Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Carissa Cannizzaro. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Hi Carissa, thanks for joining us today. What sort of legacy are you hoping to build. What do you think people will say about you after you are gone, what do you hope to be remembered for?

As an elopement photographer, I think about legacy a lot. It’s a really high honor to know that the work that I am creating is going to live on for generations. Decades from now, possibly even centuries from now, my couples’ children, grandchildren and even great grandchildren will be looking at the images that I took on the day they got married. In a lot of ways my couples’ legacy is also my legacy as well. I preserve these memories for them, and in doing so I’ve created a legacy of my own. It’s an immense privilege to be trusted with this task, and I aim to create work that will preserve these memories in an honest, and truthful way.

I hope instead of remembering me, that my couples remember their day through my images. I hope my work brings them back to the way each moment felt, the imperfections, the drizzle of rain on their skin, and the smell of pine in the air. I hope to do my couples and their story justice in the way I capture them.

Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.

I am an elopement photographer for couples whose love takes them to the wildest corners of the earth. I document intimate, intentional and rugged elopement days across the western US in world – mostly serving the San Juan mountains of Colorado, the Pacific Northwest, Alaska and Moab.

This job has fulfilled me in ways I never thought a job could. Every time I’m standing on a cliff’s edge, or at the base of a 14,000 ft. mountain, watching my couple commit their lives to each other, all I can do is think “how did I get so lucky to be a part of this?”. Getting to play such an integral roll in such a significant moment in someone’s story is an incredible honor, and standing witness to such intimate, wildly beautiful moments is something I will never stop feeling unbelievably lucky to be a part of.

The scope of my services goes well beyond just photography, as I typically help my couple through almost every stage of the planning process for their elopement day. Art doesn’t just happen, and it’s an integral part of my process to assist my couples with planning the experience of a lifetime. Everything I do is individualized to them and their unique elopement day. I typically spend 20-30 hours planning an elopement, and I have dialed in a system that makes the process smooth and stress free. I spend a lot of time getting to know my couples, whether it’s texting back and forth, or hopping on Zoom with beers in hand, to plan and dream together. This direct communication allows me to fully understand their wants and needs, and help execute just as they envision, and then document it all in a beautiful way.

I am most proud of my passion. I love what I do so much, and I truly pour everything I have into my couples, and providing them with an experience that they can’t find anywhere else.

Can you tell us about what’s worked well for you in terms of growing your clientele?

The most effective strategy for growing my clientele has been figuring out exactly WHO my clientele actually is. For a long time I struggled to create messaging that really connected with anyone because I was casting a somewhat broad net. I was marketing to everyone, and therefore marketing to know one. I saw the biggest growth and consistency in my business when I really nailed down who my target market was, and began speaking directly to them – resonating with them, connecting with them, understanding their values and pain-points. Once I figured that out, everything else really fell into place for me.

What’s been the best source of new clients for you?

The best source of new clients for me has been Google. A year and a half ago I started to really get serious about SEO and implemented a strategy to start optimizing my website and ranking for targeted keywords on Google. I figured out exactly who my target market is, and started creating resourceful blogs and pages on my website that they would encounter in their elopement planning search. Google now brings in over half of my bookings each year.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://carissamarie.photo/
• Instagram: @carissamariephotography

Image Credits
All images are taken by me!