Today we’d like to introduce you to Caitlin Collins
Hi Caitlin, thanks for joining us today. We’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
I’ve had more of an artistic side to me my whole life but never did I imagine I would be where I am today in the art industry.
I grew up in Detroit Lakes, Minnesota. My Dad owned a restaurant and brewery for all of my childhood. I grew up with the bus dropping me off at the restaurant after school. I was fascinated watching my dad run a business.
When I was 16 I got my first camera. I wanted it just for fun. I loved taking photos so I self taught myself how to use a camera. When I was 18 and a senior in high school I was having families ask me to photograph them, so I would and they’d give me $20 or a little gift. My dad finally sat me down and told me I should start a business. I was apprehensive as I wanted to go to college and find a stable career. That night my Dad created an LLC for me as a gift in 2018.
That summer I photographed a friends wedding and that was the beginning and photographed 3 weddings in 2018.. While I was in College at The University of North Dakota I built my photography business on the side doing around 10 weddings a season. During COVID in 2020 I dove head first into marketing and building my business further. By 2022, the year I graduated from the University of North Dakota, I was full time and had 36 weddings that season in multiple states in the US.
I absolutely fell in love with traveling and specifically traveling for weddings in 2022 so I started focusing on turning my business into traveling wedding photography, elopements and sessions. I started taking weddings all over the US whether it was my own, second shooting for other photographers in different states to build my portfolio or photographers retreats. By the end of 2023 I photographed in 12 states and 13 different countries.
2023 I applied for a holiday working visa in Dublin, Ireland and I got it!! The goal was I would get the visa and live and take on weddings in Europe.
November of 2023 I spent 3 months in Europe with Dublin as my home base and started to build my business oversees. It was a dream but I still was getting so many incredible opportunities in the US. Every sign I was getting was pointing me to returning to the US so I listened to that feeling.
I returned home, continued to travel all over, hitting another 7 new US states, 1 more country and hit my goal of photographing over 100 weddings.
I now live in an RV with my partner traveling all over the US, living a very nomadic lifestyle. Our home bases are Salt Lake City, Utah, Denver, Colorado and Minneapolis, MN.
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
Running a business is not always a smooth road whether you’re 1 year in or 10.
I feel very fortunate for having an incredible support system around me that have experience running businesses and being entrepreneurial.
Being a traveling wedding photographer can be very inconstant with finances. When I decided in April of 2023 to apply for a holiday working visa I stopped taking a lot of US weddings for the season of 2024. My goal was to get business in Europe so I was only taking incredible destination weddings in the US but that came with a lot of uncertainty of how and when I would be making money next.
Destination wedding photography is very glamorous but when you first start out and you really want to book a client sometimes you’re more lenient on what you’re getting paid. A lot of my first destination weddings I would not make much of a profit on because I wanted to photograph it so badly but it was an incredible experience and gave me the exposure I needed for future destination weddings.
I have learned that you have to invest in your business even if you come out even because it has gotten me to where I am today.
Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
I am a traveling wedding photographer based out of the Rocky Mountains and Minnesota. I specialize in weddings, elopements, portraiture, couples and families who crave unique documentation of their lives
I am known for being a documentary, adventurous and nostalgic photographer that travel to the ends of the world for my clients bringing mindfulness, connection and compassion into their life through my photography techniques. This allows them to take steps back during some of the most monumental moments of their lives.
I go beyond the ordinary, capturing the essence of my clients lives in a way that resonates with their individuality. Documenting them in a way that shows who they are and the emotions they are feeling.
Do you have recommendations for books, apps, blogs, etc?
Some apps I use for my day to day work life:
Honeybook: Client management
Inpreview: Planning my instagram feed
Unfold: For fun instagram collages
Mile IQ: Travel expenses
Podcasts:
Mindset is Art by CJ Ledy: Keeping my mind mindful, open and healed to give my clients the best emotional experience possible
Passion With Purpose by Nathan Chanski
The Six Figure Photography Podcast with Ben Hartley
Books:
Tune Your Mind by CJ Ledy: Finding follow-through and fulfillment in the dawn of distraction and disruption
The 4 Hour Work Week by Timothy Ferriss
Millionaire Mindset and Habits for Success by M.A Myers
Other Resources:
PicTime: for client galleries and print shops
Ads through Instagram + Facebook
Pinterest
Pricing:
- – Average investment for weddings $4,000-$7,000
- – Average investment for Destination Sessions $800-$1500
- – Sessions where I’ll be in your location $400-$500
Contact Info:
- Website: https://caitcollinsphotography.com
- Instagram: https://Instagram.com/caitcollinsphotography
- Facebook: https://Facebook.com/caitcollinsphotography
