Grand Rapids Wedding Photographer // 100 Weddings!

A couple of weeks ago, I photographed my 100th wedding.  It sure is crazy how time flies by!  Over the past six years I have learned SO much!  Many things that I learned were pretty valuable to me, so I thought I’d share in case any of you aspiring photographers out there wanted some reading material for the day!  So….here we go!

– Don’t compare yourself to others!  Now, this is something that I still struggle with today and I think that probably most people do.  It’s so hard seeing where you want to be compared where you are.  I remember a few years back wishing and dreaming that I would be where I am now, only to find out that now, I want to be somewhere else.  Dreams and goals are forever changing and you never know what the future holds.  As years have passed, it’s been easier to let go of some of this, mainly because you get too busy to think about it, but it is still difficult.  My main wish and goal is to be content with where I am in the present, having goals and dreams for the future, but realizing that right here is a pretty awesome place to be!

– Invest in good equipment!  Joe and I photographed a majority of these 100 weddings together.  Back when it was just the two of us, we used to have visions for photographs, but being disappointed in the result because our equipment just didn’t quite do the trick.  Once we started investing most of our cash flow back into our equipment, things changed quickly. 

– Invest in yourself!  I do believe that having good, quality equipment is super important, but you need to invest in yourself just as much.  A camera can’t take an amazing photograph by itself, it needs someone to push the shutter release.  That’s where you come in!  Set aside some time and money to learn something new about your craft every year.  Attend workshops, schedule mentoring sessions, take online classes…anything!  Just keep working and pushing and you will get where you want to be.  The first workshop I attended was the MJ2Day and it motivated me more than I could have ever dreamed!

– People  you meet along the way are more than clients!  I can’t believe how many of our couples have become our friends.  The trust that they put in us means so much….  We always want them to leave happy and want them to cherish their photographs forever.  Going from being strangers to meeting for dinner for no good reason other than to catch up is the best!

– Be true to your style!  This is tricky.  With Pinterest on your phone and computer, magazines at every grocery store and a constant slew of images being thrown at you from every direction, it is very hard to stay true.  I don’t really believe that anything is original anymore because just about everything has been done before.  I do, however, believe that you can stay true to your style by only using things you see as inspiration and not copying them piece by piece.  Many brides send secret Pinterest boards my way with images that they would like to be taken on their wedding day.  It would be so easy to just copy those images exactly, but try and put your own twist on them.  When looking at those images among others that are  yours, try to keep them in the same style and consistent.  Clients hire us for our different styles…..since that is pretty much the only thing that differentiates us between other photographers in their eyes (other than price).  Just be true to yourself and they will keep coming back!

– Find a good balance between work and family!  This is one I have yet to master.  You could work every hour of the day and still never be done, so give yourself a break.  Spend time with the people in your life that really matter.  In 2015 we are changing things up a bit to do just this!  Businesses normally have set hours…so why shouldn’t a photographer?  I feel like we are pulled in every direction possible…working any time of the day, all Saturdays and Sundays too!  Some time needs to be set aside for rest to avoid burnout and time needs to be given to your loved ones so you don’t begin to loathe your amazing career.  Just do what you think is right and that will be the best decision made yet!

Today, I’m feeling extra brave, so I decided to post an image from wedding #1 and wedding #100 to show the difference.  Earning $200.00, using a borrowed camera and shooting fully on auto…things sure have changed.  I am so glad that I started on this journey with the unending support from my hubby because if he hadn’t given me the extra push to do so, we may not be here today.

What do you think?  Do these two images look any different?  I sure hope so! 

By the way, Kevin & Karri on the left are still going strong and even have three adorable kiddos..