This is real framework to build a legit, thriving wedding photography business.

Step 1: Build Your Portfolio

Before anything else, get a full-frame camera and a prime lens—either a 50mm or 35mm at the bare minimum. These lenses give you that dreamy, cinematic look people love. Consider buying Lightroom presets to streamline editing—like Dirty Boots and Messy Hair or Peyton Byford presets. Choose a high-demand style and stick to it. Consistency in editing will help you stand out.

Start with Friends and Family

Assuming you already know how to shoot, call your friends and family and invite them to a beautiful location. Use poses and prompts you find online to guide your subjects. If you need help with posing, check out my prompts course, where I teach you 50 effortless poses that work every time.

Second Shooting

Next, reach out to local photographers to second shoot at weddings. Be prepared to hear “no” a lot—don’t take it personally. You’re not entitled to anything, and nobody owes you a damn thing. Beg for the opportunity if you have to. Offer to help for free and make it clear you just want to learn and build your portfolio. If they let you shoot, beg to use the photos for your own portfolio. Second shooting is vital because it gives you firsthand experience on how weddings flow without the pressure of being the primary photographer.

Attend Styled Shoots

Styled shoots are organized photo sessions that mimic wedding setups. They’re usually collaborations between vendors like florists, planners, and dress shops. These shoots give you stunning portfolio images without the stress of a live event. Typically, these are paid events where you invest in the opportunity to build your portfolio. Plus, you get to network with other vendors who might recommend you later.

Step 2: Build Your Online Presence

Clean Website and Instagram

Take a few professional photos of yourself—dress like you’re attending a wedding. Clients want to see how you’ll fit into their day. Then, create a clean, simple website with a portfolio page, packages with pricing, a bio about you page, and a contact page. Keep it straightforward and avoid clutter. You can look at peoples websites, look at mine. Be careful tho there are a lot of really bad websites out there from people who seem established. If you want a full website-building guide, check out my $20 Perfect website guide where I show you the secrets of getting people to inquiry from your site.

Establish Your Social Media

Post your best work on Instagram and aim to gain 500–1,000 followers before moving to the next step. Follow people, comment of peoples stuff, create reels and content. Engage with other local vendors, share stories, and be consistent. Let your personality shine through! Practice in front of the camera as much as possible. Buy a ring light for creating content, it’s a great investment!

Step 3: Market Yourself Aggressively

Network Like Crazy

Tell everyone you know that you’re a wedding photographer. Scream it from the rooftops if you have to. Make sure all your friends and family know, so they can recommend you. Connect with local vendors—planners, florists, and other photographers—and let them know you’re offering budget-friendly rates to build your portfolio.

Run Ads

Start running ads on Instagram targeting wedding and bridal audiences. Make sure your website is optimized before you do this—ads are useless if your site doesn’t sell. Test your ads at $50 a day for 10 days. If you get 2–3 inquiries and book even one wedding for $2,000, that’s a $1,500 profit. Rinse and repeat. Use the money from non-refundable deposits from booking your first client to spend on more ads. You’ve now got a never-ending cheat code for making money as a wedding photographer. Every time you put in $250, you book a $2,000 job. You can do this endlessly until you’re fully booked at 50 weddings!

This is MASSIVE if ads work for you. It means you’re instantly a 6-figure earning photographer! But listen—everything has to be dialed in perfectly. Quality, design, pricing—half-assing any part of it means failure. Get it right and you're printing money.

Step 4: Perfect Your Booking Script

When inquiries come in, get them on the phone ASAP. Your goal is to guide them to a decision, not sell aggressively. Ask about their relationship, listen to their story, and position yourself as the problem solver. Practice your script and refine it. My booking script that generated over a million in sales is available for $20. Buy it and use it—it works.

Step 5: Book Your First Year

Once you’ve got your ads dialed in and inquiries coming through, keep scaling up. Book 30–40+ weddings per year to hit full-time status. The first 10 weddings you shoot alone will be a learning curve, but after that, most weddings follow the same routine. Keep refining your workflow and don’t get complacent.

Congratulations—you’ve cracked the code to becoming a full-time wedding photographer!

Got more questions? DM me on Instagram and I'd love to answer! >>> @ARCFILM <<<

Sincerely, Andrew

ARC Film Photography