We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Brooke Willenbring a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Brooke, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today Owning a business isn’t always glamorous and so most business owners we’ve connected with have shared that on tough days they sometimes wonder what it would have been like to have just had a regular job instead of all the responsibility of running a business. Have you ever felt that way?

I have a little experience on two different paths. Out of highschool I decided to pursue radiology at Century College. It wasn’t something I was passionate about, but it was a two year program and I’d have a steady income right out of school.

I was accepted into the program that was set to start in January of 2023. But I was curious to see how much I could build my photography if I gave it my undivided attention for one summer. I decided to let that summer determine whether or not I could make it as a full time photographer. It was a hard 5 months of doing a lot of work with no pay out, sacrificing 20+ Saturday’s, all while comparing my life to my friends in college.

Once I was able to look at my career apart from the path my friends and family had taken, the decision was clear, and I was greeted with success the moment I made the switch.

There will still be days when I miss having a job where you know what to expect each day, and having a steady flow of income, and I often think about where I would be if I stayed in school. But every path has its own set of pros and cons.

The way that I look at it is that people will spend their whole life searching for a career they genuinely enjoy. I was lucky enough to not only have found that thing, but at such a young age. So I ran with it, and I wouldn’t change what I have right now for anything.

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

My name is Brooke, I’m a 20 year old wedding photographer from the twin cities. When I’m not behind the camera I enjoy weightlifting, farmers market runs, cooking, hair care, and planning trips to Europe.

In the future I aspire to be a full time flight attendant and destination wedding photographer.

What’s a lesson you had to unlearn and what’s the backstory?

An idea that I had to get away from was viewing other people in the industry as competitors.

I started out doing senior portraits and it was hard at first seeing people that I had originally connected with follow through with another option, and I was intimidated by others that were seeing more success than I was at the time.

But I believe a gap in experience isn’t something to discourage someone from connecting with those people. There are countless benefits of networking with local vendors, creatives, and others in your field. I wouldn’t have been able to build my brand to where it is today without the opportunity of working alongside many talented individuals. We are able to bounce ideas off each other, learn from one another’s experiences, and ask for help when needed. I can attest that it saved me many years of learning things on my own.

Any insights you can share with us about how you built up your social media presence?

I was lucky enough to grow up in the tech-savy social media generation, so getting content out was never a problem for me.

However, I would like to emphasize how important it is that you do so. As much as I want to say that posting on instagram is not that important, it’s how I’ve gotten the majority of my clients. I don’t expect anyone to keep up with the ever changing algorithms, but having a consistent social media presence and a place (other than a website) to share your work, gives you the opportunity to receive feedback and to reach more potential clients. Although having a high following doesn’t always translate to quality of service, it gives credibility to your brand and helps you look more “legit”.

Contact Info:

• Website: Brookewimages.com
• Instagram: Brookewimages

Image Credits
Brookewimages