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

Hi Caitlin, thanks for joining us today. Can you tell us about a time where you or your team really helped a customer get an amazing result?

Growing up, I’ve always been an artist. I would spend hours painting, drawing, creating murals on my childhood bedroom walls. Keyword: hours. No matter what medium I chose, it would take me days to finish a project. I never really seemed content with the finished product, no matter how much praise I received from it. I am a perfectionist. It’s a blessing and a curse, really. It deterred me from even starting a project, knowing that I’d be unsatisfied with the end result. Like it wasn’t even worth it to start. I figured that maybe I should use another gift in my life instead of art, and that was childcare. I went to college, studied Human Development and Family Studies. I went on to graduate school for Elementary Education, and after many years of substitute teaching, landed a job as a full-time teacher in 2013. Ironically though, I also started my own photography business at the same time. I shot my very first wedding in 2013, the same year I struggled learning how to be a teacher. Photography satisfied the artist in me. It was my creative outlet, and it was fast! I could bring my vision to life, quickly. The same struggle that held me back growing up. Years kept going by where I was teaching full-time and taking weddings here and there on the side, always thinking it was just a hobby that was wonderful extra income. It worked out well with summers and weekends off, and I just kept at it. Over the years, my business grew and grew. I started making many wonderful wedding industry friends, and kept shooting. Covid hit during my busiest wedding season, and it turned out to be the hardest year of my life as a teacher. I never left my computer. I taught decimals via Zoom. Yes, decimals. Every day through a screen, with a videocamera set up to show my math work on paper, hoping it would click with the kids watching on the other end. The expectations placed on teachers during Covid while at home, but also when we returned back to school was absolutely ridiculous. I had to simultaneously teach the students right in front of my face in the classroom, along with the kids at home via Zoom. Once again, I was stuck in front of a computer and had to modify all my lessons in a way for everyone to learn. It just didn’t work, and no matter how many teachers screamed about how ineffective it was, it didn’t matter. We were forced to be robots and carry on. I spent countless hours creating lesson plans at all hours of the night, only for them to fall on deaf ears, because I knew what I was doing was not effective. No matter how many banners people placed on our lawns that said “we love our teachers”, it didn’t matter. I have never felt so terribly undervalued and overworked in my life. It was slap in the face to all teachers. I felt like a glorified babysitter most times. After this experience, I knew that I needed to focus on my self and nurture the art that has always made me feel fulfilled. I resigned from teaching this past year to take my business full time. Something that I absolutely should have done a while ago, but was terrified to do so. It’s my first year doing what I love, and I’ve never felt so free. I cry sometimes because I’m so grateful that I never let go of my business and always listened to my heart. I shot a wedding in Greece last year and sobbed on the ferry. It all just hit me all at once that people pay me to travel with them, to share the best moment of their lives, and trust me to capture it. I always am asked “do you miss teaching?” And I don’t even hesitate to say “no”. I miss the kids, I miss their spirit, I miss their curiosity, I do. But, I do not miss the broken school system and the detrimental physical and emotional stress that came with that job. At this point in my life, I knew I made the best decision for myself, for my well being, and for my future endeavors. My business just keeps growing and I’ve built a six-figure business all by myself, while working a full-time job. I’m forever grateful.

As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?

I’m Cait and I’m surrounded by love all the time. And as an empath, it’s the best feeling in the world. I specialize in photographing weddings, elopements, and couples. As much as I love some dramatic portraits of a couple together on their wedding day, nothing beats the in between moments. Your grandma seeing you in your wedding attire for the first time, your Mom sobbing as you walk down the aisle, your uncle getting down on the dance floor. As an emotional photographer, these are the moments that I seek out and anticipate. Having been in the business since 2013, my experience has taught me to anticipate, which is 100% a learned skill. I do credit my teaching experience for this. Seeing the moments happen before they actually do is what drives me. Scanning the crowds during the ceremony, reading the room on the dance floor. My favorite moment during a wedding is actually right after the ceremony, when the couple makes it to the end of the aisle, alone. No one else in their face, just the two of them together, surrounded by complete joy (and sometimes relief) that they actually did it! You can’t replicate that emotion, no matter how talented of a photographer you are. After the ceremony, I stick around and hang back to capture that first embrace from their parents, the excitement of the wedding party coming to congratulate them in the first moments as a married couple. Those are the raw emotions that are the basis for my work. They tell the story of the whole day, aside from some beautiful portraits. Those are the photographs that truly will remind you of how you felt on your wedding day. That’s why I do what I do. I want every client to walk past their photographs on the wall in their house each day, and relive that joy when they look at them. When I work, I throw myself right in the midst of all the moments. And this takes complete trust, and this is earned. If I’m just a spectator, most wedding guests will not be comfortable in my presence. If I’m getting down on the dance floor too, I’m one of them. I’m just like another guest. They see me having fun, they see me crying, they see me expressing myself emotionally, and they feel safe to do so too. I believe this is what sets my work apart from others. I throw my complete self into a wedding and forge a trust with not only my clients, but their families and friends as well.

How did you put together the initial capital you needed to start your business?

When I first started my business, I rented all my photography equipment. I experimented with all different lenses, cameras, and gear. I learned with lens I absolutely needed to purchase, and which weren’t really necessary to get the job done. After years of renting, I slowly started to purchase my gear. Each gig gave me the profit I would need to keep investing in the gear. I worked to fund my business. It drove me to book more. One wedding down, one new lens. Another wedding down, another new lens. I just kept hustling and eventually I had what I needed and loved working with to shoot a wedding.

Looking back, are there any resources you wish you knew about earlier in your creative journey?

When I first started out, I really relied on some industry peers to learn from. I was given many chances by my dear friend Danny Kash to second shoot. He totally trusted me, even though looking back on my work back then, I’m kind of shocked he did! I watched him work, and soaked up everything like a sponge. I reached out to so many different photographers for a chance to shadow them, for free, and was turned down left and right. I remember sending emails to about 100 people one day, only to be met with no responses, or some lame excuse as to why they couldn’t give me a chance. The industry in my state was cutthroat. There really wasn’t a community of support. I really do credit a lot of my learning to my friend Danny, who was the one in one hundred that gave me a chance. I invested a lot of my time in wedding education from the many talented photographers in my area. I kept learning and practicing. I would attend styled shoots to try out new ideas and test my creativity. A styled shoot is basically a mock wedding. You have a chance to photograph models and details, with no pressure what so ever. I would walk into those shoots with a folder on my phone of inspiration photographs I wanted to try that day. Some worked, some didn’t, but the whole time I was learning. You never stop learning. Even after photographing weddings for 10 years, I’m constantly investing in education. What I think is different about today from when I first started is many photographers are now offering mentorships. That didn’t exist when I first started out. As a new photographer, I would absolutely invest in a mentorship from someone you respect and look up to. I’ve also learned who to connect with in the industry and how to do it. Loyalty is one of my biggest core values, and I’ve learned that in order for people to trust you, you have to be loyal. I will wholeheartedly recommend other photographers if I’m booked on a wedding date. I send out a list of vendors who I trust to every single inquiry that comes my way, even if they don’t book me personally. I’ve forged relationships with other vendors by supporting them and cheering them on. To me, there isn’t competition. Everyone has their own unique style, and some clients just aren’t the right fit for me, and that’s okay! I want everyone to succeed and if I can help foster that and encourage that, I always will.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.photographybyfletcher.com
• Instagram: www.instagram.com/photographyct
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/caitfletcherphotography