Carrie Rogers is a wedding and elopement photographer based in Southern California. She loves traveling, being outdoors, and exploring new places just as much as she loves staying home all day in her pajamas. | instagram
— photos in this interview are taken by + belong to Carrie Rogers Photography —
Hi Carrie! Tell us a bit about yourself.
Hi!! I’m a wedding and elopement photographer based in Los Angeles! I’ve been into photography for about 4 years and have been full time for 2! When I’m not working, I love hanging out with my cutie boyfriend, road tripping, exploring national parks, and obsessing over cat videos on the internet.
How did you get into photography, and when did you know you wanted to start a photography business?
I’ve always kind of loved taking “aesthetic” photos and as Instagram became more popular, people really started encouraging me to do more with photography so I eventually bought a camera and started experimenting!
While I was in college, I just did photography for fun, mostly just taking photos of my friends and then when I moved to California a couple years ago I began working with a lot of models and branching out into couples photography. When people started to reach out to me regularly about photo sessions I realized I could actually make a living doing this and that’s when I knew I wanted to officially start my business!
Girlll, I love your aesthetics and style! What piece of advice would you give to those who are starting out and working on creating their own style?
Ah thank you so much!! My best advice is to just remember that there are so many things that make up your style, from how you shoot, to how you direct your subjects, to how you use light, etc. so don’t get caught up in the editing! Experiment and figure out what YOU love and try not to compare yourself to others.
How did you first get into the industry and do you have any advice for those who are just starting out?
NETWORK. I started my business in a state where I didn’t know anyone else, so networking was HUGE for me. I reached out to other photographers, went to meet ups and other events, made connections with non-photographer wedding vendors.
If you’re just starting out, I would say to try and make friends with someone who is at a similar place in their business as you are so you can help each other grow. If you want to learn from someone with a lot more experience, be willing to invest in them! Do a mentor session or go to a workshop. 🙂
Why do your photography clients come to you specifically?
Most of my couples say that they love how natural and candid my photos are!
How has starting your own business and being your own boss changed your life?
I love the freedom that comes with being my own boss and I feel like I’m a lot more motivated to work hard since I’m doing something I love!
What do you think is the most important thing to keep in mind when it comes to being your own boss?
When you’re your own boss, what you put into your business is what your business will be, so I think it’s super important to always give your best even though no one is there to get onto you for slacking or not working hard.
A lot of creatives struggle in the beginning. Was there ever a time in your business when you questioned if it was the right path for you? If so, how did you deal with it?
Once I decided I wanted to do photography full time, I don’t think I ever really questioned it!
I told myself that as long as I loved what I was doing and I was happy then I would succeed. I think just being realistic with myself that not everything would be easy in the beginning really helped me get through any struggles I had.
“Struggles didn’t mean I was failing, it just meant I had an opportunity to grow.”
