We recently connected with Paul Cooper and have shared our conversation below.

Paul, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. What’s the best or worst investment you’ve made (either in terms of time or money)? (Note, these responses are only intended as entertainment and shouldn’t be construed as investment advice)

The best investment I’ve made as a business owner has been in EDUCATION. As professional photographers, we often think the best investment we can make is in top-of-the-line gear. The newest camera, the fastest lenses, a workhorse computer… While those things definitely make the job easier, I’d say they come second to education. Great gear without knowledge can still produce subpar results; whereas, great knowledge and skill can push inferior gear to create something great.

When I made the decision that I wanted to get into wedding photography, I was lucky enough to meet a very talented photographer and educator who took me under his wing and became an incredible mentor to me. His studio is based over 3 hours from my home, which means many of his weddings and engagement sessions were not near me either. But I knew from the start that the value of the technical education I was receiving from him would be worth the investment of my time and my energy. And he acknowledged my dedication as well. He jokingly called me his “sponge,” saying that I picked up things faster than most people he worked with. He streamlined me through his normal hiring process, and within just a few months, he had me photographing weddings alongside him as a second photographer. I continued to learn from seeing him work and from his direct feedback on my images, and it wasn’t long before he was sending me out as an associate photographer, capturing engagements and weddings on his behalf as a lead photographer. While I had been a photographer for some years before, and I was booking couples on my own, I know that I’m 10x the photographer now that I was at the start of my time working with him. This growth would not have been possible if I had been unwilling to recognize the potential there was in working with someone of his talent, acknowledging that I had areas where I could improve and needed guidance. This was an investment mostly of time and energy, but I’ve gone even further in investing in my education.

While this mentor of mine gave me invaluable knowledge in honing my technical skills as a photographer, as I grew my business and started taking on more clients of my own, I quickly learned that running your own photography business isn’t just about being a great photographer. There’s a whole skill set around running a business that I had absolutely no experience with. There’s so much to be known about operating a business that helps guide every part of your process: from setting your prices to creating your contracts, this was a whole world that I was just stumbling my way through. I had a choice: I could continue guessing my way through this process by trial and error — throwing darts at the board and seeing what stuck. Or, I could learn from others who had already done it and knew much better than I how to manage things.

Through my searching, I discovered a business coach/educator online whose material was specifically geared toward wedding photographers. At one point, he offered a free 3-day online workshop focused on booking your ideal client, and I jumped on it. I instantly resonated with his approach and mindset when it came to client interaction and sales psychology, and he offered so much great value, for FREE, in those three days. At the end of the workshop, he told me about his larger course: an in-depth guide through every stage of the wedding photography business, from getting more inquiries to maximizing your profits and everything in between. It was priced at $2,000 — about what I was charging on average for wedding coverage at that time — or most of the cost of a new camera. I remember talking to my wife about it, whether or not I should do it. She was hesitant, emphasizing that it was A LOT of money. While I agreed that it was a significant amount, the amount of value I’d received in just his free course, paired with how much I resonated with his teaching style and his approach to sales, told me in my gut that it might be worth it.

I took the plunge and bought the course, and it has been completely transformative in my business. My conversion rate from inquiries to bookings is stellar, I’ve done a total rebrand to better target my ideal couples, and I’m now averaging double what I was charging before the course. Needless to say, I’ve more than made my money back from that investment. It shed light on so many important parts of the client experience that I’d never considered before. It’s also given me the confidence to invest more in myself and my business. They say, “You have to spend money to make money,” and there is truth to that. I’m now able to confidently invest in materials for a wedding expo knowing that if I book just one wedding from the event, it will be worth that investment. I’m now able to purchase subscriptions to a CRM and other online tools knowing that it will provide a better client experience to my couples. And I continue to invest in education, as I now have firsthand experience of its rewards. I’d argue to say that if, as a photographer, you invest money every year in new gear, that you should be investing AT LEAST that much in education as well. Business, technology, the market — they’re all constantly changing. The amount of knowledge to be gained is limitless.

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 Paul Cooper, owner of Paul Michael Cooper Photography. I am a Southern California Wedding Photographer based in San Diego.

My education was initially in filmmaking — I received my BFA in Film Production from Chapman University, one of the top film schools. However, after becoming disenchanted by the Hollywood scene, I turned more to portrait photography for some time before discovering the exciting world of weddings. Once I experienced wedding coverage, I instantly became hooked. I love how it’s never boring and that there’s always room for creative expression, with the added bonus that I’m capturing memories and artwork for couples that they’ll cherish forever.

One of the standout features PMC clients truly appreciate is our remarkable versatility. I excel in three distinct areas to cover every moment of your wedding day. Firstly, my cinematic coverage is dedicated to crafting stunning, art-centric imagery from your wedding day. This photography style is a PMC signature, setting my studio apart from others. I am equally skilled in photojournalism, adept at capturing creative documentary-style images during the fluid and unstaged segments of your wedding day. Furthermore, I also offer a traditional approach, focusing on bright, enduring imagery that will stand the test of time.

I pride myself on providing an incredible experience to my clients from start to finish, helping them in planning their wedding timeline and coverage so they can walk into their special day stress-free, trusting that all the important moments will be captured. I’ve also been told by my clients that I’m great at making people feel comfortable and relaxed in front of the camera, providing them with stunning portraits through an experience that leaves them looking and feeling their best.

I value my clients having something REAL at the end of their experience, so I create a custom album design for every one of my couples, with an emphasis on telling the story of their day to the best of my ability. I’m a full-service studio, providing high-quality albums, photo prints, and wall art to preserve their special memories for generations to come.

What’s worked well for you in terms of a source for new clients?

This past year, I started participating in Wedding Expos as a way to get directly in front of engaged couples. In the last 8 months, Wedding Expos have made up 56% of my bookings.

Wedding Expos ARE an investment of money, time, and energy. But if you approach them the right way and you’re diligent about your follow-up process, they more than pay for themselves. They’re a great opportunity to get directly in front of potential clients, communicate with them in person about their specific needs, and build a connection with them as their first point of contact with you. It’s far more effective than someone just stumbling onto your Instagram profile because you’re able to speak to their specific problems and demonstrate how you can solve them.

What do you find most rewarding about being a creative?

I feel like I need creativity in my work to keep me going. Being an artist means constantly pushing your creativity and challenging yourself. I love to improve and grow, and that’s a process that never stops when you’re an artist. No two weddings are ever the same, so that means I’m never lacking new creative stimuli and inspiration. Additionally, as technology continues to improve and expand, there will always be new ways to create and utilize technology in art. It’s a really exciting time to be an artist.

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