Local San Diego Wedding Photographer - Interview with SDvoyager
We recently sat down with the San Diego Voyager to go over some photography details about Astray Photography and questions regarding San Diego wedding photography. Take a look below and head over to their site for the full article, Cheers!
So, before we jump into specific questions about the business, why don’t you give us some details about you and your story.
We have always had a love for photography. Being creative through a lens has always been something that we found ourselves doing. I started working for a photography studio, where I learned SO much about shooting, lighting, camera equipment, etc.
Being with the studio for four years I realized being a wedding photographer was something I wanted to pursue as a living and I decided to branch out on my own. Both my husband and I run the business together, and we love it so much. Being a wedding photographer in San Diego is so nice because the weather is nice year round which gives us the ability to have engagement and wedding shoots constantly.
Being able to work together and brainstorm business ideas is something we are so blessed to have & being able to capture the most important day for so many couples is such an amazing gift. We are responsible for creating memories that will last a lifetime.
Has it been a smooth road?
For us, we are so fortunate that our journey has been smooth thus far. We have some of the most amazing couples that makes this journey for us so great!
It is definitely nerve-racking to branch off and start on your own, but my advice to anyone is actually pretty simple, just do it! For me, that was the scariest part, but my heart and soul was completely in the brand and company that I knew no matter what would succeed!
So let’s switch gears a bit and go into Astray Photography story. Tell us more about the business.
I am a wedding and lifestyle photographer. We primarily specialize in weddings and engagements. Our style is raw and organic & we LOVE laughter!! We aim to capture moments rather than making the moments forced. When the couple has fun with the shoot… we win!!
We love the outdoors and traveling around the world to shoot in beautiful and different environments. We like to find out what the clients like do to together, that way during their shoot we can easily express who they are together. Our style is also dark and moody with a bit of grain. To us, this look truly shows the realness to the couple.
Do you have any advice for finding a mentor or networking in general? What has worked well for you?
Oh gosh, great questions! There is SO much inspiration out there. I follow so many amazing photographers on social media platforms! Instagram is such a great networking tool for us! We have met so many photographers that we work with get inspired by and use each other for ideas!
We also attended an insta-meet-up a few years ago where we had met a photographer that has become a lifelong friend of ours. He has such great work and also travels around the world for weddings! He is definitely someone we go to for inspiration and advice!
We are also part of a few industry organizations that are such a great way to meet people in your same industry (photographers, wedding planners, florists, etc.) They usually host one event a month, and we all come together to share what is going on in our business and learn from each other. We attend local wedding events in both San Diego and Temecula, Temecula Valley wedding professionals is a great group that brings everyone together and really just have a good time.
Lastly, another thing that works really great for us is simply networking on wedding days with the venue planner, the DJ, florist, coordinator, officiant., etc. We spend the whole day at the venue with so many people working in the industry that it is really simple to connect on not just a business aspect but also personal!!
It was so great being able to have an interview with the voyager and help other photographers in the area, if you are a local photographer and just starting out, make sure to message us, we would love to connect! If you are recently engaged and searching for a local engagement photographer or wedding photographer in Southern California, we would love to meet and grab a drink or dinner! We love connecting and meeting new people to discuss how we can be a part of capturing such an important day in your lives.