quick reaction time, which then carried over to weddings where capturing a moment on the fly happens that much faster while being way less predictable. Editorial, fashion and bridal taught me aesthetics and how to tell a story within an image. In every wedding I shoot, I always bring in a little bit of that because brides may love those candid images, yet the wedding editorial is what they end up putting on their walls.

2. What’s your go-to camera and lens kit?

I’m using the Canon 5D Mark IV and a 1D X Mark II combo—the 5D for resolution when needed and the 1D X II for reception, low light and inclement weather, which we get a tiny bit of here in Chicago! I always have the “holy trinity” of Canon’s L zoom lenses, as well as a few fixed lens favorites including their fantastic 85mm f/1.4L IS. I always have a Profoto B1 or B10 and an A1 in that bag as well. It all squeezes into a Think Tank Photo Airport Security V3.

3. What’s the last really good movie you’ve seen?

I’m going to sound completely corny but A Star is Born was pretty fantastic. The cinematography, grit and music was really, really good to watch.

4. What do you think is the biggest mistake photographers are making with their treatment of social media?

I think the biggest thing I see is a lack of education on vendor crediting. We could talk about filters and such all day, but really, our job as photographers is to be the gatekeepers of the image content for all of the vendors. Utilizing proper tagging and crediting only helps our businesses, creates greater reach and strengthens relationships with those vendors.

5. What’s your favorite animal and why?

Can I choose two? They would have to be my dogs and my wife’s horses. She is a lifelong hunter and jumper equestrian, and I’m slowly getting into it as well.

6. What’s been your most challenging shoot, and how did you overcome it?

In February, I had a wedding on a typical snowy, freezing-cold Chicago day. The kicker was I had horrible food poisoning. I chugged tons of water, lots of Pepto, and I relied on my associate shooter David Turner—wouldn’t have been able to get through it without him!

7. What’s the coolest thing and the most unappreciated thing about living in Chicago?

The coolest thing about Chi-Town is that it truly is a city of neighborhoods. Bucktown is completely different than Pilsen, Andersonville doesn’t look or feel like Gold Coast. You can be transported to a totally different place just by going 15 minutes west. Chicago gets a really bad rap because of the severity of our winters—this year’s polar vortex did not help—but I think what is truly unappreciated is how absolutely beautiful the city is in spring, summer and fall. Chicago’s motto, “Urbs in horto,” is Latin for “City in a Garden,” and it really is true.

8. What’s it like being married to a wedding and event planner?

It’s pretty awesome! My wife, Michelle (plug for Michelle Durpetti Events! Woo woo!), is incredibly talented. She has worked with brides, presidents (two of them!) and is also a third-generation restaurateur. I am very fortunate to get a glimpse into a worldview of the wedding industry that we as photographers normally don’t get, and it has taught me a lot about how to view other vendors as creative partners, not just the group working on a wedding day.

9. If you could tell your younger self one thing, what would it be?

I’d tell myself to create a concrete, goal-oriented financial plan, both for savings and retirement. I think this subject is one that creatives are starting to talk about, but there could be a lot more awareness and dialogue.

10. What do you most want out of 2019?

This year has already been pretty amazing, but definitely I want to continue growing my business and enjoying the amazing clients I have, travel with my wife, and maybe find a bottle of bourbon that has been a mythical unicorn for me: W.L. Weller 12 Year. I’m a bourbon, scotch and watch junkie.

Collin Pierson is a wedding, bridal fashion and editorial photographer based in Chicago, Illinois. When he’s not shooting, he is educating at workshops and conferences like WPPI, where this year he taught “Marrying Engagements, Weddings & Portraits with Architecture.”

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