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

Hi Calli, thanks for joining us today. Let’s jump to the end – what do you want to be remembered for?

With the ever growing popularity of social media, the pressure is higher than ever to have a Pinterest perfect wedding or get that Instagram worthy shot. Even in the industry itself, there are many photographers out there that are chasing a perfect Instagram feed or only serving couples that have “Pinterest worthy” weddings. That’s never the goal for me. When I photograph a wedding, my goal is to preserve those moments that could be the last memories of Grandpa. To create an environment where every bride and groom can feel and look like their best self. To be there to pin the boutonnieres on the groomsmen when none of them know how. I want the legacy I leave behind to be more than pretty pictures,. I want to deliver photos of moments that mean something to my couples while giving them the best experience I possibly can.

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?

Hey there, I’m Calli! I’m a wedding and portrait photographer here in sunny Central Florida! My specialty is capturing authentic emotions while helping my couples to feel as comfortable as possible during the whole process. My photos can be described as slightly moody while still preserving lots of color!

I stumbled into photography by accident when I bought a DSLR camera because I thought I was going to start YouTube channel about craft and recipe DIYs and ended up hating that. Then one day, I decided to take some portraits of a friend on a whim and ended up absolutely loving it!!

I shared the photos online and suddenly had people I didn’t even know reaching out to take their engagement photos and family pictures. Over time, I gained experience and taught myself everything from research I did online or watching YouTube tutorials. Before long, I was comfortable enough to second shoot a wedding alongside a professional photographer who was willing to give me a chance.

I remember being soooo nervous showing up to that wedding and how those nerves turned into excitement as I captured photos of the ceremony. For the first time, I felt like I was doing exactly what I was meant to in life. I knew that I was going to do whatever it took to make wedding photography my full-time career. Here we are 5 years later and I am proud to say that after a lot of hard work, dedication, and ups and downs, photography is my full-time career!

What’s been the most effective strategy for growing your clientele?

This is going to sound so simple and like something that should be obvious, but I think that is easy for many new photographers just getting started to forget about. Always putting your client first in your business!

While those epic and really artsy shots that you can show to other clients are important, the top priority should be getting the shots that you know will make your clients happy and treating them like people instead of transactions. I think that is the single biggest thing that contributed to the growth and success of my business. I have always taken the time to listen to and get to know my clients before taking their photos so that I can determine what really matters to them and honor that as best as I can. When you do that, it just becomes organic for your clients to want to recommend you to friends and family which will in turn help your business grow.

For you, what’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative?

The most rewarding aspect of being an artist or creative to me is getting to make an impact in other people’s lives and building meaningful relationships with people that I never would have met if not for photography.

Knowing that I’m the reason that so many couples have photos to look back on from their wedding day, that they will show to family and friends that couldn’t be there is so magical to me.

I really, really love what I do and I feel like I’m at a point in my business where I’m attracting the kind of clients that click with me and at the end of the day, I feel like I’m photographing a friend’s wedding. It’s the best feeling in the world when you not only get to work with people that your values align with, but when you get to make such a big impact in their lives it makes this job even more fulfilling.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.callicrawfordphotography.com/
• Instagram: https://www.callicrawfordphotography.com/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/CalliCrawfordPhotography

Image Credits
Calli Crawford Photography