5 Ways We Make Great Images and Stay in Business

Often, beginning photographers ask us for help.  They want to know the “secrets” of being wedding photographers, and how to use photography to better their own lives.

We have a few core values that we run our business on.  It’s really quite simple.  Now, don’t confuse simple with hard work – this isn’t a get rich quick industry, and it takes time and dedication.

1. Showing Love

Our mission is to show love through imagery.  We strive to improve and deepen relationships by creating images of emotional, loving moments and providing the most beautiful ways to display them as visual reminders of those bonds.

After all...love.  It is why you get married.  It is why you are inviting family and friends to your most emotional and intimate day.  It is why you wake up in the morning.  It is why your relationship with each other is so strong.  It is how you get through tough times.  It is why you celebrate the best of times.  It is what you have found with your soulmate that keeps you together.  It is that blessed moment when a new life is born. It is how you remember those who have moved on.  It is why you display images in your home.

2. Showing Love

            We take pride in showing love to our clients, whether it’s a hand-written thank you note, a check-in phone call, or going well beyond their expectations.  We challenge ourselves to show our clients as much love as possible.

3. Showing Love

            We like to give.  We may do simple acts, like give another vendor images of them doing something amazing (so they can showcase their own work), or donate to various charities, or sponsor local events.  We figure, if we did well enough that we have more than we need, then we are in a position to give to someone else in need – it is a very good feeling!

4. Showing Love

            It is important to show love to yourself.  If you forget to do this or you don’t think that taking care of yourself is important, think again.  In order to do step 5, you must do step 4.  Example:  Have you ever been on an airplane?  Take notice that on an airplane, when they go through the safety procedures, the very first step for every individual is to take care of themselves first, and then help someone else.  It is quite simple!  If you haven’t taken care of yourself, then you haven’t put yourself into a position that allows you to help others.

            We show love to ourselves by doing two simple things.  One: we will never work for less than we are worth, as our dedication to expertise deserves compensation, just as our clients deserve our absolute best.  Two: we separate business and home life, as it is necessary for us to recharge our personal batteries as well! 

5. Showing Love

            We show love to our family.  It is vital that we are happy on a personal level.  Otherwise, unhappiness would bleed into the business, which would lead to unhappy customers, which would in turn lead to the demise of our business.  To show love to our family, we follow step two from above: we separate business and home life.  We do this by dedicating time for family, and planning vacation time.  We understand the value of family – it is why we make images! 

Obviously, there are more intricate details involved with running a successful business; however, if you begin with these 5 values at your core, you will be off to a great start.

Thanks for reading, and we hope you can take something away from this!

Comments, shares, and likes appreciated!