Stepping into photography–more specifically, wedding photography– isn’t just about learning to take great photos. It’s about navigating uncertainty, proving yourself (sometimes over and over), and deciding—daily—to keep going when it feels like no one is paying attention.
It’s easy to assume that once you land your first gig, the momentum will take care of itself. That if your work is good enough, the inquiries will flood in. That if you just buy the right gear, learn the right editing tricks, or post the right images, everything will click into place. Technology has never been more accessible, but the camera will not make your career.
The truth is, building a (wedding) photography business isn’t about quick wins. It’s about consistency, adaptability, and the quiet kind of confidence that keeps you pressing forward before anyone else sees the vision. This industry—this artform—is a living, breathing, ever-expanding exercise in resilience, a marathon that starts long before anyone’s paying attention and continues long after they start. And if you’re thinking your portfolio will speak for itself? Think again.
The truth sits uncomfortably in the space between your artistic ambitions and the buttoned-up business plan no one warned you about. It’s messier than your Pinterest board, less predictable than golden hour, and doesn’t care about your portrait schedule.
Here’s what I wish I knew when I started.
1. No One Cares (Yet)—Make Them
Your work could be breathtaking, but if no one sees it, it doesn’t exist.
Clients don’t just find you. You have to put your work in front of them—over and over again—until they start to associate your name with the kind of imagery they want.
That means showing up. Not just when you feel inspired. Not just when you land the perfect wedding. Show up when it’s slow. Show up when you’re doubting yourself. Show up when no one is clapping yet. The cold, hard truth? You’re invisible until you refuse to be. Your work doesn’t magically find its audience—you put it in front of them. Repeatedly. Relentlessly. With the conviction of someone who knows they have something to say. Try your best at being too good to ignore.
2. Stop Waiting For Permission—Shoot Like Your Career Depends On It (Because It Does)
The best way to grow? Pick up your camera and use it. I am so serious.
Second shoot. Assist. Offer free shoots to loved ones if you can (yes, free, but with strategy–more on that another day). Be in the room where things are happening. You learn more by doing than by theorizing, and no online course can replicate the experience of handling a chaotic wedding timeline or working in unpredictable light. Keeping up with the pace of a wedding day requires skill.
Even if you’re not booked, create. Take portraits of your friends. Capture details that inspire you. Get in the habit of looking at the world like a photographer—not just when you’re being paid to.
3. Your Social Media is Your Handshake—Make It Count
Instagram isn’t just a place to post pretty pictures, although…it does not hurt (shamelessly plugging mine here). It’s the handshake to your portfolio. It’s your storefront, your manifesto, your silent pitch to every potential client who lands there. The imagery is either drawing in your dream clients or pushing them away. There’s no neutral–people are decision makers, and we’re not slow about it.
Start asking yourself: “Does this image reflect the work I want more of?” If the answer is no, it’s a no. Post the work that aligns with what you want to book. If you want more weddings, don’t just post family sessions. If you want editorial portraits, stop burying them under casual event photos.
That doesn’t mean your feed has to be perfectly curated—actually, the less robotic, the better. But it does mean that potential clients should land on your page and instantly get it. No confusion. No guessing.
And while we’re talking social…hot tip? Tag vendors. You wouldn’t be able to create beautiful imagery without the team. The florist who stayed up all night to create that installation? The planner who orchestrated every single moment? They deserve credit, and they hold the keys to a referral network you can’t build alone–and, it’s standard in the wedding industry.
4. Pricing: If They Can’t Afford You–That’s OK, Let Them Go
There’s a difference between someone appreciating your work and someone actually valuing it. No matter how complimentary someone is, the 10th hour of a wedding day is still going to feel like the 10th hour of a wedding day. It’s work, and gear is heavy! You won’t be be editing any less just because you gave a discount.
The clients who stretch themselves too thin to afford you are often the ones who demand the most, stress the hardest, and feel the most regret. They’ll wonder if it was worth it. And that energy will infect your ability to create freely. That’s a lose-lose for both of you. They’ll resent the investment, and you’ll resent the work.
There are photographers for every price point and I don’t recommend setting yourself up for disappointment. Say no when it’s not a fit. The right clients are coming—don’t fill your calendar with the wrong ones while you wait. Note: this is obviously easier said than done and not every job is going to make your heart sing. Remember, we are still shooting a lot, gaining exposure to the industry, and paying our bills.
5. Don’t Niche Down Too Soon—Explore First
The industry loves to push niching down, but you don’t have to pigeonhole yourself immediately. You can photograph weddings, but also work with brands, families, and commercial clients. That variety helped me refine my style and understand the market better. Shooting whatever felt right in the moment—was the move. And you know what? That variety didn’t dilute my brand—it strengthened my understanding of light, people, and storytelling across contexts.
Give yourself permission to be expansive before you narrow. The work that makes you lose track of time? The clients who feel like they get your vision without explanation? They’ll show you your lane when you’re ready to choose one.
6. Your Portfolio Is A Self-Fulfilling Prophecy
The work you show is the work you’ll book. Full stop.
What does your website say? What’s on your Instagram? If you’re primarily posting casual engagement sessions but secretly want to be shooting high-end weddings, you’re sending mixed signals. If you don’t have the portfolio you want yet, create it. For the love of your future self, stop showing work that attracts more of what you don’t want. Be intentional. I’ve seen photographers build careers from strategically culling and sharing 1-2 weddings and a styled shoot.
7. Perfection Is The Enemy Of Your Entire Career
If you’re waiting until your work is flawless before you start charging appropriately, marketing confidently, or believing in what you offer—you’ll be waiting forever.
The best photographers aren’t the ones with perfect technical execution in every frame. They’re the ones who developed a distinctive eye, who elicit genuine emotion, who know when to follow the rules and when to break them with spectacular abandon.
Keep shooting, keep evolving, and keep refining your perspective.
Your eye will change. Your work will improve. You will look back at old galleries and cringe. That’s supposed to happen.
8. If You Feel Like A Fraud, You’re Probably Growing
The days when you question everything—your eye, your business model, your sanity for choosing this path—those aren’t signs you should quit. They’re growing pains.
Every photographer I respect has moments of paralyzing self-doubt. The difference between those who make it and those who fade away isn’t talent or luck—it’s the willingness to keep creating through the uncertainty.
Coexist with your doubt. Create anyway. Growth is uncomfortable. It’s supposed to be. But that discomfort means you’re leveling up.
9. There’s No Arrival Point—So Fall In Love With The Journey
Photography isn’t about “making it.” There’s no single moment where you’ve arrived and can sit back, knowing you’ll be booked forever. The industry shifts. Aesthetics evolve. Client expectations transform.
The photographers with longevity aren’t the ones who mastered one trend and clung to it. They’re the ones who approach each year with curiosity, who reinvent without losing their essence, who find joy in the process regardless of the outcome.
If you’re just starting out, let me save you years of frustration: stop chasing the finish line. It doesn’t exist.
Instead, chase the feeling of knowing you captured something true. Chase the light that makes you gasp. Chase the connection with the person in front of your lens. Everything else—the followers, the bookings, the features—those are byproducts, not goals.
Your work matters, because you matter, and your art matters to you.
The Bottom Line
This industry will test you. It will demand more than technical skill—it will demand resilience, adaptability, and a stubborn belief in your vision when no one else sees it yet.
But if you’re still reading this, if something in you refuses to be talked out of this path, then you already have the most crucial ingredient for success.
Keep showing up. Keep creating. Keep pushing beyond the buttoned-up and the well-kept wall.
Your work matters. Now go make it impossible to ignore.
