Do you love photography but wonder whether taking full ownership of a photography business is the right step for you? We definitely went through that in the beginning of our journey with photography. I (Chelsea) began the business with it’s original name, Golden Hour Images, when my friends and family kept asking me to take their photos. But, I quickly learned that I wasn’t equipped to do everything on my own– enter Hannah. She hopped into my business and adopted it as her own. While she may have begun as a second shooter, she quickly became another primary shooter and now we both carry an equal load. It’s OUR business, which is why we rebranded and changed our name to Chelsea and Hannah Photography.

While that’s our story, yours probably won’t look the exact same. We’ve put together a few attributes of a Solopreneur and Second Shoot below to hopefully help you figure out which category you may be in!

The Solopreneur needs to be the one who can take complete control of any situation. You are the visionary. You are the light finder and the organizer of the entire client experience. You are the person behind the brand of the entire business.

The Second Shooter wants to be a big part of a wedding day, but may not want to be the face of the whole photography business. Don’t ever think that the second shooter is any less important than the Primary. You are an integral part of the day, and the couple’s wedding WOULD NOT be captured in the same way if you weren’t there. You are the fly on the wall. The one watching when all of the best emotion of the day happens. You are also essential during family portrait time when the primary shoot is snapping away, you are the one with The LIST. You’re the organizer, calling out each new group of family members and making sure they are ready so the family portraits don’t take up too much time.

Let us be clear: There is nothing wrong with either! The goals we all have for ourselves are unique. Never compare your goal to someone else’s. If it fits your lifestyle and long term goals, then keep going!

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