2020 in review - the good, the bad, what I’d do differently

2020

Ahhh 2020. I recently heard on a podcast that “2020” is going to become a verb, maybe akin to saying someone “schruted” something. We’ll have to wait and see about that.

As much as 2020 was incredibly difficult for small businesses (and believe me, it’s still not back to normal), I was extremely fortunate to still have been able to stay in business and grow during this season. So without further ado, let me take you through some of the mountains, valleys, and lessons learned this year.

The Good of 2020

Of all of the weddings I had booked this year, I’m extremely grateful to say that only one was canceled altogether. Two couples chose to postpone their weddings until 2021, and the remainder just pivoted, downsized, or partied on! In 2020 I photographed a combined 12 weddings and elopements, associate photographed an additional wedding, and second shot another 3 for a total of 16 weddings!

I niched down my services. About 3/4 through the year, I realized I only wanted to offer maternity and newborn sessions to previous clients, and stopped offering them to new clients! Additionally, I only offered family sessions as “minis”.

I started outsourcing. In the early fall I realized I was so overwhelmed with all that being a business owner entails: marketing, content creation, financials, shooting, and editing. I decided it was time for me to largely start outsourcing my instagram and pinterest advertising, and I’m so glad that I did! My virtual assistants have been wonderful and they’re going to be pivoting to having a much more in depth role in my business in 2021.

I started slowly rolling out mentorship services for young photographers and business owners wanting to launch their own businesses!

Lastly, a major highlight is that I booked myself up for weddings in 2021 before the year even began. I set my absolute cap at 20 full weddings, and hit it just before the new year started. I’ll probably take on a few elopements here and there, but I won’t be photographing any additional full weddings next year.

On the personal side of things, we sold our house for way more than we bought it for, and moved to a cute little bungalow at the Virginia Beach North End. We also sold our TV in the fall and are so glad we did! We still watch youtube videos and the occasional netflix, but we read and talk a lot more! Riley started a 3 day a week, half-day program at her pre-school which has been great in giving me a little extra time to work in the mornings. Declan has grown into an incredibly sweet and cuddly little toddler.

The Bad of 2020

2020 held its fair share of challenges too. I’ll keep it brief even though I could probably go on for a while (haha!).

The year started off difficult and frustrating, with tons of misinformation being spread on instagram and facebook about the legality of still working safely as photographers. After a lot of these people spent the spring condemning others for working in facebook groups and instagram stories, they kept their summer plans of flying cross country to shoot and attend workshops. It was very frustrating and eye opening to see how others in the industry were operating inconsistently. People confused “retail businesses” for all businesses, and not much clarity was coming from our leaders either. Victoria Anne Photography did not close at all, rather just offered clients the option of rescheduling without penalty. All of my clients still opted to have their sessions safely outside, with the exception of 2 maternity sessions that I was not comfortable photographing back in April.

Ever changing regulations handed down by our governor made it incredibly difficult on the wedding industry to do really any type of extensive wedding planning. Brides and grooms were having to constantly change plans and make awful plans to un-invite guests. I photographed the majority of weddings this year alone simply for the reason that second shooters would count toward the guest total.

I marketed too hard. I took everything I heard through podcasts and youtube videos and general educational videos from different photographers and put it into practice…a little too well. You might be thinking “this belongs in the positive category!!” and it does a little bit, but the biggest issue is that I threw myself so hard into marketing without purpose. I already had the bookings I needed, yet was still consumed with beating the algorithm on instagram, replying to every DM, and making sure I was posting a regular 2-3 times a week plus daily stories. TOO MUCH. I didn’t need it! I ended up feeling overwhelmed, drained, and resentful toward my line of work.

Lastly…I had a lens break! I’ve never had gear malfunction before, especially not new gear! It was a lens I had purchased less than a month beforehand, and it stopped working midway through a wedding. Fortunately it was under warranty and within the return timeframe. Doubly fortunate was the fact that I had two backup lenses (although different focal lengths, still better than no back up at all!).

What I’d Do Differently

In 2021, I’ve resolved to spend less time mindlessly scrolling on social media, and use the platforms with intention. I think we’ve collectively been frustrated the direction that facebook, twitter, and instagram have been going with their inconsistent censorship and ever-changing algorithm, and these things fire me up as an enneagram 1. Right now, marketing has slid way down the totem pole of priorities, and I’ll be spending more time creating resources and education for my clients and future mentors.

I’m going to stop buying the cheaper gear. I don’t mean to say that I don’t purchase high quality stuff, but I tend to always go for the more “economical” option between lenses or cameras rather than springing for the best quality. Ultimately, I want my work to continue to get better and better, so I’m committed to doing more research and renting gear before I pull the trigger. (I have my eye on going mirrorless before the year is over).

I’d stop listening to every voice. Everyone has an opinion, and to some degree, thinks that they are an authority figure. I tend to take everyone’s opinion very heavily into consideration when making decisions, rather than just making calls that fall in line with my values and beliefs. I’m wanting to do better about that.

If you made it this far, thanks for taking the time to read along. I’m hoping and believing 2021 will be a year of redemption!