In a society hyper-focused on the looks of celebrities and models that far too often utilizes Photoshop to impose a culture of perfection, so many everyday women struggle with their own self image. Understanding this, though, has led Destiny Hart to help women see their beauty and worth through her camera lens rather than the lens society tries to instill in them.
Hart picked up photography in 2018 after the birth of her first baby as she was suffering from postpartum with anxiety and rage. She didn't know how to get up and go talk to someone about how she was feeling until she was fully engulfed in it. She is now an advocate for women and their mental health and self-esteem, and she uses her photography as a way to help women see their beauty and value.
Hart had no photography experience when she bought a Canon Rebel T5i from Cole Oglesbee. She wanted to get better without using drugs, so she said she didn't think. She just jumped into doing a Facebook business, and Wild Hart Photography began.
At that time, Hart had no computer and edited photos right from her phone. She charged $35 for a 30-minute session. She would do minis for babies and had tons of cute props. In 2019, she upgraded to a Canon 80D, which is rated best for low light. She bought a new lens and kept going up from there. She began doing weddings and all kinds of events and loved every minute of it.
She does charge more now for her sessions, but her level of expertise has increased, and she has increased her education with classes to improve her skills and knowledge. She hated to increase prices, but she is now a full-time photographer.
Hart was born and raised in Columbia and is the daughter of William Hart and Brandy Hudson. Her stepmother is Mindy Kimble. She grew up with four siblings and moved around a lot with no stable house, prior to graduating from Columbia High School in 2012. Hart tried college three times but didn't like it. She said that, like many young people, she didn't know what she wanted to do and wanted to experience life before college. She worked at The Deck, Columbia High School and 1st Franklin Financial. She got married in 2018 and divorced in 2020.
She was on her own after her divorce and wanted to focus on being more creative and learning more techniques. She asked K.D. Holman to sit down and show her the basics of photography. She still asks her for help some and works alongside her. She is thankful for everyone who has helped, including Chris Crawford, who showed her the Canon EOS R camera and how to work it. She said she stresses community over competition, and most of the local photographers feel the same way.
Hart now uses a Canon R and loves its sharpness. She wants to upgrade her lens and realizes its importance. She was told by another photographer, Chasity Estis, to "date your bodies but marry your lens."
In 2020, she decided to stop doing sessions that did not fulfill her, such as large family gatherings. Her favorite is senior photography because the seniors are excited, creative, happy and willing to try new things. She said Covid did not affect her business because most of the shoots were outdoors. In fact, she said it was her best year yet.
Her favorite shoots to do at this time are boudoir shoots. She said she was nervous at first doing these, but it felt like home once she got started. She rents out Airbnb locations and other venues for this. At this time, subjects bring their own clothes for the shoots because it is tough to have clothes for so many different shapes, heights, weights and sizes. She said women of all sizes love having these done. Most do them for their significant other, but many do it for themselves to see their beauty and feel good about themselves. However, she said most of the ladies who will let her post their shots on her website are skinny women, and she wishes the culture was different. She hopes to help it change one person at a time.
Hart said she had a friend come to her last year and tell her that the friend's husband had cheated on her, and she needed to do pictures. Hart and her friend took their time with the poses and the outfits to help the friend regain her feelings of worth.
"I love empowering women. I want to help women with insecurities. I want to show women what I see through my camera and not what they see," she said. "I won't Photoshop bodies, but I will fix blemishes. It's just raw beauty, and I love it."
Hart's other love is what she calls her Wild Tribe, a group of about 14 senior girls that she photographs for the year and does special events with. She has an application process and decides if a girl is a good fit for the group. She does not tolerate bullying or being unkind. The girls solely represent her, and nobody else can photograph them during that year. They do group shoots and fun senior sessions. Hart said she would like to have all the local schools represented in her Wild Tribe.
The Wild Tribe of Wild Hart Photography have fun at a photo shoot in a beautiful field of flowers. From left are Tairyn Greer, Katie Gates, Bailey Yancey, Natalie Holmes, Abby Powell, Isabella Jones, Lydia Pace, Karlee Barber and Jadyn Eaton. | Photo by Destiny Hart
She has covered the West Marion High School prom, East Marion High School's graduation and students from all schools in the area. She also takes maternity shots, Valentine minis and Washington Parish Free Fair shots.
She loves doing weddings, but said she is not where she wants to be with that yet. She has a game on her Facebook page to have at least one wedding a month with special rewards and packages.
Hart has two sons now, Brenden Pittman, 4, and Kasen Vance, 9-months-old. Both babies were born early and had to be placed in the NICU. She was unable to meet Kasen for five days after his birth because she had Covid. This was hard for her, and she knew she had to get help so she would not repeat the depression that followed the first pregnancy.
"I teach mental health to everyone I work with, especially moms, to make sure they are OK. The whole mama identity swallows you sometimes," she said. "You can forget that you are an important person as well as a mom. Women tend to forget that in general."
Hart's goals are to keep growing and getting better in the areas she has chosen to specialize in and to help women, young and old, have a positive view of themselves.
