How I Landed My First Destination Wedding Photography Gig: A Journey of Passion and Persistence

The Short Answer?

I invested in myself, showcased my love for travel, and never stopped learning.

When I first started my photography journey, I never imagined I’d find myself on Vancouver Island, British Columbia, preparing to shoot a wedding at the stunning Bilston Creek Farm.

Growing up in Ontario, the idea of traveling for work seemed like a distant dream.

Yet, here I am, under the twinkle lights among the trees, getting ready to capture a beautiful love story in a destination I once thought was out of reach.

Every Couple, Every Destination: Unique Visions and New Experiences

Each destination wedding or elopement inquiry I receive is a new adventure.

I have had some from my hometown headed down south to a resort to have full weddings, some for a pure elopement, I have had people locally around me want to elope on Kauai Island at Waimea Canyon, I’ve had couples find me through my Instagram wanting to fly me out to the California Mountains.

Every couple has their own unique vision on what they want they want their day to look like and they have a photographer in mind for what they want to.

It’s All About Connection

The MAIN REASON couples book me over a local photographer in their destination?

It’s all about connection.

They’ve seen my work, yes, but they’ve also connected with me through social media, networking events, or even their friends’ weddings. They feel comfortable with me because I’m genuinely interested in who they are as a couple.

Picture this.

You are so amped up and excited about you new engagement, you just started looking for photographers. You found someone’s page and love their photos. Your even more excited to have beautiful photos of you and your new fiancé. You arrive to the session. You meet the photographer for the first time. You begin the session that you’ve been literally telling everyone about and online shopping for the perfect outfits for weeks now. Your smiley and giggly and feeling super in love.

But.. your photographer isn’t really having it. They are being super short and barely cracking a smile. They’re directing you with some poses but not having as much fun as you. The session you thought was an hour or more ends sooner than you were ready for and then you part ways.

You’re feeling a bit sad and let down that you were on an extreme engagement high and a catapult of someone’s energy brought you down and now your left with some beautiful photos with the memory of the person ruining the experience of being newly engaged.

Ok but now picture this instead.

The exact same excitement, the exact same situation, but a different photographer. Instead this photographer is amped tf up with you. They’re screaming at your outfit with more excitement than you at this point. They’re giving you the most meaningful, fun, and lovey prompts that get both you, your fiancé and they photographer giggling. In the in between moments they’re asking you about your dog at home, your jobs, how he proposed, all with genuine interest in who you are as a couple. At the end of a session you felt was complete and time flew by, they explain the next steps in working together and what to do with the photos.

You’ve now received sneak peeks and you’re absolutely going insane waiting for the rest. You get the rest at the said deadline and you now have beautiful images and with every image you also have a memory with the photographer of her laughing or making a funny remark to get that photo. You love every aspect tied to the photo, which makes you love the process.

People remember how you made them feel, and that’s why they’ll come back to you.

Market Your Personality, Not Just Your Work

Market your personality not just your work. Show people who you are, give them someone to connect with and aspects of your life to connect on.

If you love travel, show people you actually travel! I spent an entire 2 years going on huge trips that I really enjoyed and I showed off every single bit of it to my audience. I showed them I loved sleeping in a van, I showed I didn’t mind taking a freezing cold shower next to the black sand beach, I showed them ho much I enjoyed late night campfires with a drink and my friends, I showed them what I was interested in and what I was doing and that’s what organically brought people to connect with me. Because I showed them someone or something they shared a common interest in. Your most ideal clients likely share the same interest and hobbies as you, and when people share those, they also share some of the same values as you which is exactly where you want to be.

If you can’t justify yourself on spending money on a really good photographer from a different country or taking to your destination.. your going to have one hell of a time trying to convince your audience of that.

Be Genuine, Be You

If you want clients to trust you with their destination wedding, you need to TRUST YOURSELF FIRST.

Show them who you are, what you love, and why you do what you do. It’s not just about the photos; it’s about the experience you create and the memories you help them build.

That’s the SECRET to landing your dream photography gigs – and it’s something I’m passionate about sharing with you.

Want to Dive Deeper?

If you’ve been reading this and thinking, “I’d love to be able to do that,” I get it—I’ve been there too.

The journey to where I am today wasn’t easy, but it was SO WORTH IT.

If you’re passionate about photography and want to learn more about navigating this incredible path, I’d be thrilled to share what I’ve learned along the way.

I offer a mentor program where we can dive into EVERYTHING.

From sharing the lessons I’ve learned to helping you land more travel and destination wedding gigs, I’m here to support you as you carve out your own path in photography.

If that sounds like something you’d be into, feel free to reach out and explore the program here.

I’m here to help… always.

Let’s make your photography journey as amazing as it can be 🙂

Chantel xx

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