Small Business Spotlight on Angela King Photography

Every married couple knows that the right wedding photographer can make or break your big day. Your photographers ensure that each significant event – the first kiss, the first dance – is captured forever, allowing you and your loved ones to revisit them whenever you want. Just as important, the best photographers will catch all those candid moments the happy couple might miss.

And when we think of beautiful photos, we think of Angela King. If you’ve looked at Austin wedding photographers at some point in the past few years, odds are you’ve already seen contributions from Angela King Photography. In our recent Instagram Live conversation with King, we discussed her self-taught approach to digital photography, her best advice for Texas weddings, and how her business has adjusted to COVID-19.

You can watch the full video at the link above, but below are a few of the biggest takeaways from our conversation.

On Finding the Right Online Photography Tutorials

Angela King: “There’s so many different types of education for photographers. You have to be really careful because you could end up spending thousands of dollars and then you come back and you’re like, ‘What did I really learn? I took some pretty photos, but what really helped me?’ So, I try to strategize and be very careful about who I spend money on and what kind of education I did and just make sure that it’s actually going to help me.”

When Angela Decided to Make Weddings Her Focus

Angela King: “I connected with another teacher who was getting married and she was like, ‘Well, I love how your family photos look. I would hire you to do my wedding.’ I cut her a really good deal and I still stay in touch with that bride. We organized, we planned, we got it. We were both teachers, so we had it all under control.

And then, when I first shot the wedding, I thought this is it. I love this. I can do this, and I can make this work. This will work great for my family, the schedule. I have more time with them than I did when I was a high school teacher. I’ve just really come to love it.

The Importance of Vendor Referrals

Angela King: “A lot of my couples book vendors who are recommended to them from the venue or from their friends. I think that’s really important. Make sure you have people who have really good referrals, who you trust.

I love it when I show up at a wedding day, I know the vendors and I know the venue. It’s like a team effort and my couples just feel taken care of. They don’t have to think about everything. They can just enjoy their day. That’s the ultimate goal is that they’re not having to think about any of those extra distractions.”

On Why You Shouldn’t Quit Your Day Job Immediately

Angela King: “Why are you going to put all of this time and effort into something if you can’t support your family and be happy? As I was starting to do family photos, I never took out a loan. Because I was teaching, so I had that as my main income. I used all of the income that I was getting from family sessions to start investing in my equipment.

And then, when I was ready to leave teaching, I was ready to go. I’d already invested thousands of dollars in what I need. I think being profitable and providing good service is just absolutely important.”

How to Be Flexible During COVID-19

Angela King: “Connecting with our friends in our industry is also really, really helpful. Because if some of these weddings are getting backed up or dates are changed, when they do start up again, I can second shoot for my friends.

I do typically love to take on second shooting. If there’s a Saturday coming up, I don’t have booked, I often will see if a friend will hire me onto second shoot. I’m just trying to keep all those options, staying in the wedding lane for now.”

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To schedule a consultation with Angela King Photography, visit their website at www.angelakingphotography.com. You can also follow Angela King Photography and see some of her wedding photos on both Facebook or Instagram.