Nice article with practical, actionable advice, Lucy! In 1989, I was 30 and not feeling very rewarded by my aerospace job. My younger sister was getting married for the second time and our parents weren’t going to pay for another complete wedding, Tammy asked me if I would do it and I agreed. I loved portraiture and figured ‘How hard can it be?!’ The photos came out really well! When I took them to my day job to share with a friend, a young lady in the office who I knew, but not well, happened to see them as she walked past. Turns out Gabriella was engaged and needed a wedding photographer! Thus began a nearly ten year side gig shooting weddings, portraits and events that got enough word of mouth that I never had to chase business and always had a couple of firm jobs on the horizon. It was something I did with my wife’s help, she was great with people and logistics and could carry her body weight in gear! It allowed me to grow my skills and confidence and allowed me to upgrade and expand my gear over time. On paper, it didn’t make much of a profit, but being able to write off gear was priceless in a time when we weren’t very well off financially. Anyway, the experiences were priceless and I still get calls mainly from friends and relatives to shoot extended family portraits. Best to you and Lux in all you pursue!
I LOVE this story arc of you becoming a pro wedding photographer! It’s funny how things can snowball or open up doors just by chance events in our lives or having the courage and openness to give something a go! Thanks for sharing this - it’s really inspiring!
What an awesome piece!! Thank you so much for this guide!!! I’m about to embark on a major career change into photography, and this is perfect. This is so helpful, thank you!!
Great post Lucy, happy for you to make it work! This only shows that consistency and showing up every single day do pay off.
I had a similar path, I was a sommelier for 15 years, one day I swapped the apron for a camera and showed up every day to get where I wanted to be. That consistency helped me build a reputation, won my work awards, got me to shoot internationally and helped establish my business in the local community. Keep going!
I took a photo to a couple with my Rolleiflex the other day, just for me. They were ready to surfing and I asked for it. Later they’ve contacted me and I sent both (I took two) scans, that they liked. I had no particular pretension but they asked for a print. So I said, ok 25€ and 50€ for A4 or A3 signed prints (thinking of printing on good Hanemule paper). They said too expensive.
Another super readable, super practical, super relatable article. Thank you
Thank you Mike - that is so great to hear. Enjoy your weekend!
And to you, Lucy!
I found this really interesting. Thanks for sharing it!
You are so welcome Bill! I’m glad to hear it and thanks for reading :)
Nice article with practical, actionable advice, Lucy! In 1989, I was 30 and not feeling very rewarded by my aerospace job. My younger sister was getting married for the second time and our parents weren’t going to pay for another complete wedding, Tammy asked me if I would do it and I agreed. I loved portraiture and figured ‘How hard can it be?!’ The photos came out really well! When I took them to my day job to share with a friend, a young lady in the office who I knew, but not well, happened to see them as she walked past. Turns out Gabriella was engaged and needed a wedding photographer! Thus began a nearly ten year side gig shooting weddings, portraits and events that got enough word of mouth that I never had to chase business and always had a couple of firm jobs on the horizon. It was something I did with my wife’s help, she was great with people and logistics and could carry her body weight in gear! It allowed me to grow my skills and confidence and allowed me to upgrade and expand my gear over time. On paper, it didn’t make much of a profit, but being able to write off gear was priceless in a time when we weren’t very well off financially. Anyway, the experiences were priceless and I still get calls mainly from friends and relatives to shoot extended family portraits. Best to you and Lux in all you pursue!
I LOVE this story arc of you becoming a pro wedding photographer! It’s funny how things can snowball or open up doors just by chance events in our lives or having the courage and openness to give something a go! Thanks for sharing this - it’s really inspiring!
Thank you Lucy, I was sort of getting the ideas as laid out here but you drove them home.
That’s great to hear! Thanks for reading :)
😊
What an awesome piece!! Thank you so much for this guide!!! I’m about to embark on a major career change into photography, and this is perfect. This is so helpful, thank you!!
Thank you Tim! I’m so excited for your new chapter to begin - you are gonna smash it!
Thank you!
So helpful! Thank you! I'm curious how you go about approaching brands? Email / DM?
Inspiring thanks
Perfect timing Lucy!! Thank you for being so generous and sharing your experience once again
Is Pic drop expensive once trial is over? I guess I should go look myself!! Anyway thanks again! Inspired x
Great post Lucy, happy for you to make it work! This only shows that consistency and showing up every single day do pay off.
I had a similar path, I was a sommelier for 15 years, one day I swapped the apron for a camera and showed up every day to get where I wanted to be. That consistency helped me build a reputation, won my work awards, got me to shoot internationally and helped establish my business in the local community. Keep going!
What’s your point on this:
I took a photo to a couple with my Rolleiflex the other day, just for me. They were ready to surfing and I asked for it. Later they’ve contacted me and I sent both (I took two) scans, that they liked. I had no particular pretension but they asked for a print. So I said, ok 25€ and 50€ for A4 or A3 signed prints (thinking of printing on good Hanemule paper). They said too expensive.