Thirteen years ago, a then 15-year-old Chris Fulcher was living in Sandy Hook and told The Newtown Bee about his burgeoning career in photography. He discussed his beginnings as a teenager taking pictures of sporting events, including his paintball games with friends, and local weddings.

Fast forward to today, and Fulcher’s passion for his art has never dwindled. Now 29, Fulcher’s drive has catapulted him to a picture-perfect life of travel, love, and success — all of which have no end in sight.

During his initial interview, Fulcher was a rising sophomore at Newtown High School. Soon after, he entered the after-school TAP program.

“One of the requirements with TAP is that you have to have a full-time job. I was able to join forces with a wedding photographer out of East Haven. He brought me to weddings. It started transpiring really from there,” Fulcher said.

He would work in the morning before class, as well as have weekend work photographing weddings.

Upon graduating in 2011, his “bread and butter,” as he calls it, became working in the music industry as a photographer.

“I went to Japan in 2012 for four months and photographed a band called Cash Cash and Larzz [Principato] from New Fairfield. That was my first time being with a band overseas,” Fulcher said, adding that he DJ’ed for Principato during that tour.

He also spent time traveling the United States to photograph artists, such as Christopher Drew of Never Shout Never, and musical acts during multiple years of the Vans Warped Tour.

He still has a handful of photos from that era of his career on his photography website as mementos of his experience.

“I like to have those photos on the website, because if you know — you know,” he said. “Another artist I worked closely with was Mac Miller, which I ended up getting some recognition for when, unfortunately, he passed away. Some of my photos went viral from some of the older stuff I did on his first tours.”

In addition to being mostly self-taught, Fulcher sought formal education by attending the Massachusetts Hallmark Institute of Photography in 2013.

“It’s a trade school, so it was 10 or 11 months long. I went to that, and I actually didn’t end up finishing the school. I moved to Los Angeles that January when finals were happening, because I got a job offer there,” Fulcher recalled.

At 20 years old, he moved across the country to gain more real-life experience with his career and remained in Los Angeles for seven years.

A New Chapter

Fulcher no longer takes his photography journey alone. He has partnered with Savannah Woods, his girlfriend of three years.

In 2019, Fulcher had just wrapped up a work trip in Europe and was taking a vacation back in Sandy Hook at his parents’ home. He had all expectations of returning to Los Angeles after.

“But then Savannah and I met, and I decided to stay in town a little bit longer,” he said.

Woods shared: “I grew up in New Milford, so we lived just a couple towns over from each other. We had all these connections leading up to right when we met. I worked at a bar down the street from where his parents lived and that’s kind of how we met — first through social media then we connected downtown.”

The two were dating when the COVID pandemic began and, not wanting to be apart, they decided to move in together temporarily in Sandy Hook with Fulcher’s family.

“We spent the whole year together,” Fulcher said. “We did a few trips together right before COVID, which is a whole other story. We had gone to Japan together, and that solidified our relationship and our new business, too. That was our first trip in starting the new travel business.”

During that trip, the couple worked at Park Hyatt in Tokyo where the movie Lost in Translation was filmed.

“After we took the photos out there, we felt we had something going with this business,” Fulcher said.

Right now, they are working under his name, Chris Fulcher, as they do travel photography for hotels, tourism boards, and travel agencies; editorial and entertainment work; as well as individual and family portraits.

“We are currently in the works of creating a whole new business for all the photography we are doing together, because we are working on projects 50-50,” Fulcher explained.

“We don’t have anyone on the road with us. For all the photos of both of us we use tripod and a timer,” he added.

They primarily use multiple Canon cameras. Depending on the shoot they also achieve diverse imaging using drones, stabilizers, portable strobes, and video lights.

Fulcher and Woods frequently model in their travel work, which gives them the opportunity to push both the boundaries of their art and people’s perceptions.

“My biggest thing with my photography is that I never want to do something that everyone else is doing,” Fulcher said. “We model in most of our photos that we do for the hotels, but we have a whole different style that I feel like I haven’t seen before. We are both heavily tattooed, we wear very dark and edgier clothing, and we are trying to bring more of a modernized twist to the marketing that isn’t seen right now.”

Woods agreed, adding that their artistic flair allows them to advertise to a wider audience, especially internationally.

“We didn’t want to change who we are,” Fulcher said. “This is how we dress. We like tattoos. We like this style. We were always told you can’t incorporate that, and we thought — why? … I always wanted to be the weird one and start my own trends for something that I have fun with and believe in. I don’t want to follow the generic footsteps of anyone else.”

Fortunately, by forging their own path and leading with their art, the two have been able to change minds and create desirable results for clients. He recommends others do the same in their lives.

“Just to be different is big for me,” Fulcher said. “If you feel like it’s right and it’s not hurting anybody, then go out there and do that.”

‘A Very Fast Year’

In 2021, the couple moved to Las Vegas, the entertainment capital of the world, where they hope to one day open a photography studio.

“Because we specialize in doing entertainment photography, we felt like Vegas was perfect for us,” Fulcher said.

They are looking forward to building their brand there as well as through their travels.

“It’s been a very fast year for us,” Fulcher said. “We actually haven’t been home since April. We have been to eight or nine different countries this year. We have been to around 36 different states in a matter of four months. With the travel business, we have been working with numerous companies that have been keeping us on the road.”

After being in Sandy Hook for less than a week in November, the two are now jet setting off to Aruba for three weeks to work with companies there.

“We will be home December 1 back in Vegas. I’m looking forward to being home and building our business out there. It’s a new city for us, so we are excited to go out there and build connections and relationships,” Fulcher said.

No matter where Fulcher and Woods go, Newtown will always hold a special place in their hearts. They still visit their families and friends here multiple times a year and are happy to take on new clients throughout the tri-state area.

To learn more about their work, visit chrisfulch.com and savvy-travels.com. To contact Fulcher, e-mail chris@chrisfulch.com.

Reporter Alissa Silber can be reached at alissa@thebee.com.