It’s always fun to read and hear about how other photographers entered the business… So I thought, why not write out my story.
I have always had a fascination with the arts and have been heavily involved with vocal groups, music, art and well, pretty much anything that is right brained. I received my Bachelors of Arts degree in Organizational Communication, which is basically a mix of Sociology, Business, and Leadership all mixed into one degree. I always thought I would work in some type of corporation making my way up the ladder… but quickly learned that my passion to be able to express myself through art was greater than any corporate label I could put on myself.
Back in 2006 my husband and I were recently married and I had taken a TON of snap shots at my cousin’s wedding with my trusty little Canon PowerShot A95. I think I might have taken over 200 images… I know, {head hanging} I was an “Uncle Bob!” but not in an obnoxious way of getting in the photographer’s way. :) I gave the images to my aunt who then gave me a HUGE compliment and boost in beginning this awesome adventure I am on. She said, “Michelle, you should really consider getting into wedding photography… You took better images than our hired wedding photographer…” REALLY?! I DID?? Wow – what a HUGE compliment. My aunt’s compliment began the dreaming and planning of one day being a professional photographer.
Prior to my aunt’s comment, I had been thinking of pursuing a career as a Wedding Planner, but wasn’t completely sold on the idea. My aunt’s comment made me shift my thinking…
Could I really do this and be successful at it? I have always loved photography and used it as a creative outlet… But do it professionally??
Would people really trust ME to photograph one of the most important days of their life?? Would I trust and believe in myself??
The idea of being a professional wedding photographer completely freaked me out, yet at the same time, gave me a challenge for myself. If you know me, I tend to have a slight competitive nature (I can hear those who know me giggling right now…) Yet, it is this competitive nature that I think makes me a good business owner. And really, this competitive nature is something that I have mostly with myself… to out do what I’ve previously done… to provide my clients with something that was better than before.
I jumped on the idea and began talking to my husband about it. I had never touched “professional gear” and knew very little about the functions of the camera… But what I DID know was what looked good. I knew where the industry was headed and completely immersed myself into learning what the Pro’s were doing. I joined forums like Digital Wedding Forum and Professional Photographer’s of America to educate myself and studied composition and well, wedding photography. Having been recently married (less than a year at the time) I knew what brides wanted and what they were looking for.
When I first started shooting “professionally” I would look at my work and felt that it was falling short from what I had envisioned. I knew what “looked good” and what a good image was when it came to lighting, composition, etc but could see that my images were falling short of where I wanted to be when it came to capturing a clean, crisp, and perfectly exposed image. It was going to take practice, practice, and more practice to create what I was envisioning. I ran across this short 2 minute video a few weeks ago which soooooo describes where I was at when I first began my photography business.
Ira Glass on Storytelling from David Shiyang Liu on Vimeo.
Before I officially launched my business I purchased my brother’s professional gear and began practicing and learning the camera. For $1000 I purchased:
Canon EOS 10D
50mm f/1.4
24-70mm f/2.8 L
Speedlite 550EX
Tripod
Side note: I have since upgraded my gear and have invested thousands of dollards into equipment that allows me to capture the style and high end images that I am striving for.
I had a very good idea of what I was getting myself into because my husband and I hired a fabulous photographer for our wedding that set the stage for me. I knew that if I was going to make it in this business that I had to:
1.) Know how to create incredible images
2.) Be PROFESSIONAL and have excellent communication skills
3.) Build a business plan that met high end marketing techniques
4.) Create a brand
5.) Begin building a client base
Towards the middle of 2007, after a year plus in planning, studying, practicing, learning, and setting up a business plan (of which I am still changing and molding) my husband gave me the green light to quit my job and run after this dream full time. I had booked my first wedding client for that December (having never shot a wedding ever) and jumped in with both feet. I know, it sounds absolutely crazy… But that first client, who took a risk by hiring me, rocket launched my photography business, of which I am forever grateful and thankful for.
{taken in December of 2007 at my first wedding i ever photographed}
It has now been 4-years since I booked my first client and WOW has it been an AWESOME and far from “easy” adventure. By no means did I realize just HOW HARD it is to own and maintain my own business. Being a Professional Photographer is much more than taking a “pretty picture.” I can’t count the amount of hours that I have put into my photography business to get it to where it is and the continued hours that I put in to get it to where I want it to be. It is soooooo much more work than any 8-5 job I have ever worked. And I LOVE THAT!
From 2007 – 2009 I shot everything from Families to Weddings to Senior Portraits and began weeding out what I was really passionate about photographing. I quickly started to learn that Senior Portraits weren’t my “thang.” And while I enjoy photographing families, it just wasn’t getting my creative juices going… Then in the summer of 2008 my husband and I announced that we were expecting our first baby, when it “clicked.” I had found the three areas that I was and am truly passionate about and absolutely loooooooooooooove photographing: Weddings, Maternity, and Newborns.
The balance of being a mommy to a 2.5 year old and having a home-based business with a studio in our home is not “easy” by any means. It is hard work and takes a lot of balance and organization. What helps me day to day is setting aside specific business hours that I spend editing, contacting clients, and pushing myself to the next level. I still have dreams of one day owning studio space outside of my home for even greater artistic ideas… but for now I am loving that I am able to create art for my clients in my humble little home studio.
{images taken in my studio}
I hope this is encouraging for those who are just beginning to venture into this crazy world of photography and 1.) realize that it isn’t “easy” but takes a lot of hard work and determination to push past the odds and 2.) make your dreams a reality. Don’t let the voices that surround you tell you that you can’t do it… but prove them wrong by creating a dynamic brand that sets the stage for photographers to come. By no means do I feel that I have “arrived.” I push myself daily and with every session to grow my skills as a photographer and business owner…
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