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A few weeks ago I had the pleasure of photographing Karin and Mike, capturing their love and carefree personalities! I can't wait to photograph their wedding next month!
-Nach
Earlier this week, I was looking at my calendar to see my availability for a client, and it struck me that today, May 15, is the one year anniversary of being my own boss. I've had my business for almost 4 years now, but this was my first year running it full-time. I didn’t think about it much this week, but today, as I sat down in my home office, double shot of espresso in hand to check email, it hit me, I made it a year all on my own. I told myself that I was going to treat today like any other business day, but as I was checking my email, and getting ready to do some editing I couldn’t focus on those tasks, so I stopped what I was doing and decided to write up a little something about my first year as a full-time photographer.
The first few weeks after I left my job last May were amazing, I no longer had to set an alarm clock, I could have my espresso and breakfast out on the front porch vs. having to shovel it down in the kitchen before rushing out the door for work. The days of being told what I had to do at work were gone, and the dreaded performance reviews so many of use have to endure at our jobs, were long, long, gone. It was a freeing experience those first few weeks as my own boss. After about two weeks of getting up later, and working when I felt like it, I woke up one morning, and had my “oh shit” moment. The reality that I was really the boss, and everything was on my shoulders hit me like a ton of bricks. It was from that moment on, that I realized if I was going to make it to May 15, 2015 I was going to have to work my butt off, cause if I didn’t, my butt was going right back to the 9-5.
There’s no way to be fully prepared just how much work is involved with being your own boss. I wish I could explain how it really works, but all I can really say, is that you need to have your shit together. Working from home is not about sitting around all day in your pj’s, binging on House of Cards, and working when you want. No, it’s harder work then you can imagine, and until you’re in it for yourself, there is nothing I can say or do to explain the challenges that come with being your own boss.
I left my job with a handful of weddings booked, some money saved, and a business plan that I felt was strong. Last Summer went by fairly fast, I was busy shooting, and finally got to enjoy some much needed time with April and our families. Once the Fall came and air become cool I realized I had some issues with my business. I looked ahead to 2015 and realized that I didn’t have much work on the books, and then I looked at my bank accounts and became even more nervous! I spiraled into what I would consider three months of pure panic, but a much needed panic. Those three months were tough, I didn’t book any weddings, I barely shot anything, and was questioning my decision to be the boss. I knew something needed to change, so I tore down my whole business model and rebuilt it from the ground up. I won’t dive into the details, but I can say I turned things around, and in return 2015 and looking into 2016 already, things are looking great. One thing I can say about being your own boss, is to be successful you have to be able to make changes, even if they are hard to swallow. So enough about business, things are great and get better every day, let’s talk about what else has happened in my life this past year.
April and I have been together almost seven and half years, she has been with me for most if not all my adult life. She was one of the biggest supporters of leaving my job to do photography full-time (after explaining things to my parents, they fully supported my decision as well), and has been by my side at weddings, and photography jobs since day one. For about three years almost everyone has asked me, “when are you going to ask that girl to marry you?” Well, on an unusually mild, and rainy day last December I did ask her, and she said yes! When I asked April to marry me, I was just near the end of my three months of panic. I had no clue if I could turn things around, but there is business and there is life, and I was not going to let my own concerns about my business, keep me from asking the love of my life to marry me! As things would have it, by the end of December things turn around for business and we dived deep into the world of planning our wedding!
I know a lot about weddings, but planning our own has been an eye opening experience. I can finally relate to all my couples, and while it’s been stressful at times, remember to try and have a good time planning your wedding, it’s suppose to be fun! I will say, between helping plan our wedding, and working with my clients, my life seems like one big wedding…haha. That really has been this year for me, weddings, weddings, and more weddings, and I love it! What's even better than business being good? On July 17th, 2015 April and I will say I do, starting the next chapter in our own little love story….
Here’s to love, laughter, the unknown, being the boss, and enjoying the ride along the way!
What better day to capture love than Valentine's Day, right? Last month I had the pleasure of photographing Kristina and Joe's intimate wedding in their home surrounded by their family, friends, and their adorable children. To top it off, the wedding was during a snowstorm, which lead to some pretty awesome snow portraits, before they left to enjoy a private dinner with all of their guests
I just love their children's reactions to the first kiss...haha.
As I was sitting back reflecting on the process of April and I booking our own wedding photographer, it occurred to me this would be a great time to give engaged couples some simple tips for finding the best photographer for them. You can find a ton of tips by doing a quick Google search, many times those tips are written by people who are not working wedding photographers. I’m here to provide some real tips from a working professional wedding photographer.
For April and I hiring the right wedding photographer was just as important to us as the venue we chose. Being in the process of planning our own wedding has opened my eyes to the somewhat daunting task my clients face in planning their own weddings and my outlook of the whole process had changed for the better, but that’s for another blog post..haha.
So you’ve done a Google search for wedding photographers or maybe some one referred one to you. The next step is probably checking out their website. Here are three important elements of their site you should focus on before contacting them.
