Meet Claire Hiller Thorn | Photographer

We had the good fortune of connecting with Claire Hiller Thorn and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Claire, can you walk us through the thought-process of starting your business?

My mom has been a photographer for as long as I can remember so I grew up with a camera in my hand. Even though I’ve always loved it, I always saw photography as something that I would just do for fun and as a hobby. I even went to school to be a veterinarian. It wasn’t until I graduated and realized that was not at all what I wanted to do in life that I had to do a complete reset and look at what I would actually enjoy doing everyday.  I definitely tried a lot of odd jobs (horseback riding trail guide in Hawaii, working at a clothing store in Georgia, working at a zoo in Naples, social media marketing for interior designers). But none of that was really what I could see myself doing long term.  I thought the only way I could make enough money for photography to be a career was by taking senior portraits or family photos (nothing wrong with that but just not my passion!) But then I realized I could take photos of whatever I wanted to and be creative and make it my career! I started out again in Hawaii taking photos of friends, couples and anyone I could find. When I moved back to my hometown in Georgia to start planning my own wedding, I realized how much I really do love weddings and the energy around a wedding day! I knew I wanted to start shooting more weddings in unique places all over the world. As far as brand photography, I’ve always loved fashion. And even though I love shooting weddings, there is only so much input you can give creatively as most every detail is already planned out. With brands, there is much more creative direction which I love! So now I get the best of both worlds meeting new people, being creative, and traveling all over the world photographing  brands and weddings!

Can you open up a bit about your work and career? We’re big fans and we’d love for our community to learn more about your work.
I think for a long time I was trying to figure out what my style was and how I wanted to portray my work. I realized instead of showing off picture perfect studio lighting and posed photos, I wanted to capture emotion and the mood. Whether it’s shooting a couple or shooting for a brand, I wanted people to be able to view my photographs and be transported to a place or feeling. I stopped getting rid of the blurry or imperfect photos and started shooting more film photography. Shooting film has been my absolute favorite as you’re not just clicking the shutter and hoping you got a good one in there. It’s viewing a scene unfolding in front of you and carefully choosing when to snap the button. It’s grainy, it’s unique, it gives me issues sometimes, it’s expensive (lol) but there’s really nothing like it. I only started full time photography this past September so it hasn’t even been a full year. I’ve been so grateful I’ve gotten to fly all over the world and meet so many amazing people and I’m so excited for the endless opportunities and places and people that will continue to come into my life as a part of this job. It’s definitely not always easy, it’s crazy hours, a lot on your body (carrying four cameras around that weigh about the same as a small child), trying not to compare yourself to other photographers you admire and get burnt out when you get rejected from a job. But I just try to remember that no one will ever see the world exactly as I see it. Every person place thing I come into contact with will be viewed differently by each person and there’s a million ways to go about capturing a moment and I think that’s what makes photography so unique and special. Even though we’re living in an age where people are constantly taking photos, no one can replicate your mind and how you see a moment waiting to be photographed.

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 only just moved to Miami at the beginning of the year and I can truly say there’s no place like it. I’m a beach girl 100% so we’re definitely heading to South Pointe and bringing some bikes to cruise along the bike path. I also love going to Crandon Beach to watch the sun come up over the water. If I had unlimited funds, I would be eating out every night of the week. The food here is that good. My guilty pleasure is Dragonfly in Doral. I could eat their ramen every night of the week haha. Joia Beach feels like you’re on a vacation, so I would for sure bring them there for food and drinks. I’m also a huge movie geek so I’m obsessed with the rooftop cinemas in South Beach. If we’re down for a more relaxed day, I would head to Vizcaya Museum and Gardens to walk around or Perez art museum.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?

I’d love to give a shout out to my mom. She was the one who first gave me a camera and taught me the basics of how to use it, the shortcuts and tricks when editing and photoshop and so much more. She’s lent me so much camera equipment and picked me up from the airport too many times to count! I also have to give a shout out to my husband. August was the only month of 2023 that I’m not flying off for a shoot and he’s handled it amazingly! He is so supportive of all of my crazy dreams and I couldn’t do it without him.

Website: clairehillerr.com

Instagram: instagram.com/hillerphotographyy