We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Susie Moore a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Alright, Susie thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. To kick things off, we’d love to hear about things you or your brand do that diverge from the industry standard

Before we begin, I know that “styled shoots” is not a term familiar to those not in the wedding and photography industry, so let me explain. Styled shoots are basically styled weddings, with traditional wedding vendors and models creating a photoshoot that looks like a scene from a wedding day. Photographers attend to create content, practice, and build their portfolios.

Many styled shoot hosts focus on traditional weddings, with grandiose venues, over-the-top florals, and professional models. The images that photographers create at these shoots are stunning, like something lifted from the pages of a bridal magazine.

My styled shoots are different because they look like they are lifted from the pages of a real wedding album. I maintain a focus on a beautiful, intricately crafted shoot but work with my vendors to create an authentic feeling that a photographer’s prospective bride will relate to. A picture she can picture herself in. I use real, diverse couples which allows my photographers to not only build a relatable portfolio, but also gives them practice posing brides and grooms.

I also focus on elopements, which have increased exponentially since the pandemic. Many couples are opting for intimate, unique experiences and foregoing expensive, excessive celebrations. Many photographers, therefore, are niching down to elopements and especially adventure elopements which allow them to travel the US and beyond. By creating gorgeous elopements in stunning natural settings, I allow my photographers to create content that speaks to this new type of bride and groom.

Finally, my shoots are intimate, collaborative, and laid-back. Photographers can take their time practicing, and getting advice and ideas from their fellow shooters.

Susie, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?

My name is Susanna, but everyone calls me Susie. I can most often be found with a coffee in my hand and a flight search open on my phone.

I discovered the world of styled shoots last year. I’ve been modeling since I was eleven, and was invited to model as a bride in my first styled shoot in January 2021. Talk about love at first sight! As a hopeless romantic, what could be better than living different wedding days over and over again? I loved modeling, but I also started bubbling with ideas I wanted to bring to life. I have ten years experience in event planning, so I thought – why not put on a shoot of my own? So I did!

While my first styled shoot wasn’t perfect, I learned a lot and met so many amazing people. I took that knowledge and made my second shoot better. And then with the third and fourth and so on. Growing, learning, adjusting, improving. Now, I have over twenty shoots under my belt and have worked in 3 different states.

How’d you build such a strong reputation within your market?

I like to think that I built my reputation as someone who sincerely cares for every person she works with. From models to photographers to vendors, I work with everyone involved to create a fun, seamless experience that ultimately benefits them and offers them a higher-than-expected ROI. By listening to the needs of my customers, I’ve been able to create experiences tailored to them.

Can you tell us about a time you’ve had to pivot?

I had to pivot early on in this styled shoot journey. When I began creating shoots, styled traditional weddings were all the rage. Not only was this difficult to break into due to the amount of competition, but I found that fewer brides and grooms (and fewer photographers) are interested in the big, over-the-top, traditional weddings than pre-COVID. Elopements are gaining in popularity, especially intimate adventure elopements. Given my love for travel, I knew this was the direction I wanted to pivot to with my shoots.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.wildlystyledshoots.com
• Instagram: @wildly_styledshoots
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/groups/3088063254793635

Image Credits
Jessica Lauren Kent Alyssa Capps Chelsea Brown