Portfolio
This probably goes without saying, but you need to like the work you are seeing in front of you. Every photographer has their own style of shooting and how they edit their images. Some photographer like a photojournalist approach, some like to pose their clients. Some do very minimal editing to their images; some like the vintage look to their edited images, and some like clean vibrant colorful images. Take time to look at the images on a photographers website and make sure their style matches your vision of how you want your wedding images to look.
About Me Section
Take a few minutes and read the about me section a photographer has written. A lot of times we will share who we are. If you feel like your personality matches theirs, that’s a great thing.
Blog
Photographers blogs are great for seeing current work, but I feel they are more powerful for sharing who we are as photographers with the world. Take a few minutes to see some current work and hopefully read a post or two about that photographer’s personality. A good blog is a mix of both a photographers’ portfolio and about me.
Now that you have found a few photographers you like it’s time to set up meetings with them. My suggestion is to pick two or three photographers to meet with. Don’t waste your time meeting with a ton of them; you will only be more overwhelmed and possibly frustrated. Meet with the photographers who’s work you love, and hopefully if they tell you a little about themselves on their website your personalities seem like a good fit. A face to face meeting is best, but FaceTime or Skype works as well. Use the meeting to tell your photographer about yourselves, your wedding day, your vision, to see more of their work, and ultimately talk face to face about what they can offer you.
I suggest scheduling all your meetings within a week or two and only focus on booking a photographer in that time frame. By only focusing your time on meeting with photographers, you will make a better decision with a clear head and find the perfect person to capture your day.
You have to like who your photographer is as a person. Besides your family, wedding party, and maybe your wedding planner, the only other person who will be by your side from start to finish is your photographer. On a wedding day, I spend an average of eight to twelve hours with a couple. Imagine spending all that time with someone whose personality doesn't mesh with yours; it could be a long day!
Photographers are just like you; they all have different personalities, beliefs, and traits, so getting to know your photographer well during your initial meeting and engagement session is crucial in my opinion. The more you like your photographer’s personality, the more comfortable you will be on your wedding day.
Weddings are expensive events, there's no doubt about it, and by the time you start meeting with photographers, you’ve probably just been hit with some big numbers since you most likely just booked your venue and possibly a caterer. You still have a slew of other vendors to book, and oh yea a beautiful dress to buy. Considering investing thousands of dollars for wedding photography might seem crazy at the moment.
Working in the industry I know the rates photographers charge are all over the place, from a few hundred to tens of thousands of dollars. I’m not one to suggest how you spend your money, it’s your money and you have to be comfortable with the amount you spend on your wedding, but here are my thoughts on price.
I know you have a budget, April and I had one too. We said to each other if we loved a photographer’s personality, work, and the albums they offered, we would not be afraid to spend a little more to book the photographer we feel most comfortable with documenting our day. Spending a little more money than you planned on to book the photographer you love and whom you feel the most comfortable with is a smart investment.
At the end of the day, once the cake is cut, the music stops, and you’re wiping off your make up after a day of celebrating, all you have left to remember your wedding day is the photography and maybe a video if you hired a videographer. Sure, you will probably keep your dress, and maybe a family member will give you an awesome heirloom item that will remind you of your day. But, photographs and perhaps a video, are the only items you will have left 5,10,15,20 years from now to conjure up the great memories of your day.
I’m a photographer, I love albums, I love to see work printed, and a big part of April and I’s wedding photographer search included purchasing an album from the start. For many couples, a wedding album can appear expensive during the initial meeting with a photographer, and by not purchasing one in the beginning or asking to have it removed from a photographers collection you can stay within your budget. If you choose to wait on purchasing an album, do yourself a favor and make sure you get great coverage.
What I mean by great coverage is booking your photographer for enough time to document your wedding to the fullest, and I also suggest adding a second photographer to capture even more intimate and candid moments. I’ve had couples want to book me for six hours of coverage, and after speaking with me, realize they really need eight or more hours of coverage to document the day how they would like it documented. By getting great coverage your day will be documented to the fullest and you can always order an album later. The worst situation in the world is realizing that you didn’t book your photographer for enough time and they come up to you and say they are leaving in a half hour and the cake has not even been cut yet! That extra hour or two can really help. Trust me on this one.
For April and I hiring the right wedding photographer was super important for one simple reason. You put a ton of work into every detail of your wedding, and once the day is over, all you really have to remember how amazing the day was six months to 20 years from now are the photographs, and possibly a video. That might sound a little crazy at the moment, but it’s the truth. I see it every weekend during wedding season. A couple puts in months to years of planning and the day goes by super fast. It will be awesome, but many times when I say goodbye at the end of the night my clients say to me “I can’t believe our wedding is over, that went by quick!”. I’m sure April and I will be saying the same at the end our wedding. So while you might want to book the first photographer you find, so you can move onto booking the next vendor, or the cheapest one you find, I highly suggest taking your time and hiring the right photographer. You will be happy you did in the long run.