One day when I was driving to a wedding, my head was spinning with thoughts. I wonder what kind of flowers they will have? I hope they have a lot of details, etc. Those thoughts were swirling around a million miles per hour. And while they are fun to think about, sometimes I find myself getting so caught up in the “pretty” of it all that I forget to soak in the fact that I am doing what I love. I am photographing weddings which is a dream I never thought would happen!
In the photography world, there is a lot of talk about finding your ideal client. Everyone preaches about knowing exactly what type of client you want to serve and focusing on only finding them. And while I think there is a bit of truth to it, I think there is a lot of room for error in this approach as well.
You see, I do naturally gravitate towards a certain style of wedding. I love weddings that are outdoors and full of flowers and very elegant and romantic in nature. Those do set my soul on fire. I love beautiful details from Badgley Mischka shoes to sparkly jewelry. HOWEVER, I have shot a lot of weddings that don’t fit that description at all, and guess what…I STILL LOVED THEM. I think that is part of what makes this job amazing. The variety of weddings and people we get to serve. It makes it fun. After all, if I shot the same pair of heels or the same bouquet every wedding, I would get tired of it. To me, the thing that is always a MUST for my “ideal client” is the people. If they are kind hearted and deeply in love with each other, than I can work with that all day long. Because I am in the business of serving people. That is what I built my brand on. And that will never change.
So if you are a photographer or anyone in the wedding industry struggling to figure out your ideal client or ideal venue…stop pressuring yourself. Sometimes the beauty is in the variety and the importance is simply in their hearts.
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Yes!! All of this!! As a wedding photographer myself, I completely agree with all of this!! I love what I do, we are so blessed to be a part of someone’s happiest day in their life, and that alone is beautiful!
We definitely have an ideal client – but it’s BECAUSE of our ideal client that we get to shoot such different weddings!
I.Love.This. Period. 🙂
Yes! Thank you for writing this. I love this!!
Candi, I love this! I love the approach.
Really love this advice! Very true!
Great post. I think my ideal client is one that looks at me and doesn’t flinch when they see my price or “have to think about it”.
“My ideal client is people…” YES, girl!! I absolutely LOVE that! Sometimes we do get wrapped up in the details when our clients are what really matters! 🙂
Yes! I agree there with so much of this, how do you pinpoint an ideal client. There is beauty in every kind of wedding.