Starting with 'WHY' in my photography business

As a solopreneur, as in me, myself and I, I have to constantly be thinking about how I can better serve my clients. This is a tricky because I want to create interesting images that fulfill me as an artist, but yet I want to deliver moving images to my clients to cherish for a very long time. It’s a fine line for a wedding photographer. The best way for me to balance being on that line is too ask myself WHY? Not only is this crucial for the foundation of my business and creativity, but it also helps prospective clients understand where I’m coming from and what they can expect from me. Simon Sineks “Start with Why” Ted talk really opened my eyes to this. There are many, many wedding photographers here in NYC who do what I do, document weddings in a creative, modern and photojournalistic manner. How do you choose the right photographer? Ultimately, you have to come to that decision on your own. But, I can tell you WHY I’m a wedding photographer which will hopefully give people some insights as to where I’m coming from when I document a wedding and what I can do for you...

For me, it’s all about connections. As human beings we are all looking to connect with other people. Just think about today’s technological world and what is currently king. Facebook and Twitter. Why are they so addicting? Why do we feel the need to tell others what we are doing every hour, every minute? Why do we post pictures? Because they are just platforms for connecting with other people even if superficially and with a few sentences or pictures. People are, and will always be, longing for connections with one another. These sites make it easy for people to say “I’m here and I matter!” My platform of choice just happens to be with my camera through photography. I not only love it, I thrive on it. It enables me to connect with a person directly, as with a portrait session, or indirectly between many people at a wedding. Either way, I’m creating lasting connections through the images. To me that is gratifying, beautiful and powerful all at once.

It all came together when I documented my first wedding, a gathering of many people celebrating the loving union of a couple. My ideal shooting conditions were formed. I could connect with people with my camera, compose and create compelling images for myself and for others. On top of that I began to really understand the flow of a wedding, the needs of my clients, and the ability to be very unobtrusive to let the moments unfold naturally. I was becoming a wedding photography ninja and I was thriving on the energy of it all! I began to seek out these moments, fleeting as they may be, without interruption. Then I started to notice I was always in the right place at the right time with my camera snapping at just the right second. Coincidence? Maybe the first few times or even 10 times. But, at every wedding I managed to be in the right place and the right time and there was no denying it was just coincidence. I was able to tap into that energy of people connecting all around me and it just drew me in. I was right there and beautiful, funny, interesting, crazy, emotion-filled moments were happening all around me.

One of my favorite photographers is actually one of the first photojournalist and war photographer, Robert Capa, who’s work came literally from the trenches. He is quoted as saying, “If your pictures aren’t good enough, you’re not close enough.” I think you can interpret this two different ways. Yes, you can physically move in to get closer to have your subject fill up your frame for an interesting picture. But, you can also get closer to your subjects and environment by connecting with them on a deeper level. Yup, that pretty much sums up the HOW and WHY I shoot. I need to be in there, connecting with my camera.

Michelle Hayes is a wedding photographer serving the NYC area and beyond