Capturing life’s finest moments, one photo at a time

Rich Palzewic

Staff

February 3, 2025

RHINELANDER – After spending much of her childhood hopping from place to place across the country, Heather Collins said she now feels at home in Rhinelander – home of the Hodag.

The experiences she’s learned throughout the years, Collins said, helped her start her photography business – Heather Collins Photography – about 10 years ago.

“Living all over, I think that helped me as a business owner in general,” she said. “When you go to that many schools and meet that many kids, you get used to being put in uncomfortable situations and putting yourself out there.”

Collins said those experiences now come in handy as a small business owner.

“I’m not afraid to put myself out there, meet new people and join whatever crowd I need to get the job done,” she said.

Though she only planted roots in North Central Wisconsin a little more than a decade ago, Collins said she’s lived in Rhinelander five or six times, as well as California, Las Vegas three times and Tennessee.

“Growing up, my stepdad was in the concrete business, so we basically moved every six months (to) a year,” she said. “We’d move to a different (concrete) market or for a better job.”

Being from Rhinelander originally, Collins, 36, said some normalcy was restored to her life when she and her family moved back to Hodag country for her sophomore year in high school.

“I was here the last three years of high school, which was really nice and consistent,” she said. “Looking back now, I think (living all over) was a blessing. I got to experience all these unique things and cultures that most kids who grew up in Rhinelander haven’t experienced in their lives. It was hard, but I also think it was helpful.”

Though she moved back to the area in 2012, Collins said she really never saw herself staying in Rhinelander full-time.

“I got married in 2008, and my husband is in the military,” she said. “We found ourselves living back here in 2012 after some military training he had in Georgia. We were both lucky enough to find good jobs, and we’ve never left. I always wanted to live in a little bigger area like Eau Claire or something, but Rhinelander has come a long way with investing in its youth and becoming more progressive. Now, I wouldn’t want to leave. I’m really glad I stuck it out because the community here is absolutely remarkable.”

A love of photography

Collins said her love of photography dates back to her high school days.

She said she always loved taking pictures of groups of people, of events and of her friends.

“In high school, I was in yearbook (club),” she said. “When I graduated college in 2014, I realized I was going to have more free time – I still worked full-time – because (not going to school anymore) would free up a good chunk of my time. I also wanted a hobby, so my parents got me a $600 camera for graduation.”

Armed with a small but sufficient camera, Collins said she started small and grew from there.

“I started doing free sessions and learning as much as I could,” she said. “In the beginning, I felt I was absolutely terrible. When I look back, some of my photos were appalling, but everyone starts somewhere, right?”

When they needed extra money for a house remodel, Collins said that’s when she began taking her photography more seriously.

“We had to find a way to make a lot of extra money so we could basically gut our house,” she said. “That’s when I really picked up photography and started doing weddings and advertising more. For a long time, I hid what I did because I was so embarrassed by my work and didn’t want people to see it. Once I really put myself out there, then that’s when it started to flourish. I’ve been doing photography full-time for three years now.”

From that $600 Canon Rebel to using equipment that now reaches into the thousands of dollars, Collins said it’s satisfying for her to see how far she has come “from the ground up.”

“I’ve never taken on any business loans and use credit (cards) as little as possible,” she said. “I’ve saved up and then bought things I’ve needed. I officially started Heather Collins Photography in 2014.”

When the country was crippled by the COVID-19 pandemic in March 2020, Collins said that was a trying time.

“In northern Wisconsin, we were shut down for maybe two months,” she said. “I think in May we could start photographing outdoors. I only had a couple of weddings canceled, but because I was still working full-time at that point, it wasn’t a huge hit to me (financially).”

Using its natural beauty

Rhinelander, a city of 8,000-plus residents in southern Oneida County, boasts numerous lakes and other bodies of water nearby, along with other natural landscapes – all of which Collins said helps in her photography business.

“We’re super lucky,” she said. “We have so much public land in Rhinelander and Oneida County in general – thousands of acres, so you’re really never hurting for locations. Some people want more specialized things like waterfalls or specific things not in Rhinelander, so you have to travel a little bit, but in general, we’re definitely not hurting for beautiful locations.”

According to the company’s website (heathercollinsphotowi.com), Heather Collins Photography generally serves clients in Rhinelander, Minocqua, Eagle River, Boulder Junction, Lake Tomahawk, Sugar Camp, Three Lakes, St. Germain, Tomahawk, Irma, Gleason, Hazelhurst and Crandon.

“I will basically photograph everything – I have never niched down,” she said. “I have found I like photographing everything – my brain doesn’t do well specializing in one thing. Plus, I think to make a full-time living in Rhinelander, you have to be flexible with what you’re willing to photograph. I do weddings, maternity, newborn, families, seniors, sports, business headshots, etc.”

With Mother Nature in the Northwoods of Wisconsin a major contributing factor, Collins said she “definitely has busier times of the year.”

“Between May and December, I work basically every day from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m.,” she said. “That’s between, driving, shooting, editing, accounting, etc. I have an assistant, Ellie, and she’s starting to learn different aspects of the business so she can take over a bit more for me, but other than that, it’s just me.”

However, Collins said she likes it that way.

“When it’s your business and your name, you have to be kind of a control freak,” she said. “My husband helps with a lot of things on the building side of things for my studio, but it’s an intense work schedule. The rest of the year, it’s probably closer to 40-50 hours a week.”

Though it seems like a lot, Collins said she likes staying busy.

“Though I like being busy, I’ve come to really love my offseason because that’s when I get to do my fun civic things,” she said. “At times, I should take a break, but I just can’t.”

Collins said for now, she has no plans to add other employees.

“It might sound great to have an associate who could shoot under my brand, but ultimately, I think it comes down to control because it is your name,” she said. “I am extremely lucky with the assistant I have. I found her and trained her, and she is an absolutely remarkable human and does a great job, but she doesn’t want to do this full-time.”

Though she’s confident in her decision to not hire another photographer, Collins said there are also downfalls to that.

“I do turn down a good amount of work in the summer and fall but not really in the winter because it’s slower,” she said. “Ellie is taking over some little things that don’t make sense for me to dedicate my time to, so that’s been great.”

An era of smartphones

As with any business, there is competition, Collins said.

In this era of smartphones and quality, affordable cameras, she said you always have to be flexible and stay current.

“I personally have not had (higher-quality smartphones) affect my business,” she said. “I think my biggest threat in photography is the low-cost barrier to entry – after all, that’s how I started.”

All someone needs, Collins said, is a couple hundred bucks and they can get a camera and put out some decent work.

“There are always going to be new photographers and devices to deal with, but I am lucky I have a really good business and amazing clients who come back to me no matter what,” she said. “I’ve also been working really hard the past few years to become more involved in the community. I try to put things out in the world and hope they come back to me in the form of business.”

For more information on Heather Collins Photography, visit its website or find it on social media platforms.