

Today we’d like to introduce you to Sydney Dahl.
Hi Sydney, can you start by introducing yourself? We’d love to learn more about how you got to where you are today?
I am a 22-year-old entrepreneur who is passionate about nature and human connection.
I attended The College of St. Scholastica in Duluth, where I majored in Health Humanities and Peace and Justice Studies. While in college, my photography business really took off and I started filling my schedule with weddings and elopements. As soon as I graduated I took on photography full time and spend my days capturing love.
I picked up my first camera at age 15 and really felt called to capture emotion and important moments.
Today, I travel the United States shooting elopements and weddings for some incredible people who bond with me over deep connection and preserving natural environments.
My story evolved through capturing other peoples’ stories, and I wouldn’t have it any other way. My job is more than just taking photos. It is telling someone’s story on their wedding day; from tears to giggles to the way the trees are framing the sun. It’s all in the way I can tell someone’s story through imagery.
In my free time, you can find me cooking gluten free recipes, checking National Parks off of my bucket list, and camping and fly fishing with my boyfriend, Ethan. Self-care and learning work-life balance has played one of the biggest roles in my business’ success.
My business tagline is: “Are you ready to wander?” Because I believe that staying in one place for too long is bad for the human soul- we are meant to explore and wander and adventure.
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
Honestly, I am very fortunate that this career fell into my lap. I started photography at the perfect time…aka when social media started to blow things up. I worked hard through high school and college to build a business that used social media as its main form of marketing, and my client base has stayed strong, even as my work and vision has evolved.
The biggest struggle my business has faced was covid-19 uprooting the wedding industry, but even then, I did not lose out on my entire income like some individuals. I am very lucky.
We’ve been impressed with Sydney Breann Photography, but for folks who might not be as familiar, what can you share with them about what you do and what sets you apart from others?
Sydney Breann Photography has evolved from a young woman flying by the seat of her pants to an authentic brand that focuses on human connection and capturing organic, raw, emotional moments. My philosophy has gone from “taking photos” to bringing the focus back to the relationship and love that I am capturing.
I am Minnesota and Montana based (moving to Montana in October 2022 to be closer to the mountains). Sydney Breann Photography is now a 3-woman team. We capture weddings all over Minnesota and the United States.
I specialize in intimate weddings and elopements and am known for capturing epic mountain weddings and hiking elopements.
When someone books with me, they don’t just get a photographer, but an adventure guide, friend, planner, and memory capturer all in one. For example, on a typical elopement day, I help with the permit process for shooting in and getting married in National Parks, location scouting and a custom location guide to make sure that my couples are getting married in a spot that feels like them with epic views, and I also provide vendor help. My business is not just photography- it is a process of helping couples create their “best day ever.”
I am also a Leave No Trace photographer, meaning I follow Leave No Trace principles in all of my work and play and take pride in preserving the natural landscapes that I use as my studio so that my couples can come back for years to come.
I would consider my work authentic, earthy, natural, and timeless. I have been praised for the moments I capture, the way I capture the landscape and scenery around my clients, and the way I make my couples feel.
I will be shooting adventure elopements in Minnesota AND Montana starting this summer, and I can’t wait to be a midwest and mountain photographer.
I am most proud of who I am as a business owner; I always put clients first but I have really learned how to build my business around my dream life and not my life around my business.
How do you think about luck?
I always say that I am lucky that I started this business so young. I have an advantage over those trying to start careers right after college or after quitting their jobs in their 30s. I started so young and built a client base and brand before most people can even formulate an idea of a business.
I am also lucky that I have had this business to fall back on as an income stream in college. My photography literally paid for my degree when most of my cohort was taking out loans and struggling to pay rent.
Finally, during covid, most businesses had to take a step back and pivot in order to survive. I was lucky that my carefree couples decided to downsize instead of pushing their wedding dates and I did not end up losing out on any income when a lot of photographers lost their entire booking calendar to reschedules.
Contact Info:
- Email: sydneybreannphoto@gmail.com
- Website: sydneybreann.com
- Instagram: @sydneybreannphoto
- Facebook: @sydneybreannphoto
Image Credits
Sydney Breann Photography