From Dreams to Reality – How I turned my passion into a career – Adventure Wedding & Elopement Photographer

“You are a revolution. The entire universe has been waiting for you.”
– Kiana Azizian

Recently, someone reached out to me on Instagram about my new tattoo. She told me how seeing mine was stirring her to want to go and get hers soon. I asked what she was going to get done, and she very openly told me what it would be along with why she chose that. She recently picked up a new venture in her life and also explained how she was starting to move her hobby into more of a side hustle and making transitions at her new job to be able to pursue those dreams. Anytime someone tells me something like this, my soul lights up! “Keep hustlin’ girl! Those big risks are always worth it!” I replied, knowing all too well the anticipation and discomfort that comes with pursuing your passion. She then told me that my story had inspired her and tears filled my eyes.

I didn’t know this woman. In fact, I have no idea how long she has been following my photography. But what I do know is that having her say that pushed me. It pushed me to be vulnerable, more than I have ever been. To actually share my story, and not just the tidbits here and there in social media captions. It encouraged me to tell the world wide web how I found myself pursuing my passion for photography, travel and adventure as a full-time, lucrative career. So here goes nothing…I will share my story and then give a few key tips that I feel like I learned along the way to hopefully help inspire you to turn your side hustle and passion into a career.

So here’s the “how I got into photography” part…

Photography was not something that I ever thought of as a career growing up. I didn’t even own a camera outside of a Polaroid iZone camera as a kid. Looking back though, I would say that capturing all the things that happened around me was something I frequently did, even if they were on one-inch Polaroid strips. I yearned to remember all the people, places and things that surrounded me. I also always kept myself busy in creative endeavors – art class, piano lessons, dance, you name it. All of which, I think gave me a solid foundation and ultimately trained my eye.

It wasn’t until college though that I actually started photographing things as a hobby. I took a creative photography class as an elective for my bachelors degree in graphic design my sophomore year. Maybe it was because I had a crush on my hunky professor, or maybe it was because I enjoyed it, who knows. But before I knew it, I was taking photos of anything I could and anyone that would let me. I even did $50 headshots for one of my friends for her acting auditions. My first ever outdoor adventure (and plane ride!!) followed that summer as I visited Alaska to camp, hike and kayak (see below for pics). I would say that was when my true passion for adventure, the outdoors and capturing the wonder around me sparked.

I finished my degree at Marietta College, fully expecting to pursue a career as a graphic designer, even though my senior capstone project leaned heavily to the photography side and graphic design was not something that came naturally to me. (What did I know?! I was only 22.) Only one short day after graduation, I packed up all that would fit into my 2007 Honda Civic and drove across the country to live in Denver, Colorado, having already had a design internship out there the year before. I can’t believe that was eight years ago now! Struggling to find a design job (surprise, surprise), I resigned to working at the Apple retail store at a nearby mall. This is when I met Sarah – who would become my first ever client! Not enjoying the retail life I had been working since I was 15 years old, I began daydreaming about something more exciting. Somewhere I could be and do me and pursue the things I longed for – travel, adventure and creativity.

Thinking back on my actress friend, who generously offered me $50 for really horrible headshots, I approached my recently engaged coworker, Sarah, about shooting her wedding. You see, if there is anything I believe about in life, it is love. That human connection and real, raw love – the selfless, you-before-me that moves us to tears and makes us say, “I would die for you.” A roaring love that encompasses all that breathes life into our heart and every ounce of selfless passion and zest that we hold for not only another soul, but our own. It has always been something that motivates and inspires me. So what better thing to photograph than two people in love? And where better to do it, than in my new home – the Rocky Mountains?

First wedding I ever shot! Look at that contrast and vignette! And look at that atrocious logo! haha! We all start somewhere! Thanks Sarah & Kyle for giving this newbie a chance!

