When I started my wedding photography business in 2010, I had no idea what I was doing. I tried to build a brand that I thought people could trust, said yes to every opportunity, and charged the minimum amount just to get gigs, hoping that one day I could become a full-time wedding photographer. Honestly, it worked—but it took eight years. Here are the things I wish I knew before I started my wedding photography journey.

Be Authentic, Be Yourself

In the beginning, it’s tempting to look at what others are doing and try to replicate their success. It seems like a good idea to homogenize your brand and persona to avoid offending anyone. We try to cast a wide net to attract as many clients as possible, but before you know it, what you represent is no longer you. You’ve spent years creating a brand that isn’t authentically you. Instead of living the dream of working for yourself, you end up working for an idea of yourself. Any wedding photographer will tell you that the clients they enjoy working with the most, the weddings that showcase their best work, are almost always clients they could be friends with. Craft a brand that is authentically you, and the right clients will find you.

Charge What You're Worth, Even if It's Nothing

When you first start out, you’re hungry. You’ll take anything just for the opportunity to build your portfolio and get your name out there. Up until now, you’ve never been paid to take photos, so if you can make enough money to pay for the new camera you bought, it's a win, right? That’s what I thought too. Here’s the problem with that mentality: building a client base at your “entry-level” price will not help you in the long run. All you’ve done is condition an entire network of people to the idea that you’re cheap. Those initial clients will never understand why their family photos that used to cost $100 now cost $500 because you have more experience. They already thought you were good enough to take their photos in the first place. If you’re in the portfolio-building stage, do it for free and on your terms. Craft your style without the pressure of delivering for a paying client, and second shoot with other wedding photographers until you feel ready to value yourself appropriately.

If It’s Not a YES, It’s a No

Everything you say ‘yes’ to is an inadvertent ‘no’ to something else, whether you know it or not. This philosophy applies to your entire life, but in your business, it’s literal. Agreeing to a job that isn’t going to serve your goals is wasted time. Of course, one of your goals is probably to make money, so if it pays what it’s worth, then sure, take it. The jobs I’m referring to are the favors, the underpaid shoots, the shoots that you don’t want to continue doing in the future. I can’t tell you how many times I agreed to shoot something I wasn’t excited about only to have a dream shoot come up for the exact same date. Taking a job for the wrong reason steals your time, energy, and creative mojo.

The Goal Doesn't Have to Be Full-Time

If you’re reading this as a beginner, I’d bet that you’re also working to support yourself, maybe at a job you don’t love. You’ve probably spent hours daydreaming about the life you could have if you could only book a few more weddings. I’m here to tell you that although that is a fantastic goal, and when you get there, it can be very fulfilling—what about when it’s not? You’re human, you will feel burnout, you’ll have bad days, you might have a year when bookings are down, and you’ll start to worry about the money. Then what? Once you HAVE to shoot to pay the bills, this job can feel like any other job (granted, it’s way more fun than most). Being a wedding photographer means running a business, and it requires a lot of discipline to be sustainable. There’s nothing wrong with running a small wedding photography business as a side hustle to get the creative juices flowing. There is nothing wrong with only shooting the YES! and not having to worry about the money.

Great Photography is Not Enough

As much as it pains me to say this, running a successful wedding photography business has more to do with marketing than it does photography. You can be the most skilled photographer on the planet, but if you don’t know how to present yourself and be found by potential clients, you will not succeed. This is art. Art is subjective, and attention is everything.

Reflecting on these lessons, I’ve come to appreciate the balance between creativity and business. Every misstep has taught me something valuable and brought me closer to a fulfilling and authentic photography journey. We all need to learn things in our own way, and for me, it was a slow journey of constant evolution. If I were to start all over in a new city today, I would build my entire business around these five principles. They have shaped my approach to wedding photography and continue to guide me as I grow. Embracing authenticity, valuing my work, making thoughtful choices, staying open to different paths, and mastering the art of marketing are the cornerstones of a successful and rewarding photography career.