It's Been Fun
And the couple of decades I've photographed hundreds and hundreds of weddings, well, I will look back on it all fondly.
But, the end has arrived
Fewer and fewer people were inquiring about my work. Advertising yielded no leads. Wedding shows (expensive) brought no bookings. Optimizing my website to get potential clients became a daily Hunger Games and there was no time time to do that work, photograph jobs for clients, as well as keep finding my place within the shifting sands of the wedding photography marketplace.
And steadily, bookings dropped until there were none.
So this is the end of my wedding photography business
I believed my years of experience (venues and planners loved this), my dedication to my clients, and the work I do are things that would be attractive to prospective clients. But it hasn't been enough and people inquiring have dropped steadily for years. Despite my efforts. And despite being at a very economical price point in the marketplace.The wedding landscape now shifts in seconds
We went from meeting in person with fun discussions about how I can help potential clients, learning about what they liked and guiding them in their choices. To having to be instantly available online, across all social media platforms, and all paid advertising sites. So that someone can book me instantly by making choices on a phone screen, without ever meeting or talking.The business is so different than it was just a couple years ago. Specifically, RUNNING the business became full time work. With the photography part of it becoming a second job.
Sure, it's always been hard and time intensive. That 10 hours of wedding coverage always required about 40-50 hours of my time. But the number of photographers divided by the number of weddings in our region means there isn't enough to go around. (Unless you work full time just on running the business, spending lots, competing fiercely, investing a lot in advertising and systems and paying for whatever else it takes to bring in clients and survive. Then do your second full time job of being a photographer.)
It's expensive acquiring each client, combined with a steep decline in revenue, combined with lightning fast changes in non negotiable fads which changed every 3 months that you have to be expert in.
And that was it.
I'm thankful
I'm thankful that I've been able to do something creative and tangible as my life's work.
I'm thankful for my buddy Shane at Shane Snider Photography who really guided me and single-handedly helped me succeed. Couldn't have done it without him.
As he said, I had a good run. And in this aspect of the photography industry, you don't get a handshake and a gold watch on some magical date you choose or at some magical age. You get your run. It runs out. And that's it.
I'm thankful for being a witness to "life" as my life's work.
I'm thankful for the hundreds of couples who trusted me. And the 99.684% of them who were blissfully happy with what I did for them.
I'm thankful for the beautiful days and nights, the beautiful settings and scenes where I worked, never having to set foot in a cubicle to earn a living.
Thank you all for what was a great several-chapters in my lifelong career as a photographer.
I'll be continuing on with my corporate and editorial work. Pay me a visit at www.mitchw.com
Health and happiness to all.
And love is love.
-Mitch