I found myself looking through some old photographs Neil had taken of me years and years ago. For context, Neil and I are married and photograph weddings together all around Norfolk (UK). As I clicked through the gallery, I kept coming back to the same images.
Ask a couple to choose their favorite photographs from their wedding gallery, and they'll rarely start with the formal group shots.
A few weeks ago, I was preparing a talk about marketing for photographers when I found myself doing some math on my Instagram account. Like most photographers, I have made social media part of my weekly routine. I create content, respond to comments and messages, post recent work, and generally try to keep the account active. When I sat down and estimated how much time I spend on Instagram, I came up with roughly six hours a week. At first, that didn't feel particularly significant.
I can still remember sitting at our dining table surrounded by contracts, envelopes, printer paper, and stamps, thinking there had to be a better way to run a business than this.
Film photography has become one of the most talked-about trends in wedding photography over the last few years. More photographers are offering it, more couples are asking for it, and social media is full of grainy scans that promise nostalgia, authenticity, and a slower approach to image-making.
Spend enough time on Fstoppers and you'll notice a pattern. We talk about gear. I'm here to tell you one thing: gear isn't going to make you a better photographer.
Over the years, I've looked at a ridiculous number of photography websites. Partly because I'm nosy, partly because I do website critiques, and partly because during lockdown, I worked for a marketing agency and did a lot of UX work. After a while, patterns start appearing.
Dear Lisa,
I've loved photography for years and have always treated it as a hobby. Over time, friends, family, and people they know have asked me to photograph birthdays, couples, small events, and the odd portrait session. I never really advertised myself; it just sort of happened.
There is no shortage of talented photographers. Every year, more people buy a camera, launch a website, announce their new business, and genuinely believe they are about to build something sustainable. Many of them never do.
A photographer can shoot 30 weddings a year, stay booked months in advance, and still feel a quiet dread every time an unexpected expense hits the account. This advice-column piece tackles that disconnect — why so many working photographers are fully booked and still broke, and what actually fixes it.
