Your ideal photographer / my ideal client
I’m warning you right now: I’m going to be completely honest.
As a photographer, I’ve had my struggles. Don’t get me wrong, I love what I do… witnessing love stories, developing new friendships, traveling to beautiful destinations… it never gets old. No, that part is a dream. It’s the “business” part that I struggled with. I’m an artist, not an experienced businesswoman. I’d much rather create and connect with people than worry about financial matters and marketing strategies… that stuff feels so surface-level and exhausting. Trying to keep up with the “game” of booking clients and posting to social media regularly feels unnatural. It is unnatural because I’m not a big corporation… I’m a regular person. A person who happens to be married, raising two teenagers, and feeling the weight of the world with everything that goes on in it… war-torn nations, economic stresses, and future uncertainties. I just want to photograph love and create beauty!
Sure, I want to be successful, but more importantly, I want to be happy.
Attaining success & happiness as a photographer might look different for everyone. What I envision is this:
a healthy balance between work & life
making enough money to feel comfortable, to give my family & friends all that they deserve
clients who, not only, love my photography but also see my value, qualities & assets, and how I stand apart
clients who have similar personal values: altruism, integrity, gratitude, open-mindedness, and well-being… to name a few. Luckily, I do seem to attract these types of people and I wouldn’t want it any other way!
clients who care more about each other than “keeping up with the Joneses” (again, I’ve been lucky)
annnnnd, just because I’m dreaming… being able to travel to far-away lands, documenting different cultures than mine, and (bonus!) getting paid to do so, wouldn’t that be sweet?!
I’ve attained some of these visions, and some I’m still working on. Sometimes though, I feel like I just get stuck. The slow season had me feeling particularly drained of energy this year… I didn’t make a huge effort on social media, therefore I wasn’t getting as many inquiries as usual. My fault. Then, some of those couples who did reach out to me left my emails on read. Being ghosted doesn’t feel good! All of those self-deprecating thoughts & questions start to creep in. Why do we do this to ourselves?
I’ve been a wedding photographer for over 13 years, and I’ve photographed all types of events: low-budget weddings to ultra-high-budget weddings, rain or shine, wedding-planner led or none at all (in that case, I’ve become the wedding coordinator). I know when to step up and give direction, and when to take a step back and watch as the moments unfold, capturing emotions & details that help tell the entire story of the day. I’ve helped mend emergencies without giving any inkling that something was going wrong. I’ve “read the room” and hyped up or calmed people down, depending on what was needed. I’ve captured classic portraits, candids, and other moments that may have gone unnoticed. I’ve always kept a level of professionalism that shows people that I’m dependable, respectable, and honest.
So, I know what I’m worth, and I know I’m damn good at my job. But sometimes I still wonder, what is it that people look for in a photographer? Does it come down to price or notoriety? For me, it comes down to connection & intention. Connecting with my clients, with the moments. Intentionally creating images that convey the moment in a style that will remain timeless.
This blog post is probably the most honest I’ve ever been in my business. I may have scared some people away (can’t say I didn’t warn you!) but then again, I may have connected with my ideal people, and for that, I’m willing to take the risk.
