Top 5 tips to crack into adventure wedding photography - by Alex Mari

What are your top 5 tips for beginners wanting to book adventure elopements?

1. Show what you want to shoot! I share this tip with all of my mentees, students and in my workshops because it's so important. No one is going to even know what type of work you specialize in, whether that be adventurous sessions, elopements or editorials, if you're not consistently putting that type of work out there for your potential clients to see.
2. Become an expert. Make sure you're continually showing up in front of your audience with content that fits within your niche of photography. For example, if you shoot a lot of elopements in Big Sur, California, consider creating a blog post about everything needed to elope there! It shows potential clients that you know the elopement world like the back of your hand, and it builds trust.
3. Build up your presence on social media. I know it's not always super fun to pour into Instagram and it can take a long time to see major results. But if you invest the time and strategy into growing your presence on one or two specific social media platforms, you'll find yourself reaching clients who truly value your work. Challenge yourself to focus on engaging with your community on social media once a day for a few minutes, and don't forget relevant hashtags and geotags!
4. Create content with intention. This one goes hand in hand with my first tip - if you're only booking family sessions in your local park, or ballroom weddings, take some time to piece together a handful of styled shoots or simple editorials that fit the vibe of your target market and make those jaw dropping shots happen! It will also help you hone your skills capturing those types of sessions so that when a dreamy elopement in Yosemite comes your way, you're ready to crush it.
5. Make sure your branding is cohesive. This means writing copy that enhances your brand narrative, having a brand voice that speaks to your ideal client, and ensuring the colors, fonts, logo, etc all work together to further establish you as the photographer you say you are.

How did you begin to honour your worth as a photographer?

The first step is realizing that your time and talent is valuable. You're the only one who can truly protect it. It can be easy to blame clients when they ask for that big discount, or want you to travel to a location far way without covering extra costs for your time. But the reality is that we set the tone for whether or not people are going to respect us as business owners, as individuals, and as artists. Options and opportunities are far from the same thing - don't confuse the two. Making sure that there's an equal exchange of value is generally a good rule of thumb when determining the difference between an awesome opportunity and a bad option. Ask yourself, is giving this discount going to help or hurt my business? Is traveling this extra distance without taking into account the additional time and energy I'm expending really a good decision if I'm not being compensated appropriately? And am I teaching others that they can push me and get what they want without a fair exchange? Acknowledge your worth as a photographer, own it, and utilize it when you're making decisions for yourself and your business.

What's your favourite part of a wedding day? Do you ever cry?

I honestly love the getting ready portion of the day! There's usually this slow magic to a morning spent in preparation for a wedding - the bride's anticipation and excitement, or the groom getting nervous jitters as he puts on his cufflinks. You also get to witness some really sweet moments with parents and friends. I've admittedly teared up every once in a while on a wedding day! As a photographer you can get very invested into the story and emotions of the people involved - it's a sacred experience and it's definitely a part of what makes the job so rewarding.

Can you recall a pivotal point in your photography career?

I photographed a wedding in Arizona a few years back, and chose to extend the trip out to explore and to do a few content shoots. The sessions I put together were super simple, but the photos that I took home from that trip really set me up as an adventure wedding photographer. At the time I hadn't even traveled much at all for weddings beyond the east coast, but after sharing photos from that one trip, couples began reaching out and saying things like, "we see that you travel a lot and love your adventurous work!" Which is wild to me, and speaks so strongly to the power of showing what you want to shoot more of. I believe those photos are a big part of what paved the way for me to travel as much as I do today for weddings and elopements.

Do you have any education products you’d like to share with our community?

I actually have a really exciting online workshop that I'm releasing in collaboration with India Earl this Spring! It's not available just yet, but if you follow along with me or India on Instagram, you can be the first to hop on it! It's a workshop designed for photographers who want to learn how to put together an incredible styled shoot! I go in depth into anything and everything you need to know, including getting other vendors on board, styling how-tos, using your styled shoot to build an incredible portfolio, making back your investment, inspiring and attracting your dream clients, and how to get your work published in top blogs and magazines. Be sure and keep an eye out!