Dear Devlin started as a column because if one of us is stuck on something, chances are plenty of others are too, they just aren’t saying it out loud. Now I’m bringing a guest onto the podcast each episode to talk a submission through properly, rather than just handing down my own verdict.
This submission landed close to home for a lot of wedding photographers right now.
This Week’s Problem
Dear Devlin,
I’m only a few years into this career and while my first couple of years were okay for bookings and income, this one is looking a little scant. I have nothing between mid-October and May next year. I’m waking up in the night stressing about it and about not having enough money over the winter. I also know I’ll have to pay tax again in January, but as it is, I’m not exactly raking it in and I don’t have any savings. How do photographers cope with the big gap? I don’t see this being discussed anywhere and wonder if I need a job to see me through the quieter months.
Concerned From Chelmsford
Before this photographer starts stacking shelves somewhere, I brought in James Watson from Birches and Pine to help me talk it through. James specialises in Asian and fusion weddings, helps me out at Thrive, and is a graduate of my mentoring programme who’s gone on to become a genuine expert in Meta Ads, useful territory for exactly this problem.
We covered a lot, but a few things stuck with me. James pointed out that photography almost always pays better than any part-time job you could pick up instead, and that there are real opportunities in genres that aren’t tied to wedding season, property, food, branding work for the small businesses you already know. He’s had success with simple things like photographing Airbnb listings and local restaurants, and pointed out that a portfolio for either can start with your own kitchen and a nice plate of food from Waitrose.
We also talked about the marketing side of it. If everything you post is full-day summer weddings, that’s all you’ll ever book. Targeting elopements, town hall weddings and midweek dates, especially with paid ads timed months ahead of the gap rather than in a panic, can bring in enquiries you wouldn’t otherwise see. James shared that a small, specifically-priced package aimed at smaller winter weddings, run as a Meta ad, paid for itself and then some.
And then there’s the unglamorous stuff: a proper cash flow forecast, spreading income across the year rather than banking it all in August, Black Friday sales set up in good time rather than scrambled together in November, and reminding past clients you’re not fully booked and would love a referral.
If you’re feeling this gap too, you are absolutely not the only one. James and I have both been exactly where you are.
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