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

Hi Carys, thanks for joining us today. Can you talk to us about a risk you’ve taken – walk us through the story?

I was 19 and in the middle of college… Nothing felt right. I felt lost and frustrated. I had always loved school and loved learning, but it felt like there was no clear path for me at the university I was attending. I was studying marketing and business and the further in that I got to the degree, the more I could just tell that I was not meant to stay at college. I wasn’t sure what other path there could be, but I knew that I was passionate about photography, and I loved it, and so I started exploring job opportunities in that market, without any real understanding of the industry at all.

I came across an ad for an internship with a wedding photographer, and thought, I could never just go and work for a wedding photographer, so I skipped past it. Over the next several weeks, I saw that same ad two other times. On the third time that it popped up in my feed, I decided to just shoot my shot and apply. I took the last possible interview spot so that I would have some time to do research and feel more prepared for the interview. I met the photographer, and absolutely loved her and knew that it could be a great fit. She reached out the next day and I was hired. I worked with her for several months before realizing I think I could do this on my own using what I know about running a business.

On March 1, 2020, I made the decision to drop out of college at the end of the semester and start building my photography business. Less than two weeks later, it was pretty apparent that the world was seemingly falling apart. And I was about to start a wedding photography business?? I felt crazy… But I felt like the risk was going to pay off. And it did! Over the next five years I built a six figure destination wedding photography business with a team of three photographers.

In early 2025, my life was changing again, and I was going through a divorce. That same photographer who I started my career with as an intern reached out, offering an opportunity to purchase a wedding publication business that she had since bought. This was my dream job… But it was a big risk. I weighed the options, and decided that even if I wasn’t perfectly ready to purchase the business, it needed to happen and I needed to find a way. It’s been almost a year, and while it hasn’t been easy, it’s absolutely been worth it and once again, I can see how a big risk will pay off for me.

Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers.

I started my career as a wedding photographer in 2020 and built a business around serving kind hearted, sentimental couples who want to celebrate their wedding day with the people who matter most to them.

After purchasing Utah Valley Bride, a wedding publication for couples in central Utah, I’ve joined the publishing and digital marketing worlds to help other wedding industry professionals in the state of Utah build their businesses and connect with their ideal clients.

Both businesses are heavily built upon the premise of helping other people. I’m a firm believer that doing the right thing always pays off, and I fight hard to incorporate that as a core value in both businesses.

How’d you build such a strong reputation within your market?

As a wedding photographer, I knew that there were large issues with quality and professionalism in the industry, and I made those huge priorities for my business. My team always shows up dressed professionally and ready to face and tackle any challenge. We take initiative and authority on a wedding day to help make things simpler and more stress free for families. We have an incredibly high returning client rate and very high client satisfaction because for me, the most important thing is making sure the client has a good experience. For the first several years of my business, I focused exclusively on client experience because I knew that before I was able to build a vendor reputation, I needed a strong client reputation, and that paid off majorly in the long run.

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

I always want black-and-white answers. I’m a very logical thinker and I really want things to be simple and straightforward… But that’s not how it works in business. I’ve had to unlearn some of my logical thinking, and learn to rely on my intuition more than I ever would’ve imagined. It’s astounding how many times I have to sit with myself and just go with my gut… The further I get into my business, the more I can see this is a pattern and see how many times it’s paid off and worked. But, in the first several years and sometimes still, it’s hard for me to remember that the answer isn’t always clear, but the answer is within me.

Contact Info:

• Website: caryshaslamphotography.com, utahvalleybride.com
• Instagram: @caryshaslamphotography, @utahvalleybticr

Image Credits

I own all of the images!