When starting Harley’s Photo Album in September of 2023, I was unsure of the direction it would go in. My business became official when my website was launched in January of 2024 and with my first official year of business behind me, I am so grateful to my friends and family for putting their faith in my skills and I’m grateful for all of those who became my clients and trusted me with their most important and intimate moments.
Going into 2024, I had a few goals set. The first was to upgrade my equipment by using the revenue made from my photoshoots. I was able to purchase a new camera, the Canon RP, and additional gear that would make it easier for me to photograph sessions. The second goal was to photograph my first (official) wedding and on August 3rd, that goal was achieved. Since, I had the honor of photographing a total of four weddings this past year.
Each wedding was a learning experience. I had done my share of research prior to shooting my first wedding. Luckily, the couple I was hired by are dear friends of mine and helped alleviate some of the pressure, but I wanted to give them my best. There’s only so much research you can do in this field without being in it yourself, and I wanted to get it right. That day, I was there for about 11 hours. I captured every aspect of the day, as well as their goodbye brunch the following morning, and I was so proud of how the photos turned out and even more so, when I delivered the gallery to them.
I had many other firsts this year, along with my first wedding. In April, I photographed my first prom session, first proposal, and large event. And in May, I photographed my first maternity session, graduation, and engagement session.
Not only did I gain more knowledge and experience to progress in my business, but in my opinion, more importantly, I learned so much about myself this year. While my talents and services are a major selling point for my business, I’m also selling myself. Especially for weddings, hiring someone beyond their talent, but also for who they are as a person is so important. On your day, the only person you are going to spend the most time with, other than your spouse, is your photographer, and having someone that you can connect with, and be comfortable with, will make the experience that much better, and the photos that much better. I strive to go beyond just being the photographer, and hope that I can make my clients comfortable and confident when they’re with me.
My New Year’s resolution for 2025 is to do the best I can, and to strive to be better. My goals this year are to be a college graduate, to progress my business to possible other ventures, and to photograph at least 5 weddings.
Thank you again to everyone for your continued support and I cannot wait to see what 2025 has in store.
