Today we’d like to introduce you to Anna Stroh.
Hi Anna, it’s an honor to have you on the platform. Thanks for taking the time to share your story with us – to start maybe you can share some of your backstories with our readers.
Hey! My name is Anna and I am a wedding videographer based out of Rochester, Minnesota. Three years ago, I graduated with my Master’s degree in Architecture. Shortly after beginning my career, I discovered I was pregnant with my first child, Jordan. From dealing with infertility issues, an IUGR diagnosis, and the NICU, there were many challenges at the beginning of my child’s life and it was extremely important for me to be there for him. In order to spend more intentional time with my son, I made a risky decision to leave the firm I was working at and start my own small business in wedding videography.
While I had experience editing short films in college, I had never shot on a “professional camera” and had no experience in the wedding industry. It was scary! However, I am the type of person to put 100% effort into everything I do and I LOVE learning new things. Within the first couple of weeks of purchasing my first camera, I created a short film featuring what I love the most -my family! After posting the film on social media, I received nearly thirty inquiries the next day regarding my videography.
Since then, I’ve been incredibly blessed to have filmed twenty-six weddings, booked forty weddings (including six out of state, yay!), received over 100 inquiries, hosted styled shoots for other creatives, and bought my own studio. It hasn’t even been a year yet and I’m blown away by all of the support and wonderful feedback I have received. Today, I’m able to work a job that I truly love, and develop relationships with clients that I deeply care about, all while getting to spend time with my adorable little boy.
I’m sure you wouldn’t say it’s been obstacle free, but so far would you say the journey has been a fairly smooth road?
While it’s been much smoother than I had anticipated, there were still some struggles along the way!
I had little to no knowledge about how to run my own business and how much there is to understand about wedding videography itself. However, I have constantly been working to educate myself, learn from other creatives in the field, and continue to make new goals each day in order to provide a better overall experience for my wedding clients.
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
Wedding filmmaking is a humbling insight into the human heart and the boldness of love. In my personal opinion, a couple’s wedding day will flash right before their eyes. There’s a lot that goes into planning the wedding day, and it’s hard to take the time to soak every moment in. Wedding clients deserve to remember this season of their relationship exactly as it happened, and that’s where I come in.
My goal as a filmmaker is to romanticize the big, the small, and everything in between. My style may be a bit different than the average slow-motion film, and may not be for everyone. My films are fast-paced, and bold, and document more of a relationship than just the wedding day. It’s a style where real life meets poetry, classic meets modern, and boldness meets romance. I get told by the majority of my clients that they book me specifically because my style is not the “average cookie-cutter film” and is tailored to really highlight each couple’s personality.
How can people work with you, collaborate with you or support you?
I am extremely grateful for all of the support I have received thus far! It means the world to me when a past wedding client refers me to a friend, or when I see someone sharing my work on social media. Additionally, I host styled shoots every couple of months.
Styled shoots are often planned events for wedding vendors to get creative and add to their portfolios. It’s a great chance to get to know other vendors in the industry and form new relationships. I’m always open to working with new photographers and forming new relationships. Many of my weddings have been due to referrals from past vendors I have worked with!
Contact Info:
- Website: www.strohandcofilms.com
- Instagram: www.instagram.com/strohandcofilms
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100081156527974
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC9AgLEc4AVj_CQtPVEW8BIA
