We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Annah Simmons a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.
Annah, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. Are you able to earn a full-time living from your creative work? If so, can you walk us through your journey and how you made it happen?
I’ve been in the photography industry as a professional since 2019, and at that time I was juggling photography work and a 40+ hour job at the same time. I knew being a business owner and full-time photographer was where my passions were leading me. While working my main job, I took on projects on the side, at first with no pay. From there everything started to scale up, from taking on paid portrait sessions, to then documenting weddings & elopements. Something completely unexpected happened and I found myself at a point where I either needed to scale back on the photography work for my mental health and balance, or take a leap into the scary & unknown world of being a photographer full time. At that point there were so many reasons not to do it, but the single reason to jump in was far greater – freedom. Now, 5 years later, I’m not only a full time wedding & elopement photographer, I travel all over the world for weddings, have a small team of photographers working for my company, and LOVE my job.
My main piece of advice for someone looking to do the same is work your ass off. If it’s what you want to do with your life, hard work will make it happen.
Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.
I’ve been doing photography since 2009, but mainly as an off and on hobby. Starting my journey with 35 mm film and developing negative by hand, I fell in love with the artistic expression. Like many wedding photographers, I never truly saw myself as a professional wedding and elopement photographer. Previously, while doing couples and portrait, photo shoots on the side, I worked in 911 dispatch in Las Vegas for six years. When I decided to go full-time with photography, I wanted to change my life completely, and instead of working with people on the worst day of their life, I was inspired to work with people on the best day of their life. My experience in 911 dispatching has given me an amazing number of skills to deal with a stressful wedding day, be the calm in the storm, and connect with anybody that I meet. One thing that I am most proud of is my ability to have an instant connection with just about anybody, and be able to bring that positivity to the wedding planning and wedding day experience. Connection is truly the heart of my business, no cliché‘s or run-of-the mill experiences here.
Do you have multiple revenue streams – if so, can you talk to us about those streams and how your developed them?
My business is part of a three-person team multimedia platform in Las Vegas. Our brand extension is called Vegas Is For Lovers, and we are comprised of a podcast, as well as a web directory and print magazine. My two partners also have their own wedding businesses, and our aim is to provide education resources, and inspiration to vendors and couples alike. Whether you’re a fiancée planning a wedding, a photographer planning a styled photoshoot, or any other wedding vendor, looking for information and resources, Cascade & Canyon Photography and Vegas Is For Lovers has everything you’ll need.
What’s been the most effective strategy for growing your clientele?
My most effective strategy for growing my clientele has truly just been keeping an open mind. I utilize resources such as social media, SEO, wedding planning directories, and word of mouth. Many of my clients come from overseas, and you would be surprised at how many referrals I have gotten from England alone based on word-of-mouth!
Contact Info:
- Website: https://cascadecanyonphoto.com
- Instagram: https://Instagram.com/cascadeandcanyonphoto
Image Credits
Cascade & Canyon Photography