So this is where it got hard…

I was hooked! “This is your first wedding?! You’d never know!” exclaimed Sarah’s mother after doing family portraits at the wedding the following summer in Estes Park. It was in that moment, I knew I was on to something. This is when the fire started. There had to be so much more to life than trying to move up the chain in a company for which I’d already lost zest. This couldn’t be all life had to offer and not ever experiencing all the adventures for with my soul longed. I didn’t sleep. I spent hours and hours on top of my forty hour work week in the madhouse of the Apple Store researching the wedding photography market in Colorado. I reached out to wedding planners and other photographers. I read blogs about starting a wedding photography business. I had no idea what to even do, but all I knew is I was obsessed to just do it! So I did. I asked to take photos of so many people. I even exchanged headshots for a pan of brownies. I practiced shooting and editing. I fashioned “pricing guides” in word documents, and threw photos on a blog and social media. Let me tell you, that design degree did not come in handy because they were not pretty. And this was pre-Instagram days, so the good ole Facebook was my word of mouth method.

I still spent three years at Apple – grinding, slinging Macs and unbelievably miserable. I often felt stuck. I doubted myself regularly and resolved to just settle into this job. With student loans up to my eyeballs, a $15 an hour paycheck in a rapidly growing city, and little outside support, there was just no way I could get myself out of this hole. Sure I was taking photos. Sure I was getting better. Sure people were finding me. But it just really didn’t seem possible. Coworkers would tell me to just quit and do photography and travel the world, but I would lament about my expenses and that I didn’t know what I was doing. I made every excuse in the book. I was miserable, but I was scared. I didn’t feel adequate. And worse, I didn’t feel worthy.

Finally January of 2013, I couldn’t take it anymore. My personal life in shambles, my wanderlust chomping at the bit, something inside me could no longer sit still. So I verbalized (or typed) a dream I reconciled I had lost. I put it out into the universe. “I think a three month stay in France is in order…” I typed on my Facebook status, sadden by the fact I let studying aboard slip through my fingers in fear during college. Little did I know that hitting post would change the course of my life! A girl named Laurene (who is now one of my closest and dearest friends), commented on my status encouraging me to come to Paris. I had only met her briefly on my first trip out of the country the year before, but it was her unwavering kindness and open heart that led to me actually living in Paris and traveling Europe for three months. And it was because of her taking that chance on me, allowing me to live with her and her now husband rent free, that pushed me to quit my job at Apple and sparked the travel bug in me. I began to learn how to say yes to new experiences!

My first adventure with Laurene in France at Etretat. Since this moment, we have been lucky enough to have had so many more adventures together and an invaluable friendship! 

Now you may think it was all smooth sailing from here… 

It wasn’t. You see, I think when we decide to take a risk on something that our soul truly desires, we will be tested. We will encounter challenges that will make us question why we were even making that decision in the first place. This happened for me. I quit my job a month earlier than planned due to scheduling issues with a temperamental manager. I only had three weddings booked in Colorado for the next year. I broke my phone and got a speeding ticket. I was being hit where it hurt…finances. I had also recently found myself in a solid new group of friends (or so I thought at the time) and a new relationship. Another area that has always been sensitive for me. So, of course, I was tested where I was the most vulnerable. I remember crying that maybe I shouldn’t even go to France anymore. What was I thinking? Leaving my newfound love and friends that I thought was giving me the life I always wanted and doing it without any money and little savings?! I couldn’t. It wouldn’t work for me anyway. However, the burning fire inside me continued, and I had no idea that life was about to show me what I actually wanted. Just like when I researched wedding photography and lost sleep, that fire inside pushed me, and Oct 13, 2013 I boarded a oneway flight to Charles de Gaulle Airport in spite of all my doubts and fears.

And this…this is when I became a full-time wedding and elopement photographer! 

