St. Louis has a million photographers. I’m not exaggerating, ok, maybe a little, but there are a TON! We’re definitely in a saturated market, and if you ever got business advice from anyone they’d probably tell you to skip photography and find another line of work. It can definitely be intimidating, especially for those of us who did not get a formal college degree in photography or some kind of fine arts. (I have a Masters of Accounting, but that’s not all that helpful when you’re trying to figure out how to work a camera.)
What I’ve come to find out, is that the photography community is one full of people who are kind, generous, and have a heart to teach. They really are helpful and open-handed with their time and their expertise. It’s community over competition for real. I’m enrolled in Amy and Jordan’s Business Course, and found a local Facebook group for Amy and Jordan Students from MO and IL. A few months ago, a local photographer, Emily Broadbent Photography, posted in that group looking for a second shooter for an upcoming wedding. I volunteered, and she picked me to work along side her. You can see that wedding here. It was an awesome day, and I loved working alongside Emily, watching her and learning so much! She has such an amazing personality, and you can’t help but love her right away! Fast forward about a month later, and Emily and another local photographer, Stephanie Marie Photography, post in this same group that they’re doing an anniversary shoot, and invited us all along!!! All we had to do was show up and shoot. Simply amazing. Styled shoots can be a lot of planning and work on the front end, and they just offered it up like it was nothing. I’ve learned the photography community, at least in St. Louis, is one with a heart of gold.
