This post was inspired by a blog post written by Once Upon A Vow.
I’ve spent a lot of time, energy, and money trying to convince people that I should be their photographer. That’s the point of marketing, right? And with the sea of photographers available to you at any given time and in any location, I’ve spent so long trying to stand out. To be the one that lovers choose to capture their weddings, and to be the one to tell your story through images. I’ve agonized over raising my prices because I feared that those prices would chase away people that didn’t think my work was worth it. I feared rejection. I feared failing.
Small business owners have been put through the fire over the last year and a half and some of us haven’t survived. This fire has burned away a lot for me. It has burned away some of that fear. It has burned away distractions. It has burned away my need to be everything for everyone. It has shown me the joy of working with humans and on projects that align with my values and it has taught me to cherish that work above all other work.
I’m not the photographer for everyone. Not everyone will love my work or align with my values. The ones that do though, we will make magic. We will let our imaginations run free. We will let our lights shine, and we will do it with purpose.
Here are a few reasons why I shouldn’t be your wedding photographer;
Your values don’t align with my own.
Your wedding photography is probably going to be one of the more expensive services you will be paying for, and whether you intend to or not, you are “voting” with your dollar. I am working towards becoming a values driven brand. I intend to use the profit I make in my business to support causes and organizations that align with my values. If you don’t want your money to indirectly support those values and causes, then please find a photographer more suited to your own values.
I support BLM, 2SLGBTQ+ and indigenous causes. I strive to be anti-racist. I want to support BIPOC owned businesses and vendors the best I can. I’m for #landback and the decolonizing work led by Canada’s indigenous peoples. I want to find ways to become more and more sustainable by ethically sourcing supplies and mitigating my carbon footprint as a business. I’m a humanist, and I want to see humans from all walks of life celebrate their love and their lovers.
You’re not a fan of my personality.
Your photographer will spend pretty much your whole wedding day with you. One of the reasons I (and many other photographers) insist on consultations and recommend an engagement session is to gauge whether or not we would make a good fit, personality wise, for your wedding. You don’t want someone that you find annoying to be shadowing you all day long, pointing a camera at your face and telling you to smile.
Okay, I don’t exactly do that, but If you find my humour and jokes stupid, awful and grating, let’s just find you a better fit!
You’re not into my edits.
This is probably an obvious one. While my editing has evolved over time, what you see in my portfolios is pretty much what you will get in terms of editing and composition. As I continue to hone my craft, I update that portfolio to reflect work that I’m most proud of. Find a photographer whose style and edits you love.
You’re not okay with imperfections.
I get that you may want everything to be perfect on your wedding day, and believe me, I promise to do everything in my power to capture your day in the most stunning and brilliant way possible. There are just so many things out of our control, like the weather or the whims of your guests. Things will go wrong, or at least not perfectly as planned and you have to be okay with that to a degree. You also need to be able to trust your vendors and communicate what you want and need from us, realizing that there are just some things out of our control (like, *COUGH, COUGH* a global panda bear).
There are so many beautiful moments you will miss if you’re too busy trying to control every little detail of your wedding day. One of the most precious wedding moments that I have been a part of was capturing a couple dancing their first dance in the rain outside of their garage, after a massive storm came to loom over their lakeside reception and moved the party indoors. Their day didn’t end perfectly, but it was still beautiful. I’m here for those moments, are you?
You don’t want someone to geek out with.
I get so excited hearing about your passions. First of all, I need to know the name(s) of your pet(s). You will probably hear one or four of mine during our video consultation since they like to start their shenanigans only when mom needs them to be quiet. Secondly, that book/show/movie/series/sport/game you're obsessed with is fuel for my creative fire as I dream up how to tell your story during your engagement session and creative portraits. Lastly, let’s let our imaginations roam free as we plan out your celebration. We can always edit our plans later to make them achievable. I’m here to dream with you.
One of the greatest things that has come from walking through the fire of this last year is finding the confidence I need to sift through my content and marketing in order to reach out to the humans out there that love my work and what I’m about. To you, my dear ones, I say welcome!
