We recently connected with Isabel March and have shared our conversation below.

Alright, Isabel thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. Risk taking is something we’re really interested in and we’d love to hear the story of a risk you’ve taken.

I started my photography business 17 years ago. I am the mother of 4 amazing kiddos…all who were still little (ranging from ages 13-5) when I quit my extremely well paying corporate job (I was an attorney) that had amazing benefits to follow my gut, take a giant risk and leap of faith to start this “wing and a prayer” business (as my sister put it).

I still remember the day I turned in my resignation and cried all the way home convinced I had just made a horrible mistake and that shortly my family would be living in a box.

However, I had shot my first wedding May 9, 2008 as a second shooter to help a friend out and went home that night exhausted and exhilarated and quietly told my husband, “I’m going to be a wedding photographer.” I knew nothing of the wedding industry – other than how to eat wedding cake! He and I had eloped. I am not the girl that dreamed of her wedding day. I had always been the documentarist of our family memories and being a part of that one wedding was just something so natural for me to document and the joy that I felt (and documented) was just so wonderful that I wanted every day to be just like that.

So, the next morning I woke up and thought, “ok…how do I become a wedding photographer?!”

Isabel, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?

I live in the suburbs of Philadelphia. I’m a true to color wedding photographer specializing in candid portraits and real moments. I’m an OCD introvert that eloped because I couldn’t handle the pressure of a wedding day and being the center of attention. Odd that I now thrive in an industry where I have to be an extrovert! However, truth be told, after I shoot a wedding day I hole myself up in my editing cave and recharge by sitting in silence.

I got into the wedding industry after a friend bribed me with a slice of wedding cake (it was delicious!). It rained the entire day. At one point I was stuck in a stairwell with the bride and groom (a piano was blocking the doorway) minutes before the ceremony was about to start. I made the mistake of wearing 4″ heels and not bringing other shoes to change into (my feet were destroyed by the time I came home after a 10 hour day!) But, after that one wedding, I was hooked!

As I reached out to other wedding vendors to get a feel for how the industry worked and guidance on how to do things – let’s be real, all I knew of the industry was how to eat wedding cake – I discovered how closed off others were to sharing and was forced to build my business by trial and error. I vowed never to gatekeep and to be as transparent as I could to others wanting to start their business. I feel that no one has to reinvent the wheel and there’s enough to go around. Once I felt comfortable in what I was doing and realized what was working for me, business and workflow wise, I started hosting free monthly workshops to other creatives in the industry. Each month there was a different topic…marketing, Lightroom tips, album design, posing and composition, lighting, shooting details…all the things. I found a love for not just shooting weddings but offering help to others in the community so that they didn’t feel as isolated as I did when I first started.

My couples mean the world to me. Early on I knew that I not only wanted to document their wedding day but rather wanted to document their entire love story. As a result, my couples return for their maternity, newborn and milestone sessions and I LOVE every second of it!

I’m most proud of this amazing business that I’ve built from scratch and the community that it has fostered. It’s not an easy task…running a successful and profitable business where emotions run high and you’re documenting once in a lifetime, fleeting moments but the rewards that it yields are totally worth it.

Can you share a story from your journey that illustrates your resilience?

The wedding industry can be rather cliquey and sometimes, not very welcoming to newbies. I had to create my business from the ground up and decided early on that rather than conform to industry norms, I would create a business that made me feel good about what I was offering….even if it was against industry standards. I’ve been critique, double crossed and talked about when I’ve stepped outside the lines and honestly, it just makes me want to preserver even more. I stay in my lane and operate a business that at the end of the day I truly love, brings me joy and am so proud of.

I offer full day wedding coverage with an all inclusive price in an industry that’s often times geared towards hourly collections. I encourage young photographers starting out to learn alongside me so that they can determine if wedding photography is what they love. I firmly believe that you either love or hate wedding photography…there’s no in between. After all, you’re documenting family heirlooms and if you’re spending so much time with a family and/or a couple and there’s no connection, it will reflect in the images captured.

Can you talk to us about how you funded your business?

My silent business partner and I fell in love over a mini stapler in history class. My husband of over 20 years is my biggest cheerleader and taught me all things finance early on. It was a challenge – you see all of this income hitting your bank account and think, “AMAZING! I’m rich!” but then get slapped with the reality of a taxes and salaries and not going into credit card debt when you’re purchasing gear and expanding your business.

Once I quit my law firm job I never stopped paying myself a salary and setting aside funds for retirement. I saved up an entire year’s salary before I quit the law firm to pursue wedding photography full time. I purchase gear with cash…never going into credit card debt. I have separate bank accounts for general operations, client deliverables, taxes and then a personal account. I live by meticulous spreadsheets.

Similarly, when I wanted to open up my studio, I saved up an entire year worth of rent before I signed a lease. Once in the space, I host events that not only pay for my creative time but also pay for the rent. I also rent out the space to other creatives.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.isabelmarchphotography.com and www.isaphotobabies.com
• Instagram: @isaphoto and @isaphotobabies