I ended up booking 24 weddings for 2014 and was able to more than meet my needs as a creative entrepreneur. At the time, I didn’t even realize I was doing it because my head was down in the trenches fighting for it. When you have no other options, you tend to figure out how to make it work. I don’t necessarily suggest not having a back up plan, but it sure did light a fire under my ass. I look back now, and I still don’t believe it sometimes. However, because I took that risk to follow my passion around roaring love and adventure and because I had the drive and fire behind it to be able to live a life I desired, it took off. I fought for it every single day. I truly believe without that heart and drive, this would have been impossible. That passion is what provides the fuel to grow and to continue to take risks and step outside your comfort zone. To trust that even in those moments that you don’t feel adequate or worthy that there is a greater reason you’re pursuing it.

Since then, I have experienced both growth and loss in my business because being a creative entrepreneur is not something that will ever be easy. It’s often unpredictable, chasing successes, sinking into holes of doubt, and yet it is the most rewarding thing I have done in my life. I opened my mind and heart to both that success and the possibility of failure by saying yes to new experiences and continually learning. That mindset then opened doors I would have never thought were possible. It not only shifted my career but also my life! I could never imagine myself being anywhere else than adventuring to the top of a mountain or traveling to another country with two beautiful humans and feeling that overwhelming excitement as I connect with their hearts and capture their roaring love for one another forever. And that fire is what keeps me going!

So…here are my take aways from this journey in hindsight…

1. You don’t know until you go. 

So many times I think the thing holding us back is fear of the unknown. How do I do this? When should I do it? What if I can’t? Well the answer to all of that is you don’t know any of those answers until you go out there and get it done! So just start! Even if it’s with something as small as setting aside 30 minutes a day to research your passion. The more information you gain from research and experience, the quicker you’ll have answers. And the answer to when…well are we ever really ready for anything in life? Life is a continued experience that is constantly changing and bettering us. So there is no time like the present to follow your dreams!

2. Say yes and ask for help. 

When opportunities arise, do not be afraid to say yes. Even if it seems weird that a near stranger is going to let you live with them for free in Paris for three months. Just embrace what the universe is giving you because you are choosing to follow your passion. And never be afraid to reach out to others for help, advice, etc. Networking and getting to know people is the best way ever learn and grow your business.

3. Follow and trust your heart/gut.

This one is important. You will encounter so many times where you will want to give up on this. You will be tired. You will cry. You will get mad. You will even google retail and serving jobs out of desperation. BUTTTTT LISTEN TO YOUR HEART! There is a reason you have the passion, drive and instinct for something. And if you remind yourself on the regular about what that is, in those moments where you’re overwhelmed or nearing throwing in the towel, you will be brought right back to why you started it in the first place.

4. Allow yourself to be vulnerable. 

You cannot do this without being vulnerable. Sharing your heart and passion will bring you business. If you’re just in this to make money, you will not succeed. So don’t be scared to open up and really connect why you’re doing what you’re doing. Of course with that, you also have to be willing to take some blows to your ego and accept any failures that may come your way. But the good news is those things are just nuggets of information to help you figure out how to do it better. So put yourself back out there!

5. Get uncomfortable. 

Every word from my story written up there (hell even writing this), holds loads and heaps of discomfort. There was not one moment in the last eight years where I didn’t have to push myself. Whether it was moving across the country, challenging my own aesthetic and values, learning new marketing tricks, or even just letting my guard down and accepting that I was worthy of pursuing my passion. I had to press forward and continue to do so to this day. Comfort breeds complacency which deters growth. So get uncomfortable and do it regularly!

6. Find your why.

This is the biggest tip I could ever give you! Why are you doing this? What are you passionate about? What makes you lose sleep at night you’re just so excited and amped up about it. Whatever the answer to that question is, harvest it! Invest in that fire that burns deep inside you! And once you figure it out, share it with the whole fucking world! You would be amazed by how many people you bring on board with your passion!

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If you’re considering pursuing your passion as a career or even just want to grow a side hustle, I would love to get to know you,  hear all about what makes you tick, and do what I can to help you achieve your dreams! I offer classes and mentoring of all sorts, so be sure to check it out and say hey!