My Journey as a Wedding Photographer – Part Three

Hello and welcome,

It has been nearly a year since I typed up part two of my photography journey, and a heck of a lot has happened in that brief space of time. I photographed a destination wedding, learnt new photography skills, promoted myself at a Northampton wedding fair, met lots of interesting people, and also incorporated new photography products into the business.

So where to start off, 2017 went so well and I received such great reviews from wedding couples, that it gave me a big push for me to continue growing my skills and keep improving with every wedding. My aim is to always improve and never become stagnant, and momentum is key. So even during the quiet times, it’s always important to learn new skills and have my camera on me as much as possible.

I am naturally becoming more of a wedding photographer for Northamptonshire than anything else. People are noticing me more, my social media pages are growing in likes and followers, and my name is getting out there. Word of mouth seems to be my most popular way of receiving bookings over the website and social media. It’s funny sometimes how I receive bookings from word of mouth. I always ask how the client came across my work and they say, for example, that ‘Mr Smith recommended you’ so whoever you are ‘Mr Smith’ thank you for putting my name forward. They say word of mouth is a powerful thing, and it is certainly working for me.

I mentioned before that I photographed a wedding abroad, that was last June and I still pinch myself to this day, I find it crazy I did such a thing. They held the wedding in beautiful Paphos, Cyprus, and was such a privilege to be a part of. Thank you, Scott and Aimee, for choosing me to capture your special day.

It was pretty much non-stop for 6 months throughout 2017. I went into hibernation mode with the amount of editing I had to get through, clients to meet, bookings to cover, etc.

By the looks of things, 2018 will be the same again, which is fantastic. I have to say thank you to my partner Kristina for being so understanding as I was literally working 24/7 so did not have as much time for family or friends during the busy period. 

I juggle a full-time job and run a business so you can imagine just how hectic working life can be; I love every minute though, so no complaints here. When it quietens down, I will get the chance to get back into the routine of seeing everyone again, as I like to be sociable and get out and about as much as possible with everyone.

2018 started off with a bang as I received a wedding booking to photograph a wedding in the Cotswolds. It was honestly such a stunning venue (Cripps Barn) and was a lot of fun to photograph; the bridesmaids were a great group and kept me laughing throughout the day. Especially during the morning as they were all getting ready (The meal was out of this world too, so so good, the perks of the job aye!)

I shall be in Liverpool in July photographing a wedding at the Shankly Hotel, which will be amazing. I never imagined leaving Northampton to capture someone’s special day, let alone travel abroad or across the UK. I have now photographed weddings in London, Buckinghamshire, the Cotswolds, Leicestershire, many locations across Northampton and Cyprus. I am not saying this to show off, but because I am proud of how far I have come over the years.

I mentioned that I have incorporated new products into my business; I came across a company by the name of nPhoto at the society of Photographers convention in London two months back who were selling wedding albums. I never thought I would offer albums in all honesty, but as soon as I saw their albums I was immediately hooked in. I am now offering beautiful handmade albums which can hold 70 images of the couple’s choice; it comes in a lovely box with a USB too. I also invested in some customised USB sticks from USB2U which clients shall receive instead of a DVD with images on. These look a lot more professional. it’s slowly all coming together and has certainly been a learning curve over the years.

I am not ashamed to admit that the business side has not come to me as easily as the photography itself; I am literally learning as I go along, but I have now come to a point where I need not invest so much money into photography equipment. I have also been to two Northampton wedding fairs, which were both held at the Brampton Heath Golf Club, Northampton. Hopefully, I get the chance to capture someone special day there again as the grounds are lovely and the staff are fantastic. I am still a part of the F/64 group on Facebook, which I have been apart with for years now. It’s such a great space to share images with other fellow photographers and everyone really supports each other (it also has some hilarious characters in there that make me laugh)

I have been part of other photography groups through Facebook, but it’s just not the same as the F/64 crew. So thanks guys and gals for being such a great group to chat with. We also meet up from time to time like recently we went for a guided tour around London capturing the hustle and bustle of the city. Steve knows his stuff and provided a great day out for us all. (The cereal Killer cafe was a highlight of my day, I love my food and will visit there again for sure!)

I would like to say a huge thank you to all the wonderful clients I had the pleasure of meeting throughout 2017 and 2018. There are far too many of you to mention in one go, so would like to thank you as a whole. It is thanks to you I can follow my dream of becoming a full-time wedding photographer and with every year that passes it is becoming a reality.

Thank you for taking the time to read my photography blog. I write this as a personal diary of my journey and do not necessarily write it for people to read, which may sound odd; I enjoy creating them as I can reflect and get things into perspective more.

I do also like to share blogs with hints and tips from time to time. Which for photographers who want to learn a thing or two can hopefully take away something useful. I do not have all the answers, but my knowledge is growing and so wish to share what I have learnt with as many people as possible.

I wish everyone all the best in 2018 and beyond, follow your dream, work hard and have fun while you’re at it!

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