How I Overcame Burnout as a Wedding Photographer

When I started my wedding photography business, I didn’t have a clue of what I was doing as far as the business side of things went.  I knew I was a good photographer, but I didn’t know what to charge, how to set up my schedule, or how to market my business in a way that made sense for the lifestyle I wanted to have.  As a result I spent my first 4 years of business burnt out, overwhelmed, and without focus as I moved through each day.  After reaching rock bottom, I knew something had to change, and this is where I started.  Here are the 4 steps I took to get myself out of burnout that helped me run my wedding photography business more sustainably.

Automate Your Emails

There are only so many hours in the day, and as a wedding, elopement, or portrait photographer you’re going to want to spend your time doing the part of the business you love: connecting with clients and creating amazing work!  This is why having a CRM like Dubsado or Honeybook is a must have for service based small business owners.  Having all of your emails already typed out and ready to go makes sending most of your emails as easy as the click of a button. This was a huge gamechanger for me in minimizing burnout and actually enjoy more of what I do as a wedding photographer. If you’re interested in using Dubsado consider signing up through our affiliate link!

Charge Your Worth and Set Income Goals

When it comes to running your business, it’s important to take note of how much you need to be making to run it while also being able to live a comfortable lifestyle.  Once you have some experience and know that the services you’re creating are of great quality, you need to figure out your CODB (cost of doing business) as well as your cost of living. Knowing these two figures will allow you to determine how much money you actually have to make with your business to live the life you want life.

From there you can create your pricing in a way that’s not only fair to your clients, but also fair to you, your time, and the goals you have. It’s about more than just making it by though! Set goals for yourself that you want to hit, and price yourself what you know you’re worth to reach these goals.

Cap Your Year

As a wedding photographer, there are only so many weddings that you can physically be at within a year, so at the start of these past two years I set a strong number of how many wedding I actually had to book for my lifestyle that year.  Having a set number of how many wedding you can book will prevent you from overbooking, while also helping you to keep your eyes on the prize.  Then, once you’ve booked your number, you can regroup and work on other parts of your business rather than continuing to frantically market and attract new clients each month!

Connect in the Industry

Creating connections with other wedding vendors in your area is one of the easiest ways to make life as a solopreneur easier.  Not only does it give you your very own chosen co-workers, but it’s also great to have someone to refer your clients to in the industry if they’re looking for vendor recommendations, or if you’re busy for their specific date.  Creating more friendships in the wedding industry has brought me more inquiries, it has helped me to feel less alone, and has given me a sounding board of amazing friends to bounce business ideas off of and have a good time through it all.  

These four tips are what SAVED me as an overworked business owner just trying to make it.  If you’re also feeling a bit of burnout as a wedding photographer and aren’t sure where to start rectifying things, I recommend taking ONE of these tips this week and putting it to the test! If you’re looking for more tips on how to manage a sustainable workload as a business owner check out this article of ours. For anyone interested in using our blogging services to take some of the pressure off your plate be sure to send us an inquiry through our contact page!