Photographers: How to get started as a wedding photographer…

One of my most asked questions as a photographer, specifically a wedding photographer, is how did I get started?

It can be difficult to get your name out there when starting up any new business. Trust is a huge actor, how can people trust you to document such important moments in their life with no experience? The best, sure-fire way to get your foot in the door is contact other local photographers who have been doing what you want to be doing for quite some time, ask them if they could use a free assistance and you’d like to follow them around on any sessions they’d allow so you can learn the ropes. It may take a few messages but there are other professionals out there that want to help.

Personally, I avoided anyone who wanted to charge for a mentor session at first — I was just starting out, unsure if it was something I’d even be good at or enjoy and wasn’t ready to start investing in it quite yet.

Once you start shadowing, you can start building your portfolio in a low-stress environment shadowing behind someone with more experience than you. Create your Instagram, Facebook, Pinterest, even TikTok and start posting those photos (with the head photographer’s permission of course).

After you have quite the portfolio built, start advertising with competitive prices (start low, you can always raise them). I advertised on Facebook & Instagram and my books filled up pretty quickly. The key is consistency, as it is in any business. When you’re working for yourself, you get out what you put in. If you’re only posting once a month, the likelihood that pushes in bookings is low. If your effort is high, such a making reels once a week, posting regularly, showing up in your stories, your return will be high!

Don’t give up. And remember, there is never too many photographers.