“if you’re a bird, i’m a bird.” 

we’ve all heard the saying, “birds of a feather, flock together.” yes, yes, cheesy perhaps but i seriously think that every aspect of life is a testament to the fact that we are all a little bird like. i mean, how could you forget the famous notebook quote, “if you’re a bird, i’m a bird!” (although let’s be real, it was much sexier when noah said it..) when you think of your nearest and dearest friends, you probably picture a group of people who have something in common with you. whether you love running, eating icecream, taking naps, cooking, sipping wine, or dancing, you are probably friends because there is a common tie that binds. i feel the same away about me and my lovely brides…

when i look at my business, i really think of what my branding says to potential clients. i used to feel like i wanted to reach everyone and anyone, i wanted to be every bride’s photographer… starting a business is really personal, you pour your heart and soul into every aspect of it and at first it is so hard to hear the word “no.” rejection isn’t any easier now than it was in third grade when you were picked last for red rover. it still stings but i think that there is so much freedom in learning that you don’t need to be right for everyone, you just need to be right for the right clients. i struggled with this idea for oh so long, i wish you could know that.

as a strong advocate for branding and adding you to your business, i finally found the key to my success and that is just doing me. quirky, funny, clumsy me that at the end of the day wants to spend my days with people who are just like me. you want your branding and your business to attract or repel… trust me, the girl who started this business never even fathomed repelling people away. it is a scary thought, but i believe through and through it will shape your business into something that you dream of.  i promise you, this will change your life when you hit this point. 

going full time was not a decision i ever took lightly, in fact, it was one of those decisions that leaves you with millions of pro and con lists and a lot of nights counting sheep. i was worried that i would get burnt out, that i would tire of weddings and not be in love with something that has my whole heart. it was a little scary and i had no clue how i would be feeling after 25 glorious weddings. well, i have to say, i loved each and every wedding and really learned so much about myself, my business, my clients needs, and where i wanted to take all of it. 

as my calendar started to book up for 2013 i realized something, the brides i were attracting were the right kind of clients. they were the girls who i would hug in a coffee shop and chat endlessly like we were going to run out of air. we would sip lattes, talk about date nights, chat reality television and obsess over wedding details. they were the kind of people i wanted to go on double dates with and felt comfortable divulging secrets with. i was attracting not only clients but friends. i would leave meetings and dial drew’s number excitedly as i told him every little detail about my newest client and how we just HAD to hang out with them soon, i am sure he loved those calls. as the calendar filled in with 25 beautiful weddings planned, i read each date with excitement remembering the details and the couples who i would get to capture. 

i realized this year that i am not the right photographer for everyone and that is not even something i aim to be. in order for me to fall in love with my job over and over again, i need to work with clients who excite me, who respect me, who befriend me, who want to work with me and not just any photographer. in my quest to share my life, i was attracting people who loved me, flaws included. i was repelling people who didn’t want the goofball girl who lives on caffeine and could talk about lace for days. that is okay with me, i am at a place where that actually gives me freedom and rejection no longer stings. i know that in order for me to be the best photographer possible, i have to be yearning to give my clients the best experience, to be present on their wedding day soaking in every single moment to tell their story. 

so if the old adage is true and birds of a feather, flock together, than i have the most beautiful and vivacious flock of clients a girl could ask for. i am the luckiest to fall in love with my job with every wedding and every booked couple. i am lucky to find friends in my clients and have ladies to chat life with. i am attracting the kind of people i want to surround myself with and in that i am happy as a clam. so, to my lovely brides: i want you to know that i would always pick you first in red rover and that i am happy i get to share my life over lattes with you. 

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