Sometimes the worst day ever leads to something better than we imagined. Trent Wallace agrees when he explains, “I flipped my kayak and it led to a new career.”
Trent grew up in Florence, Alabama and earned his PharmD at Samford University’s McWhorter School of Pharmacy. He moved to Franklin in 1998 and works as a pharmacist at Williamson Medical Center.
He first started taking pictures with a one-hundred-dollar Sony point-and-shoot he bought at Target. His colleague, Sam, liked the pictures and encouraged Trent to invest in a professional camera, but Trent didn’t want to spend the money. He was a single dad at the time and his two young kids were his priority. “It never occurred to me that I could become a professional photographer,” he says.
In 2013, Trent traveled to the Turks & Caicos Islands to soak up sun and photograph the glassy blue water. A local at an outdoor restaurant shared a story about a sunken airplane off the island that people paddled out to explore. Trent was intrigued. How cool would it be to photograph airplane wreckage? He asked to rent a kayak from the restaurant’s owner but the owner refused, citing the dangerous current that would surely sweep Trent out to sea. Trent persisted. The next day, the owner said the current was still too strong, but after Trent pleaded with him, he relented, with a stern warning that it was a bad idea. Trent set off in the kayak with just a paddle and his Sony stowed in a Ziploc bag.
It didn’t take long for Trent to realize the restaurant owner was right. The current was powerful and the kayak quickly zoomed to the wreckage site. The water was choppy but he fought the current and took his camera out of the bag. He snapped a photo of the wreckage just before a wave flipped his boat, drenching the camera and sending his paddle off in another direction. Somehow he managed to retrieve the paddle, camera and kayak, and fight with all his might to paddle back to shore, where he collapsed on the sand in front of the restaurant owner. “I was so upset,” he says. “My camera was ruined. I shouldn’t have gone out, and I thought it was the worst day ever.”
Later, he discovered the camera’s SIM card was viable so he downloaded his vacation pictures. “I showed them to Sam and he said, ‘If you’ll finally buy yourself a decent camera I’ll show you how to use it, because you’re really good at this.’” Trent credits Sam, who has since passed away, as his inspiration. After he learned how to use the camera, he was hooked.
Trent took pictures with a Nikon 810 around Tennessee and when traveling, and people took notice. Boyle Investment Company asked to buy some of the photos and hired Trent to photograph their commercial real estate developments, which led to starting an official LLC, Trenton Lee Photography.
He currently works a seven-on seven-off pharmacy schedule that allows for plenty of travel. His kids are more independent at 17 and 15, and his wife, Harriet, owner of Agape Functional Wellness, often accompanies him on shoots. Many mornings you’ll find Trent setting up his tripod before sunrise to get the perfect shot.
For his iconic photo of Main Street featured on the downtown Franklin banners, he needed clear weather, a glowing sunrise, and no cars on the street, “which never happens in Franklin.” He arose early on several mornings to set up, and Harriet suggested he lie on the street to get a better angle. She stood over him watching for cars to ensure he didn’t get run over. It took several days and tries but he finally captured a stunning photograph of our town for all of us to enjoy.
His detailed panoramic photo of Nashville’s Lower Broadway is actually three pictures stitched together. “I stood in the intersection with 24 seconds between light changes to set up my tripod and get the images. I hoped nobody would cross in front of me, which happened over and over again. It took hundreds of attempts and nearly two hours but I finally got what I wanted.” The result is a view of Nashville from the Ryman all the way to Rippy’s Honky Tonk, with the batman building looming in the background.
Trent takes headshots, commissions, and will do photos for companies, but his favorite style is landscape photography. “There’s beauty all around the world, and despite the negativity we sometimes face, I can find something positive to photograph and share with people.”
He recently returned from a trip to the Azores, where he and Harriet hiked to the top of a mountain and came upon a breathtaking sight. “Not many people will get to visit the Azores and I want them to see what we saw. I love to find beauty, capture it and have others experience it.” Other favorite destinations include Kauai, New York City and Greece.
Trent’s work is for sale at Painted Tree Boutiques, The Good Cup, Franklin Bakehouse, Five Points Market and on his website, TrentonLeePhotography.com. “That day in the kayak was a rough one but I’m thankful for it. It made me stop and pivot,” he says. “If we want to get stronger we have to go through tough stuff, but trials are what lead to pure joy.” @trentonleephotography