An Open Letter to Wedding Photographers During COVID-19

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Creative Rising Episode 310

[NARRATIVE]

Two weeks ago, Jeff and I were completely checked out on a two week vacation on Kauai.

No phones, no media, no news.

But when we landed back in San Diego, Coronavirus hit the U.S. And within a week, our revenue stopped, our state ordered shelter-in-place, and our business shut down.

In a very short amount of time, the world has turned upside down for all of us. But for photographers, this time is not just scary, it’s absolutely terrifying as we’ve watched our cash flows dry up and jobs get cancelled or postponed for months.

So how do we survive this?

Well for me, that’s the wrong question to be asking.

Instead, the better question is, “Who are we going to be IN this?”

Jeff and I are reeling from the emotional and mental roller coaster of this pandemic, so I sat down (literally, I sat down on my bedroom floor), turned on a spare mic (all of my regular mics are at the studio) and shared my innermost thoughts about what this all means.

I get honest, I cut the BS, and I definitely cry. Cuz that’s just how things are right about now.

Plus, I outline the three things that wedding photographers should be doing RIGHT NOW to make it through this crisis.

GET OUR FREE COVID-19 EMAIL RESPONSE TEMPLATES HERE

Resources Mentioned in this Episode:
Traction (book)
Tyler J. McCall
Katelyn James
Brene Brown on FFTs (podcast episode)
Hannah Abad of Prime Collaborative

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About Us

We're Jeff & Erin

We’re Jeff and Erin Youngren – and it’s our mission to help you thrive not just as a wedding photographer, but as a business owner. It’s time to set aside the stress and comparison of a hustle mindset, and build a life-giving business instead.

We met in college, got married, and started corporate jobs before we discovered (and fell in love with) wedding photography. But like many creative entrepreneurs, we were booking anything we could, strapped to our laptops and living dangerously close to burnout.

So we dug in and learned how to build a thriving business that supports our dream life – instead of a joyless business that runs a stressed-out life.

Today, we photograph only 10 Dreamie weddings per year, but we also run two other wedding brands plus a commercial studio in San Diego, CA. And we do it by only working the hours that fit into our life. The other hours? We spend those living a joyful life raising our two beautiful sons, James and Samuel.

hugs,

Jeff and Erin

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