This August, I celebrated my 7th freaking year of being a full-time wedding photographer!
(Not gonna lie… I still can’t believe this is what I get to do as my career… becoming a non-traditional wedding photographer has been a real-ass dream come to life.)
And as you can imagine, in the last 7 years of running my own photography business full-time, I’ve learned a ton that I want to share with anyone thinking about stepping into this wild realm yourself.
Some of this advice is hella fun. Some of it is a lil more technical… but ALL of it is the advice I would have given myself when I had just started my wedding photography career.
Want-to-be-photographers (or photographers just getting started), this one’s for you.
1. Screw “Niching,” Nail Down Your BRAND
The truth is, there are a f*ck ton of wedding photographers. HOWEVER… that doesn’t mean there isn’t space for you, it just means you have to spend time getting clear on what you want people to choose you specifically for.
That’s what I mean by nail down your brand.
I started building my brand around being a colorful photographer accidentally because when I first started my photography business, I had super colorful hair. And that colorful hair became a thing people started to recognize me for. So, as someone who does freaking loveeee color, I leaned into it.
Instead of niching in “wedding photography,” I built my brand around being a fun, non-traditional photographer for “colorful” people, mostly wedding couples. (Both literally colorful and in personality.)
Niche = box. Brand = vibe.
Figuring out what your brand vibe is makes a huge-ass difference in your business, so spend time asking yourself what comes naturally to you? What do you enjoy doing the most? Why would a couple pick you over someone else? What do you want to be known for?
2. Start in Whatever Way is Right for You
When I started my career as a wedding photographer, I was doing it part-time while still working my 9-5. But because I was working my 9-5, I wasn’t available for a lot of wedding dates, and I started to feel like I was half-assing my 9-5 AND my wedding photography business. So I ended up quitting and going full-time.
However, I think it’s hella important to say that at that time my partner’s income covered everything, so that wasn’t major pressure on me. If I had been a single person trying to pay rent on my own, it might have taken me longer to go full-time.
What I’m getting at is: you don’t have to go full-time right away. And don’t bother comparing your situation to other people’s situations because they probably have something else going on financially.
3. Work With Your Brain
Going from a 9-5 to becoming a non-traditional wedding photographer who had all the freedom to choose what my day looked like?! Well, as a non-planner, a mom, and someone who is 100 percent definitely not neurotypical… it took me some time to figure out how to set up my schedule.
I know a lot of the peeps who choose this wedding photography career path are creatives and might be neurodivergent too, so testing out different daily schedule styles to figure out what actually works for you is VITAL.
Maybe you’re hella productive in the morning, but slump in the afternoon, so you get up extra early and take a long afternoon break. Maybe you’re someone who works best with other people, so you find a co-working group online. Maybe you need uninterrupted focus time to edit, so you set specific days for editing that you don’t schedule meetings or photoshoots on.
There are a million ways to structure your day, so experiment to find out what works for you.
4. Create Art with the Gear You Have
When you’re getting started as a wedding photographer, you might feel a ton of freaking pressure to buy all the fancy gear, but let me be the first to tell you… you really don’t have to. Because you can start with something as simple as your smartphone.
Another awesome option when you’re just getting started (and since wedding photography gear can be so wildly expensive) is to rent wedding photography gear.
I just rented a wide-angle camera lens for a big wedding I photographed, since I needed it for that specific wedding, but it’s not a piece of wedding photography equipment that makes sense to purchase since I’d only use it occasionally. And just like you can write off the gear you purchase, rented wedding photography gear counts as a write-off too.
(Psst. If you’re near Lancaster, Pennsylvania, and looking to rent gear, check out Perfect Image Camera. They rock.)
5. Befriend Your “Competition” (AKA: Network)
I know befriending your “competition” might sound counterintuitive, but I swear it will save you as a wedding photographer. (Feel free to network with all kinds of wedding vendors too, though.)
Networking is essential when you’re getting started as a photographer because you might meet an incredible fellow photographer who asks you to second shoot for them, helping you gain real wedding experience. Or maybe they include you on their list of photographers they recommend when they’re fully booked (or if some sh*t happens and they have to back out and need to send a replacement photog).
But the other reason that making friends with other peeps in the wedding industry is one of the most important lessons I have learned in my whole 7-ass years of being a wedding photographer is because these are the people who will GET you.
Becoming a wedding photographer can be so isolating, and as much as the people in your life love you, they literally aren’t going to understand what it’s like to market a business, have a wild travel schedule, be a temporary part of so many people’s families, and see all this crazy shit that happens.
For your income and your mental health, make friends with fellow wedding industry peeps.
6. Plan Short-Term and Long-Term Goals
So many photographers and biz owners focus on planning only short-term goals and end up feeling lost in the dark because of it. And while short-terms goals are great, long-term keep an eye on the whole-ass picture so you can end up where you want to.
