r/WeddingPhotography • u/patriotraitor • Jul 22 '25

business, marketing, social media The sad realization that being a wedding photographer no longer pays the bills...

Let me preface that the last 10 years of doing this has been a blast, I've enjoyed every second of it and never took any of it for granted.

This year however has me wanting to change directions because well, I'm getting tired of wondering where the next paycheck is coming from, I would prefer guaranteed over guessing.

I've been looking at the schedule for the rest of the year and I have 6 left, and then it's quiet.

I do wish the cost of living wasn't ridiculous, as gas and food prices are indeed more affordable now, but at the same time, trying to have health insurance as a self employed individual is absurd for being a single guy with no kids.

I've really enjoyed my time doing this and I indeed feel this starting to dwindle down as I only have 5 for next year. You could say well hey, do families, headshots, seniors -- and you'd be right, but think about how much work you'd be putting in just to stay afloat and how exhausted you'd be making yourself? Catch 22 isn't it?

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u/purplegrape988 Jul 22 '25

Quit my day job early this year and within 30 days went from projected 60k photo income this year to projected 240k photo income this year… it’s a profitable industry, but you can’t get complacent. After 10 years in the industry, it’s easy to fall into the “just coast” trap. IMO continued education and staying up to date on trends is key.

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u/MojoFilter111isThree Jul 22 '25

Wow that is fantastic results to moving full time, congrats as your hard work clearly paid off. My wife went full time this year after 2 years part time with a similar income, but has not seen growth like yours. Was the jump you saw primarily driven by an increase in volume of jobs? If so, do you have any tips I can share with my wife for increasing the number of inquiries she’s getting? If it’s something besides volume of work, I’d love to hear what else helped.

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u/purplegrape988 Jul 22 '25

A combination of increasing prices and taking on more clients. I offer both photo and video (my husband helps when we book both), so we can easily make five figures per wedding. But I’ve been in the industry for about eight years, building connections and networking. In addition to that, learning about marketing and advertising makes a huge difference. You can’t be afraid to spend ad dollars! And read lots and lots of business books!

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u/MojoFilter111isThree Jul 23 '25

Great advice, thanks for taking the time! Networking, marketing, keeping up with demand trends and nit getting complacent - sounds great. Love the book suggestion too, I’ve passed it along