ST. MARYS — A pair of community-oriented siblings are sharing their love for the outdoors through a photography business focused on capturing landscapes, wildlife and portraits.
CT Outdoor Photography began as a website in August 2020, said Chris Tucker of St. Marys, selling prints of landscape photos.
“Then, I started messing with wildlife photography. Around this time, April 2021, I added photography services on my website and got my first job,” he said.
At this time, Tucker’s sister, Nicole Tucker, also started taking family portraits, he said.
“We both discussed our goals, and ironed out some details,” said Tucker. “We decided it would be beneficial to both of us to work together, rather than compete with one another.”
Being that the business name, logo and website were already ironed out, Tucker said the siblings decided to stick with the name CT Photography.
Interestingly, both Tuckers are self-taught photographers with different interests.
“Nicole has always been that one person, at every gathering, with her camera out, the one I always hide from,” he said jokingly. “I’ve always been the discreet, sitting on a log in the middle of the forest, capturing nature’s stunning beauty, type.”
Still, both enjoy capturing life’s blessings behind the camera, said Tucker.
“Whether it is our blessings or somebody else’s blessings we are capturing, we both find it satisfying,” he said.
Tucker himself leans more towards photographing landscapes, and has a passion for sunsets, sunrises and waterfalls, while Nicole enjoys wildlife photography and senior portraits, he said.
“We try to make it fun when we work the same job together,” said Nicole. “It keeps it interesting and we look forward to the next one!”
When the COVID-19 pandemic hit in March 2020, Tucker and his wife were both laid off of their jobs, he said.
“Not being able to go anywhere, we did what anybody should have done –we went and chased secluded waterfalls!” he said.
CT Outdoor Photography serves Elk County, but has also taken on jobs in McKean and Clearfield counties. Traveling acquires an extra fee, but the siblings are definitely willing to travel, he said.
The Tucker siblings have always gotten along, he said, which made joining forces a smooth transition. He also works full-time as a production supervisor.
“Having her on board has been a blessing, and has opened up our hours of availability,” he said.
Tucker and his wife drive anywhere together, for no other reason than to see nature and its beauty, capturing a sunset or waterfall they haven’t seen yet.
Their photography business offers family portraits and affordable options for people, said Nicole.
“We know how much people would love to capture family memories, and we want them to be able to,” she said.
The Tucker siblings also enjoy being front-and-center with families, even offering to go on guided tours to waterfalls for family portraits, something they have done before.
“We are setting out to be more engaged with our community,” he said.
For example, CT Outdoor Photography attended the “Cookies and Cocoa with Santa” event at Stylez Salon/Stylez, Crafts and More in Ridgway during the holidays. There are also framed prints of landscapes, wildlife and composites for sale there, as well as photography gift certificates. The business will also have a photo studio at the Front Street shop in the future.
“We had a great turnout at that event, and plan to do it again next year,” he said.
The holiday event offered both family and pet portraits by CT Outdoor Photography for visitors.
Future plans also include working on a Valentine’s Day public photo shoot, said Tucker, as well as pairing up with a local park for a photo-shoot contest event. They also plan to give back to the local parks and recreation fund.
“If anybody would like to partner up for local fundraising, we are all about helping,” said Tucker.