2015 Goal – Meeting New Vendors

Every year I set one main goal for myself – something big to work on throughout the whole year. I don’t think I really went into my goal for this year, but it is to meet and work with as many new vendors as I can to create a positive relationship 🙂 If you’ve been curious about alllllll the styled sessions this year, this is your answer!

By establishing a relationship with a vendor, you get to know them on a deeper level, and can truly refer them to your own clients. Plus you get to show them your potential and serve them with images of their work as well! It’s a total win/win for everyone.

Last year, my goal was to push my work forward because I had quit my job to go full time with this. BIG and SCARY move! My goal was just to MAKE it. My goal for 2013? To get my name out that I was booking weddings. It’s hard to prove yourself when you’re really just starting out, but I gave it my all! The only way to continue growing is to connect with other vendors.

As I talked about in my first workshop ever, you can also use styled sessions as opportunities to attract the clients that will be the best fit for you. I don’t tend to use these in my portfolio often unless I’m just head over heels in love with an image because I’d rather portray my real clients and their raw emotions as a better example of what clients can expect on their own wedding days. Styled shoots are better for trying things out, capturing more details, and also creating new ideas for couples looking to do something unique on their day. On the actual wedding day, we are usually lucky to have a solid 30 minutes to get couples portraits, so showcasing a couple that we spent two hours working with at a styled shoot isn’t the best example to give clients. However, we do showcase real brides in a bridal type session many times, and I feel that those are realistic expectations for brides to have.

We’re nearing the end of the first half of the year, and I’ve already connected with several different florists, planners, rental companies, venues, dress shops, etc. for eight sessions. If you’ve ever done a styled session, you know it’s a LOT of work, but these connections are priceless. And I can’t wait to show you all what’s to come for the rest of the year! Just to give you a little hint, there may be camels, a duchess, lots of gold, and lots of love! I’m looking forward to connecting and working with more vendors in the Charlotte and Charleston area this year, so be sure to check back to see more gorgeousness soon!

{ Charlotte NC Wedding Photographer + Charleston Wedding Photographer + Greensboro Wedding Photographer + Same Sex Wedding Photographer +Winston Salem Wedding Photographer + Raleigh Wedding Photographer + LGBT Wedding Photographer + Alexandria Wedding Photographer + DC Wedding Photographer + Asheville Wedding Photographer + Rock Hill Wedding Photographer Casey Hendrickson Photography }