For example, short-term, I might want to book 1 New York wedding this year, but I might have the long-term goal of eventually wanting 25% of my bookings to be in New York City. That long-term goal means I might create blog posts about New York City venues, start sharing more of my New York City portfolio as I build it up, and intentionally connect with New York City couples so I can continue to book more New York City weddings to eventually hit that goal.
Long-term goals help you determine what to focus on for short-term goals, so make sure to pay attention to both.
7. Find a CPA Who Gets It (It = The Wedding Industry)
I know people hear the word “CPA” or “bookkeeper” and groan, but trust me when I tell you a good CPA and bookkeeper will change your LIFE as a wedding photographer.
And don’t just find some dude your uncle Bob recommends, find someone who specializes in working with wedding vendors, because the wedding industry is unique and niche. There are some CPAs that still don’t understand wedding photographers have to charge sales tax and others who aren’t familiar with how much can be spent on client gifts, travel, or whatever.
So make sure to be picky about who you choose.
(If you’re looking for an accountant who can help with taxes and bookkeeping, you might dig NewWay Accounting for taxes and stuff and Dory Dimes for bookkeeping.)
8. Have a Good-Ass Contract
Contracts are vital… especially for us people-pleasing biz owners (which most wedding photographers are). Because when something comes up around expectations, or you have to enforce a boundary with a client, your contract can be the bad guy for you.
For example, if a client is late on a payment and you have it in your contract that after 2 days of no payment, they’ll be charged a late fee, you can hit them with that in an email. (AKA “please pay by the end of the day to avoid late fees, as is outlined in your contract.”) If you don’t have a contract… you’re a lil screwed.
As soon as you start charging someone for something, it’s time for a contract.
And you want to make sure that your contract includes what it needs to actually cover what will come up being a wedding photographer (or any other type of photographer).
(For example: If you’re including film, your contract should include film verbiage.)
The Legal Paige is who I use for my contracts (she sells all kinds of photography contracts and does a ton of sales and promotions throughout the year).
9. Know that the Wedding Blues are Real
As a wedding photographer, it’s totally normal to get super close to your clients and end up caring about them a f*ck ton.
Because getting to know your couple is so important for taking meaningful and fun photos (and because you’re with them for one of the best days of their life), you end up bonded AF. So when the wedding comes and you see them interacting with their friends and family, and realize you’re just their wedding photographer, it can feel a little weird. And after the wedding is over and these wonderful humans move on with their lives, you might feel sad. And that’s totally okay.
Over the last ten years of being a wedding photographer, I have met so many incredible humans. Some of them have stayed in contact and some of them haven’t. I’ve learned that my “professional” role as their wedding photographer is still an epically special one and to focus on loving the time I get with them, however long or short.
10. When Things Get Hard, Remind Yourself of Everything You Love
Being a wedding photographer has its challenging moments. After all, working for yourself in any way can be wildly frustrating. There’s the constant battle between what you might be feeling inspired to do or create for your business and what needs to be done, the income roller coaster you might experience when you’re just getting started as a wedding photographer, and the inevitable imposter syndrome that rears its ugly head.
When I find myself feeling overwhelmed or struggling, I remind myself that there is nothing in the world that I would rather be doing.
The fact that I can take a day off to hang with my sick kiddo whenever, never have to ask for permission to do anything in my own business, and get to travel to new cities and meet hundreds of new people a month? It’s AMAZING. (And that’s just scratching the surface of the things I freaking love.)
Point is, when the going gets tough, remind yourself of everything you love about what you’re doing, I promise you, it will help you hang in.
The Quick and Dirty Recap on 10 Lessons Learned After Being a Wedding Photographer for 7 Years:
- Figure out your brand vibe
- Start at the pace that feels right to you
- Experiment with your schedule and work with your brain
- Take photos with the gear you have (or rent gear) instead of buying
- Network with other wedding photographers and vendors
- Focus on short-term and LONG-term goals
- Find a good wedding-industry CPA and/or bookkeeper
- Have a wedding-photography-specific contract
- Prepare for the fact that your couples will come and go
- When things get rough, remind yourself why being a wedding photographer is worth it
The last 7 years of being a wedding photographer have taught me so much, and I still pinch myself daily that I get to have the best job ever. (10/10 would recommend.)
I hope this blog post inspired ya to begin your wedding photography career path (or gave you some useful advice to start using if you’re already a wedding photographer).
If you’re still needing support becoming a wedding photographer…
- I offer mentorship for photogs ready to start crushing it
- Check out my podcast: For Those Who Don’t Know Me (for couples AND fellow photographers!)
- Stalk the blog for other advice like: Best Tips on How to Have a Successful Wedding Photography Business
