I’ve hinted in a couple of recent posts that Kam and I made a trip out West last week to attend the WPPIU conference, where a roomful of wedding and portrait photographers geeked out over the kinds of things that make our hearts go pitter-patter – lighting, editing, posing, more lighting, etc.  We got to see a range of styles and approaches that reminded us that there is no formula for succeeding in this business, and thought about new ideas to keep things interesting.

One presentation really stood out to us, however, by Sue Bryce, a photographer I’ve been obsessing over since her presentation at WPPI in February.  Her modern glamour style is not only breathtaking, but her personal message and passion for her art moved us to tears of joy, laughter, and deep emotion.

When we thought about what we took away from this conference, Sue’s talk stood out in our minds, and we were left with two big ideas to hold in our hearts as we head back into the last stretch of wedding season:

1.  As photographers, it’s easy to get caught up in technicalities and insecurities, but what really matters is client experience.  We will always have room to grow as photographers, but as long as we put our clients first and focus on making sure that you have a wonderful time, our images will connect.  It’s all about you.

2.  When it does come to our work, all we need to do is focus on shooting what we love.  There is no one right way to do things, but rather, as we focus on creating images that move us and having fun with what we do, we will find our right path.  And that is awesome.

So, here’s to inspiration, experience, and doing what you love: