We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Hayley Tharp. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Hayley below.
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
My name is Hayley Angellica, I have been in the wedding photography industry for about 6 years now. I first found a passion for the photography industry through modeling, where I became interested in the magic happening behind the camera. After purchasing my first camera I was sure I was going to be a fashion photographer and started going down that path when I shot my first wedding for fun. At that point, things started to shift me in the direction of the wedding industry. And I haven’t looked back ever since! Photography along with the wedding industry are my passions. I love that my job is centered around the best day of people’s lives & so much positivity. I love being able to tell couple’s stories through my lens, and seeing their reactions when they’re able to go back and re-live that moment. My style of photography is very natural, romantic, and authentic. Working with so many different couples has been incredible, and I hope to be part of so many others special days.
Any stories or insights that might help us understand how you’ve built such a strong reputation?
This is a question I get asked A LOT. While there are many amazing marketing tools out there, my most successful marketing has been word of mouth/referrals. How you present yourself is EVERYTHING. It all starts with communication when couples reach out about their wedding day. I make sure my emails are very personable and professional. I have a detailed pricing guide that gives them SO much info so that when they choose me for their wedding day, they feel 100% confident in my ability to create their vision. This is all a start of a positive experience.
When I show up to their wedding day, my appearance is professional. No matter what is going on in my personal life, I leave it at the door and enter the room with a smile & a positive attitude towards the entire day. When you’re kind and make the photo experience of the wedding day great; the bridal party, the family, the guests, they all remember that and will continue to recommend you to everyone they know.
This is how I have been able to maintain a full calendar every year with little to no advertising expense.
How about pivoting – can you share the story of a time you’ve had to pivot?
I’ve had to make a few pivots along the way in the past 6 years of being in business. The first pivot that I had to make was going full time with photography and no longer working somewhere else. Once I did this and was able to put all of my energy into growing my business, my income tripled overnight. So the very thing I was fearing- losing out on that extra income, was what was holding me back from greater success in what I was actually passionate about.
The next pivot I had to make was finding my niche and sticking to it. When I first started photography, I was doing a little bit of everything; newborns, families, couples, senior portraits, events, weddings, anything- you name it. This was making it extremely difficult to “master my craft” because each of those sessions I named are completely different in the way you approach the shoot.
I finally had the epiphany to only focus all my energy and talent on couples & weddings. Again, my business and income tripled in what seemed like overnight. Find your niche and master it!
Contact Info:
- Website: www.angellicaphotography.com
- Instagram: @angellicaphotography
- Facebook: @angellicaphoto