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Last spring, Stephen and I finally had a chance to meet a couple we booked through e-mail. I'm always hesitant about not being able to meet a couple in person, but I just knew through e-mail that Carrie was a beautiful gem. We finally met at their engagement session and immediately, we knew their wedding would be amazing. Carrie and Scott are the kind of people you feel like you've been friends with for years. Their genuine warm hearts are hard to find and we feel so HONORED to have been able to work with these two beautiful people.
The wedding day was quite and perfect. It seemed to fit Carrie and Scott's personalities and we couldn't have been happier to spend the afternoon with not only amazing clients, but extremely generous families. A special thanks to Carrie and Scott for your beautiful hearts and we cannot wait to watch what the Lord has in store for you! To see a slideshow of the rest of the day, click here. |
These past few months have been quiet. A much needed time of silence and plenty of time with family seems to be rejuvenating me. I decided a much needed breather was required to really figure out what I need to change in my business. I have prioritized my business and figured out what makes my business ME. I have been meaning to write this blog post for quite some time now but I seem to be EXHAUSTED.
It's SO easy to fall into exhaustion in this industry and I seem to be swimming in it. I'm not entirely sure how to write this post because I don't want to offend anyone but I felt I should write what I have learned thus far as a wedding photographer in this exhausting industry. This is just MY opinion and I ONLY am writing this based on my perspective and how I feel.
I feel as though I am swimming in exhaustion because I have allowed myself to just simply get tired. I'm tired of pushing myself to the extreme to be something I just may not be. Why do I feel guilty for not blogging? Why do I continually feel like I'm not good enough? It's SO easy for an artist to feel these ways because it's a constant battle to refine your business and we seem to pour all of ourselves into our work. We need to learn to change these ways that we feel. One way, is to STOP comparing yourself to others in this industry. It will kill your creativity and all of your heart in your business. I take photos based on how I see it and how can that be wrong? If you are happy with what you see and your client is happy with what they see, shouldn't that be all that matters? It seems in this industry that it's NOT all that matters. It seems as though it's a popularity contest. Don't let it be.
I asked myself these questions and realized that all that matters is what I think about myself and what my clients think about me. If my client is happy with their photographs then I am dancing in my shoes because that was my soul purpose on their wedding day.
I have purposely avoided reading other photographers blogs because I feel it takes away from my own creativity. I want my blog, my photographs, and my work to be MINE not someone else's ideas. Sure, I still look at blogs in this industry, I just don't "study" them. I I feel like it's easy to fall into someone elses groove of doing things rather then your own. We all seem to admire someone else and how they run their business but that doesn't necessarily mean it's going to work for you. I feel that you will have a successful business if your business is around YOU. If you photograph like YOU and not someone else, then your going to attract the clients that want YOU and not someone else.
What I mean is, don't strive to be something you're not. It saddens me when I see my peers in this industry striving to be the BEST of the BEST instead of just focusing on themselves and what their clients like. I personally feel that if you care about YOU and your CLIENT, your business can only grow.
My goal is to be the best photographer I can be for myself and my clients. I don't NEED to be a well known photographer in this industry to feel good about my business. I just want to be me.
If you need to take a breather, take it! Breathe in your own creativity and breathe out what others think about you.
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| This is Oliver. One of my many beautiful nephews. |
These past few months, we have felt SO honored to have graced three wedding blogs that we read weekly. I wanted to write this post to not only photographers but also to brides. To every photographer, make sure you submit your weddings to blogs. I cannot say enough good things about how great working with creative wedding blogs can be. It definitely helps bring new inspiration to your business, but it also gives your business a lot of exposure to new brides worldwide. To all the brides that read my blog , you MUST check out these amazing sites. These sites are just so amazing for creative wedding inspiration.
Being have been a bride myself, I searched these blogs in hope for inspiration and I left feeling overwhelmed with millions of awesome ideas to show my florist! So much fun! Hope everyone is having a wonderful week!
Elizabeth Anne Designs featured one of our favorite weddings : Kristi + Aaron . Check out the feature here. |
This past spring, I finally had an opportunity to hang out with Zack and Katie together as a couple at their engagement session. This couple is AMAZING in front of the camera. Do I need to say more!? We walked around downtown and chatted about the plans of the wedding day and what to expect as the day was soon approaching. Well, it FINALLY came and the day was perfect.
Last weekend, Zack and Katie finally tied the knot in beautiful Ventura at The Serra Cross Park. Katie was praying for sunshine but God blew in some fluffy white clouds to cool down the weather. Right as Katie was about to walk down the isle, the sun popped out and it was almost as if God was giving his blessing to this Zack and Katie. It was perfect.
We headed down to the beach for the bridal portraits. The beach, the weather, and of course Zack and Katie couldn't have been more stunning. Stephen and I felt honored to have been apart of this wedding ceremony and are excited to see what God will do in both Zack and Katie's lives in the future.
Zack and Katie, thank you for allowing us to be apart of your beautiful ceremony and marriage! To see a slideshow of the wedding day, please click HERE. |
Katie, you are beautiful.
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| I love this photo of them as they are walking down the isle after being announced husband and wife! They are both simply glowing! |
| I just loved this little area with the sweet brown fence. It couldn't have been more perfect! |
| I felt it was perfect to end the post on this photo. :) A happy cheers! |
This past month, I hosted a free photography wedding giveaway on my blog. The rules were simple and the winner would be chosen based on the most deserving story. To be completely honest, everyone that entered the contest truly deserves a free wedding. I felt so honored to have read everyone's stories and almost felt as though I knew them as friends after I was done reading who they were. I wish I could help every couple but unfortunately I could only choose one.
After reading through each story numerous times, I just kept coming back to just one. Lauren and Brandon. Something about their story stuck closer to my heart than the others and I just knew I need to be a part of this wedding and their special story. Although I cannot share their story until their actual wedding next September, trust me when I say their story is beautiful and well deserving.
Congratulations Lauren and Brandon! I cannot wait to be a part of your wedding next fall in beautiful San Antonio. To every couple that entered this contest but was not chosen, THANK YOU for being a part of this contest and I truly wish I could have chosen all of you.
This is Lauren and Brandon. They sent in three photos of themselves and I just HAD to share this one. I just love it.
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