We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Raphaelle Granger. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Raphaelle below.

Raphaelle, appreciate you joining us today. Have you been able to earn a full-time living from your creative work? If so, can you walk us through your journey and how you made it happen? Was it like that from day one? If not, what were some of the major steps and milestones and do you think you could have sped up the process somehow knowing what you know now?

Yes, I have been earning a full-time living from my creative work since the very beginning. In 2016, I took a leap of faith, left my photography job, and decided to start my own business with no safety net. I was young, determined, and very aware that if I wanted this career to work, I had to commit to it completely. That decision made it immediate, but the path that followed was anything but simple.

My background is in visual arts, fashion photography, journalism, and web marketing, which gave me a strong foundation. Still, building a sustainable career required far more than technical skills. It required clarity. My first years were anchored in portraits and fashion, then in 2019 I did my first major rebrand into weddings. I positioned myself around adventure and elopements, which brought momentum and bookings, but over time I realized the aesthetic did not represent my deeper values as an artist. I was working full-time, yet not fully aligned.

My second rebrand in 2023 changed everything. I refined my entire portfolio, shifted toward a documentary approach rooted in presence and human connection, and committed to showing only the work that felt true to my artistic direction. I became more selective, more intentional, and more anchored in the kind of stories I wanted to tell. That clarity created real growth.

Very quickly, I started photographing destination weddings in Italy, Dubai, France, and across Canada. I won Rangefinder’s 30 Rising Stars of Wedding Photography, signed with a boutique agency, began speaking at conferences, and launched an educational platform that now supports other photographers through curation and brand clarity. My work became associated with high-touch experiences, emotional storytelling, and an approach that honors families and legacy. The clients who find me today value intention and want their story documented with honesty and artistry.

Looking back, I could not have sped up the process because each chapter was essential. The immediate leap of faith gave me the drive to make it work. The years of experimentation taught me what I did not want. The misalignment pushed me to build a brand with true direction. Every shift helped me create a career that is both creatively fulfilling and financially sustainable.

Today, I run a business that feels deeply grounded in who I am as an artist, and that is what ultimately made it possible to earn a full-time living from my creative work.

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.

I am a documentary wedding photographer based between Montréal and Toronto, working internationally across Europe, the Middle East, and North America. My work is rooted in presence and emotional truth. I photograph weddings for couples who care deeply about their people, who value intention over performance, and who want their day documented exactly as it felt rather than polished into something it was not.

I came into photography through visual arts, journalism, and fashion, which shaped how I observe people and how I work with light. In 2016, I left my photography job and started my business with a leap of faith. I began with portraits and fashion, but I realized quickly that I was most drawn to real human stories. Weddings offered that mix of intimacy, family, culture, and spontaneity that I had been searching for.

Today, I specialize in hybrid documentary coverage using digital, 35 mm film, and 120 mm film. I am not interested in perfection. I am interested in truth. I keep the grit, the movement, the texture, the atmosphere. My editing is not soft or luminous. It is intentionally true to the day. If the room felt warm and chaotic, I want you to feel that. If the wind was strong or the light shifted suddenly, I want the images to reflect it. I believe that weddings are lived moments, not staged productions, and my work honors that reality.

What sets me apart is the way I approach curation. I do not try to create a highlight reel. I build a narrative that reflects who people are, the way they love, and the way their families interact. I photograph the moments between moments, the gestures people do not even realize they are making. I am intentional about what I show and equally intentional about what I choose not to include. My goal is to create galleries that feel lived in, honest, and emotionally grounded.

Client experience is everything to me. I want my couples to feel supported, relaxed, and free to be fully present with their guests. I want their parents to feel seen. I want grandparents to be remembered. I want couples to look at their photographs decades from now and recognize the atmosphere, the people, and the feeling of the day. That sense of legacy is central to my work.

Over the years, this approach has led me to photograph weddings internationally in Italy, Dubai, France, and across Canada. I won Rangefinder’s 30 Rising Stars of Wedding Photography, signed with a boutique agency, started speaking at conferences, and co-founded Les Annexes, an education platform dedicated to helping photographers refine their curation and artistic direction.

For anyone discovering my work, I want them to know this. I care deeply about the human side of a wedding. I believe in preserving stories exactly as they happened. I believe in keeping the grit and the beauty of reality. And I believe that photography has the power to carry a family’s history forward for generations.

Any stories or insights that might help us understand how you’ve built such a strong reputation?

My reputation was built on the way I show up as a human as much as on the images I create. My business is grounded in my core values. I lead with generosity, openness, and care, and I want every person who crosses my path to feel seen and heard. This includes my couples, their families, planners, designers, florists, and every creative partner on the wedding day. Collaboration matters to me, and I always try to bring honesty, warmth, and presence into every interaction.

Artistically, my reputation grew when I clarified my direction and embraced a documentary approach that reflects weddings exactly as they feel. I keep the atmosphere, the grit, the movement, the texture, the truth. In 2023, I rebuilt my portfolio with intention, curating only the work that reflected my values. That clarity made my images recognizable and allowed couples to identify themselves in my work.

But the foundation of my reputation is the client experience. I put an enormous amount of care into how my couples feel at every stage, from the first email to the delivery of their gallery. Weddings are deeply personal, and I hold that with responsibility and respect. I want my couples to feel supported and free to enjoy their loved ones without worrying about the photography. I am fully present with them, and I make space for their families to feel included. Because of this, many clients tell me that working with me feels grounding, calming, and safe.

This emotional integrity, paired with my artistic clarity, helped my reputation grow organically. It also contributed to recognitions like Rangefinder’s 30 Rising Stars and invitations to photograph weddings internationally in Italy, Dubai, France, and across Canada. But at its core, my reputation was built on care. People remember how you make them feel, and that has shaped everything about my career.

Any advice for growing your clientele? What’s been most effective for you?

What has grown my clientele the most is the intention I put into building relationships and curating a brand that is aligned with my values. While my reputation is grounded in how people experience me, my growth is driven by strategic consistency and a strong network.

A large part of my business comes from planners, florists, venues, and other creatives who have seen me work and trust the way I collaborate. Networking is incredibly underrated. I invest time and energy into nurturing connections not only with photographers, but with every type of wedding creative. You never know where a lead will come from. When you show up fully, communicate clearly, and treat others with respect, people feel confident referring you to their clients.

International growth came when I became more intentional about what I showed. Once my portfolio centered on work that reflected my values, inquiries from Italy, France, Dubai, and the United States came naturally. Visible moments like winning Rangefinder’s 30 Rising Stars and speaking at events also supported this, because they confirmed the direction I was already taking.

Client experience also plays a major role in my growth. I want my couples to feel cared for from the beginning. That experience becomes the foundation of word of mouth. Many of my bookings come from couples who felt deeply supported, or planners who saw the way I interacted with their clients and their families.

I also make an effort to stay present within the communities I work in, both locally and internationally. Showing up at events, engaging with peers, supporting others, and being part of different markets has been instrumental. It is not only about who you know. It is also about how you show up and how consistently you do it.

In the end, the most effective growth strategy has been a combination of clarity, community, and genuine care. When your brand reflects who you truly are and you foster real relationships with the people around you, your clientele grows in a way that is both sustainable and aligned.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.raphaellegranger.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/raphaellegranger/
• Other: https://www.lesannexes.com

Image Credits

Raphaëlle Granger