We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Eden McCloud a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.
Eden, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. 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?
Yes, I am very happy as a business owner, but I do sometimes think about what having a 9-5 would be like. Nearing the end of the 2024 wedding season, it’s been very busy, especially with editing wedding galleries on the back end.
I wonder sometimes what a more solid work schedule would be like. Wedding photography can be a bit of a seasonal job, with some months having lots of downtime, and some months having no days off. When I think about a “regular” job, I romanticize the ability to clock out, and to always have weekends off for family and friend time. Personally, as a creative person though, I do really enjoy a less mainstream work flow and the power to create my own schedule to a point.
Eden, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?
I’m Eden. I’m wedding photographer with a focus on 35mm film, a documentary approach to wedding day photography, and super 8 wedding films.
I first started learning about photography as a senior in high school with my mom’s camera. I really loved the ability to imagine a scene and make it become something tangible. Three years of learning later, I went full time into wedding photography.
Now, a year and half into full time creative work, my focus is to recreate the feeling we have when looking through family photo albums. That’s where film and super 8 come into play. To me, both of these art mediums lend that home video, nostalgic feeling we all love.
I love to empower my clients to have wedding days that align with their values. Whether in their parent’s backyard or a downtown venue, so that they can be fully present with their loved ones. I think there’s a lot of social media pressure to be perfect, especially on a wedding day, and it’s my goal to alleviate some of that stress and let people know they can have wedding days that prioritize what’s important to them, not just seasonal trends.
Any fun sales or marketing stories?
My favorite marketing story is from a couple who got married just earlier this month, but who booked with me for wedding photography last fall. I was planning a roadtrip up the east coast from Virginia to NYC to my home city of Columbus, Ohio. I made a TikTok talking about this roadtrip and looking for models along the roadtrip route who would like to shoot together. In this video I also mentioned Saul Goodman, the lawyer from Breaking Bad. This couple saw that TikTok and reached out, saying they knew we would be a good fit to work together because of the Saul Goodman reference.
They got married in Virginia a few weeks ago, and it was a beautiful day. And they were right, we were a great fit.
What’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative in your experience?
For me, the most rewarding thing about being a wedding photographer are the personal stories and connections I get to hear and create. Cheesy as it may be, I truly love seeing couples on one of the happiest days of their lives, and witnessing the community and love that supports them. It’s a vulnerable thing to invite someone into your closest circle for a very intimate experience like a wedding day, and I never take that lightly.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://edenphotoandfilm.com
- Instagram: http://instagram.com/edenphotoandfilm
- Youtube: https://youtube.com/@EdenPhotoandFilm
- Other: https://www.tiktok.com/@edenphotoandfilm
Image Credits
Eden Photo and Film