We were lucky to catch up with Morgan Bender recently and have shared our conversation below.
Morgan, appreciate you joining us today. Almost all entrepreneurs have had to decide whether to start now or later? There are always pros and cons for waiting and so we’d love to hear what you think about your decision in retrospect. If you could go back in time, would you have started your business sooner, later or at the exact time you started?
If I could go back in time, I would have established my LLC in 2011. I began my journey with film photography in the darkroom in 2009, and by 2010 I was booking clients as a side hustle pretty consistently. Life as a freshman in college in 2011 was crazy busy, I was working three jobs and going to school full time. Fear was what held me back, I had no clue what I was doing, and I was too shy to reach out for advice. If I could turn back time I would est. by business legally, which would have given me the push I needed to take my photography to the next level. If I had any advice for those ready to take the next step, I would encourage them to reach out to other photographers to see if they offer mentorships, and also take the time to talk to a CPA and get their ducks in a row.
Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.
My photography journey began back in high school in 2009. I was heavily involved in film and digital photography and caught my creative bug then! I started with seniors and then branched out from there. I graduated with my bachelor’s in Media and Public communications in 2014 and continued photography throughout college focusing more on the wedding industry. I married my high school sweetheart and we began our military life together. I took a few years off, worked in the corporate world, had my two beautiful kiddos, and moved around a lot! We landed in beautiful Sanford in March of 2020 and I began missing my camera and the people I connected with through my photography work. Jan. 2021, I relaunched my business as a wedding and lifestyle photographer and it all kind of blew up from there. I absolutely love this beautiful community and am eager to capture it all!
I am a joyful, artistic, and candid wedding creative. I am a photographer and videographer in 1, aka Hybrid shooter. I get to know my clients and help them with the entire process. I find that a lot of my couples have a vision but have trouble putting the pieces together. I create timelines and help with vendor recommendations. As far as documenting their big day, I focus in on photographing things as they naturally happen, and capture video clips as a cinematic trailer to put those moments in motion. Most of my couples want a more intimate team documenting their day, is expensive to get a full video and photography team on a wedding day all day, so I help in the aspect of giving my clients the best of both worlds at a more affordable cost.
I am proud of my drive and balance for not only delivering an emotionally filled product but also timely and with a top client experience.
To my followers and fans THANK YOU for being my ears for my daily rants of being a military mama and business badass :) You always encourage me, and I am truly thankful for this community. To my clients thank you for honoring me with capturing your life, it’s beautiful and I pinch myself every day. To my future clients know that I am a powerhouse of creativity, and I will help guide you through any session or wedding day. I feel like this year has been full of abundance and growth and I am thankful for that, and I’m not stopping!
How about pivoting – can you share the story of a time you’ve had to pivot?
After taking some time off to have two kids and navigating being a new mom of 2, and juggling the hardships of deployments and no family around I had to relaunch my business. I love being a mommy and military wife, but I honestly lost myself a little bit in the process. Relaunching my business in 2021 helped me find myself again. I will forever be grateful to my “villiage” nannies, babysitters, neighbors, and family for always jumping in to help when I have weddings and frankly drowning in laundry. Being a wedding creative is what I was meant to do, and I’m thankful for my “village” for helping me do that, but most importantly for God answering prayers, and for my rockstar husband who supports me and encourages me to follow my dreams.
What’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative in your experience?
The most rewarding aspect of being a creative is being honored to be present in those intimate moments of your mom zipping up your wedding dress, your bride tribe smiling and just soaking up the mimosas on a day you’ve dreamt together your whole life. It’s watching your spouse melt as you walk down the aisle, and it’s being honored to sneak away and watch a magical sunset after you cut your cake and take in the magnificence of how good the universe is and how this day IS YOURS and is The Beginning of your love story.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://zirzowphotography.com/
- Instagram: @zirzowphotography
- Facebook: @zirzowphotography
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCqa7Ob26H_hjQvrCQWH89DA
- Other: google review https://g.page/r/CTN0FqO20FBpEB0/review zola https://www.zola.com/wedding-vendors/wedding-photographers/zirzow-photography-llc
Image Credits
@zirzowphotography