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

Alright, Sydney thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. How did you learn to do what you do? Knowing what you know now, what could you have done to speed up your learning process? What skills do you think were most essential? What obstacles stood in the way of learning more?

When I started in photography back in 2008, my first deep dive into learning was my high school photography class. From there I went on to study photography at Grand Valley State University. Although I do value what I learned from a technical aspect from these classes, they really didn’t teach me how to be a business owner or a wedding photographer. Now, there is so much information and workshops online, that the last five years have been pivotal to my growth as a photographer and business owner. Having easy access to education was a huge obstacle in my early days, but I am so thankful to have those years where I was figuring it out myself. I was able to explore self portraiture and really fall in love with being a wedding photographer naturally.

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 Sydney, and I am the owner and photographer behind Sydney Marie Photography. I started my photography journey in 2008, in 2012 I started photographing weddings, and in 2016 I became a full time wedding photographer. I originally didn’t plan on being a wedding photographer, I actually fell into it. At the time, I was photographing local bands, and one of the main bands I photographed, the lead singer was getting married. His wedding really opened the door to falling in love with weddings, and my complete career course change.

Jumping to present day, I’ve photographed over 275 weddings over the last 11 years, and I love every moment of it. My photography style is best described as timeless and vibrant. The images I deliver have true-to-life editing and are full of candid moments mixed in with gorgeous portraits. I want couples to be able to look back 20 years after their wedding day, and remember what it felt like in those moments.

For you, what’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative?

The most rewarding aspect of being a wedding photographer, for me, is being able to capture those moments that turn into heirlooms for couples. There’s something so special when you pull out a wedding album and look though those photos, and see the emotions and love. I seriously can’t thank all my couples enough for trusting in me and allowing me to tell their stories.

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

I have to give some credit to a few of my past work experiences, but for me, customer service has always been the key to growing my clientele. I learned so much while being in the hospitality industry that I now use in my own business. Being not only an expert in my industry for my clients, but serving them has been so important to the sustainability and growth over the last 11 years.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.sydneymariephotography.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sydneymariephotography/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/sydneymariephoto