We were lucky to catch up with Stacy Paul recently and have shared our conversation below.

Stacy, appreciate you joining us today. The first dollar you earn in a new endeavor is always special. We’d love to hear about how you got your first client that wasn’t a friend or family.

Well, 12 years ago photography found me, and I found Kortney. I was just starting out and admittedly didn’t know anything about anything, with one exception: I KNEW that I was NOT going to photograph weddings. The thought of botching someone’s wedding gave me palpitations. I’m talking day drinking 2 bottles of wine type anxiety. Weddings were for people who knew camera stuff, and wedding stuff, and all the stuff. Not me.

I was shooting friends, and friends of friends for free to build up my portfolio and to figure out what exactly what type of photography I wanted to shoot, which is how I met Kortney. She was a friend of a friend, and agreed to let me take some photos of her with her then boyfriend. I must have done a fair job because she decided that I was shooting her wedding, whether I liked it or not.

For every one of my no’s she said yes, for every “but what if I screw it up!?” she said “You won’t”, and for every “No really, I AM GOING TO SCREW THIS UP!” she said “I believe in you, you will be fine.”

At that point, I’d only done free shoots for practice, but her persistence paid off and I agreed. If I’m being honest, it was a mixture of excitement to be actually earning something for taking photos, and terror that I was going to completely mess up. But Kortney was right. I was fine, and she loved her photos.

And now, thanks to her, weddings are TOTALLY my thing.

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 live in a house on stilts, am obsessed with fat cats, and have a fondness for peanut butter cups that runs so deep, I named my daughter Reese. I dabble on the ukulele, and live in a house on stilts.

My grandparents bought me my first 35mm camera when I was about 8, and I was completely hooked after that. I’ve always loved the idea of documenting. If done well, photos have the power of making you feel something. That’s what has always held my interest. Perfectly lit, well posed images are nice, but it’s the candid ones that always draw me in. I think that’s one of the reasons I’m so enthralled with weddings. They create the perfect atmosphere for emotions.

Any resources you can share with us that might be helpful to other creatives?

Workshops! I was about 3 years into my career when I first learned that other likeminded photographers actually hosted workshops covering creativity, marketing, posing, etc. Spending time with other creatives in that atmosphere motivates and inspires. Whenever I feel burn out setting in, I take to the internet and seek out one of these workshops to rejuvenate me.

What’s been the best source of new clients for you?

In the beginning, most of my clients came from Facebook. That is still a decent lead source, but now I find that features on prominent blog sites, Instagram and being on preferred vendor lists are more reliable. The absolute best lead source though: referrals. Word of mouth is powerful.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.stacypaulphotography.com
• Instagram: @stacypaulphotography
• Facebook: Stacy Paul Photography