We recently connected with Emily Robbins and have shared our conversation below.

Emily, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. Let’s start with a story that highlights an important way in which your brand diverges from the industry standard.

Something I feel I do differently than what I find is “industry standard” is that I do not tend to sway my couples one way or the other when trying to decide on doing a “First Look” with the groom over waiting till you’re walking the aisle. It can be beneficial with the timing of everything to do a first look and I do make those positive qualities clear. Ultimately, I feel that is the bride and groom’s day and that my job is to help their day go smoothly and stay as positive an experience as it can be! If they believe waiting to see each other is the best decision for them, then I’m pro-that decision!

I have a good bit of friends who serve in this same type of position who tend to do whatever they can to pursue their couples into doing a “First Look.” I chose to support and encourage my couples to do whatever seemed most exciting and fun for them to do.

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 am Emily Robbins! Currently located in Memphis, TN! I always grew up with an itch to be behind the camera, though I didn’t own my own true camera until graduating college in 2017. My background in photography before then was assisting a Wedding Photographer from my hometown and serving as my school yearbook’s main photographer during my junior and senior years of high school. I went to college with plenty of creative photographers, so when my parents asked if I’d like my own camera for a graduation present I jumped at the chance!

What eventually lead to me getting into weddings, originally started as it being just a means to help supplement my income. Weddings would produce good money, I thought, and it would probably be pretty fun! Now I know it’s been amazing fun! It’s an event that is long and tiring, but oh so rewarding to help my couples have the most beautiful day possible. Then to be able to give them keepsakes to remember every detail and all the faces who were there to celebrate them starting a beautiful new chapter together.

I tell people I am a photographer first, but the very first wedding I ever shot solo was as a videographer! Though I never felt this was something I could do, here I was doing it! I was hired by a family friend, and then one of their friends and the rest is history. Though I love the art of video, I am doing more photo weddings these days. I don’t plan on giving up this other practice anytime soon.

I describe my style in three words: 1) Creative, 2) Vibrant, and 3) Timeless. Creativity is very important to me. I love learning new techniques and creating unique shots whenever given the chance. I love color and making a photo pop, hence the term vibrant. Lastly, I hope when my couples see their wedding photos or videos five, ten, or fifty years later, that they are brought back to the exact moment in time when their wedding day happened. I don’t want them to see a trendy edit.

I am the proudest of the relationships I’ve built with my couples and their families along the way. I try my best in all aspects to put the people before any of it, because without them my business would be nothing. :)

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

Oh, absolutely! First, Honeybook.com is a Customer Relationship Management platform that has streamlined my booking process and helped me to communicate swifter with my clients! It made payments, contracts, and pricing guide SO MUCH easier!

I was lucky to get on board with a gallery service early, but I’d highly recommend other new Photographers to begin sending their clients their galleries through a site like Pic-Time or Pixieset! Even if you have to start with a free plan, it’s so much nicer and easier for the client than Google Drive or Dropbox!

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

Well, my first camera was purchased by my parents as a graduation gift. It was a Canon Rebel T1i that we bought used from a friend. I’d say the lens I needed most to start creating beautiful portraits was the Canon 50 mm 1.8 and that was also a gift from my aunt! Once I had these two pieces of equipment in my possession, I began posting on my Facebook and Instagram that I was open to doing some headshots or family sessions and the rest is history! I never took out any kind of funding. Since I had a full-time job that was paying my bills, I began saving up any money from shoots to help me get to the next place to begin upgrading my gear. There was no real rhyme or reason to it, just working hard, building a portfolio, and trying my best not to spend all my photo money on Starbucks! :)

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.finchcollective.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/finchcollective/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/finchcollective/
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCSINTTnUF6wV4DbSv6uQ13A?view_as=subscriber

Image Credits
Headshot taken by Emily Holmes Photography / Edited by me, Emily Robbins of Finch Collective Studios