In the dynamic world of photography, adaptability is key to staying relevant and thriving in the industry. For many photographers, the shift from one niche to another can be both challenging and rewarding. In our case, the transition was over the last few years - and what a ride it has been.
Tim had some previous experience photographing weddings with a different company and we decided to start offering our own Wedding Photography services. In 2013, our next door neighbors were getting married and we thought this would be the perfect chance to dive into the Wedding industry ourselves.
Our Wedding Photography business grew from just a handful of weddings that first year to nearly 20 in 2019 and 25 on the schedule for 2020. Then in March of 2020, the Wedding industry screeched to a halt. We navigated the “shutdown weekend” with a Bride & Groom who had to cancel their wedding just a few days in advance. We played the Wedding Date Shuffle with our couples as we endured the toughest few months we had ever experienced in our business. Some of the Weddings were rescheduled to more than 3 different dates over 2 years. We celebrated extra hard with our couples at those weddings.
We began our Sports Team Photo day journey in 2016 with just one League. Then two. Then more. Our Sports Team Photo Day services were getting noticed and we were consistently booking additional leagues each year. We started out with the “Traditional” style photos where you photograph the kids individually and the Team all together. We continued the Traditional style through 2021 and began researching the “Composite” style that was becoming more popular in the industry. We switched our first League over to Composite style in February 2022 and haven’t looked back.
At first glance, weddings and sports team photo day may seem worlds apart, but we discovered surprising similarities. Both settings demand a keen eye for detail and the skill to work efficiently in a fast-paced environment. As we booked more Sports Team Photo days, we discovered that we enjoyed this niche of photography more than Weddings. Plus, we weren’t getting any younger and those 12+ hour Wedding days certainly took a physical and mental toll.
On October 21, 2023, we photographed our last Wedding. Victoria and Andrew had been referred by a previous Bride & Groom, as a lot of our other Wedding clients had been. We got to know them during their Engagement sessions and by the time we got to the Wedding, it felt like we were spending the day with our friends and not just the Bride & Groom.
We are always improving our workflows in anticipation of additional growth with the Sports photos. We’ll be attending ImagingUSA again this January as well as going to SYNC for the first time in February. ImagingUSA covers a little bit of everything photography related, while SYNC is focused on Sports & Seniors. We can’t wait to learn from industry leaders at both conferences so we can continue to improve our skills and bring the best Sports Team Photo day experience to our clients.
We had a great 2023 and are looking forward to an ever better 2024!
~Tim & Jen
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