Hi friend! I'm Stacey, a wedding photographer based in Central PA. I'm also a wife, believer, encourager, and lifelong learner! I'm so happy you stopped by, enjoy browsing the blog!
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October 2, 2017
As I’m finishing up my fourth full wedding season it’s fun to look back at when this journey started. If you had told me while I was in college that one day I would be a full time wedding photographer I wouldn’t have believed you! I had no idea I would find myself starting my own business in wedding photography.
Photography began as a hobby for me. With one of my first paychecks out of college I purchased a DSLR camera. I simply wanted a good camera to help me learn how to take nice pictures. I started practicing and really enjoyed taking pictures! After some time passed I got engaged. It was during the season of my engagement that I fell in love with wedding photography.
Katelyn James Photography was one of my biggest online influences as I began my journey into photographing weddings. Each day I checked her blog to make sure I didn’t miss a single post, particularly her wedding day stories. I fell in love with her images and especially the photos showcasing beautiful details. I couldn’t believe this woman had grown such an incredibly profitable business shooting weddings! That’s when the idea was planted that maybe I could do this too.
From that point on I devoured any online photography posts I could find. The internet is FULL of education and I was able to teach myself everything from Photoshop, how to shoot in manual, lighting techniques, etc. I would eat, sleep, and breathe photography. It literally became an obsession (which I know annoyed Dustin at times because it is all I talked about) and I eventually became a self-taught photographer.
I began shooting sessions for free with all the family and friends I could convince to get in front of my camera. I am so grateful for those who were patient enough for me to practice on them.
At one point I distinctly remember receiving the most exciting Facebook message from a friend asking if I’d be willing to shoot one of their family members weddings who had a smaller budget. At that point I’d never shot a wedding and didn’t even think I was ready to shoot an entire wedding! I mustered up the confidence and said yes knowing this would throw me outside my comfort zone but would ultimately lead me toward my dream.
I woke up the morning of that wedding beyond excited and was thankful that Dustin was willing to second shoot with me. He was such a trooper considering this wedding was on the date of our one-year anniversary as well. The wedding went well and I knew then that this is what I wanted to do for my job! I have always loved the quote, “Do what you love and you’ll never work a day in your life,” and that’s what I wanted for my own life.
From that point on more inquiries started rolling in and I was able to book more weddings. I invested all the money I made from photography back into the business, built up my equipment arsenal and created a website. Since I was still working full time I’d wake up and start editing at 6AM before work started and worked late into the evenings as well. It was a season of hustle, long hours, and sacrifice but it surprisingly wasn’t that difficult because I was driven toward my goal.
Eventually, photography provided me with enough income to allow me to leave my full time job and fully invest in my business. I am so grateful to be running my own business and am excited for how it will evolve in the future.
If you’re on a journey of building your own business or have dreams to start a business I’d love to hear from you! Leave a comment or shoot me an email and I’d love to give you any advice and encouragement as you pursue your own dreams!
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October 2nd, 2017 at 7:30 pm
I’m so so so proud of you girl! I’ve loved watching you grow!
October 7th, 2017 at 6:00 pm
I have so much admiration for you, you are truly an inspiration! This is an awesome post 🙂