Today we’d like to introduce you to Britney Clause.
Hi Britney, thanks for sharing your story with us. To start, maybe you can tell our readers some of your backstory.
I started my business in 2011 after graduating from the University of Maryland, Baltimore County with my BFA in photography. At that time, a lot of my friends were getting married, so I sort of fell into wedding photography by accident. Over time, I learned a lot about the business, the community and even expanded a little by having my then fiance, Shawn, join me as my second shooter. However, it wasn’t until Shawn and I was planning our own wedding in 2014 that I realized how much pressure the industry puts on one person in coupling and exactly how I do not want a couple to feel when interacting with us.
Being able to photograph every wedding with my own partner gives me the unique ability to give equal coverage to both individuals in a coupling. There isn’t a singular person in the couple that is ignored or looked at as less than because that is simply not true. Our philosophy for weddings is that it’s both of your day, and you both should feel that your wedding day story is told fully and completely. My business today is one that I’m incredibly proud of. Not only because of the couples and families that we get to connect with, but because I believe so strongly in our intention.
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?
The major struggle that I’ve had to overcome is recognizing that there is a place for my business even though the industry can seem very saturated. Not getting discouraged has been a reoccurring challenge, but as my business grows, I can see the benefits of having a large network of fellow photographers that I can learn from and that can [hopefully] learn from me.
Thanks – so what else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?
I am a wedding and portrait photographer, and I specialize in making sure that our couples and families see their personalities represented in their images. A lot of people love candid moments, but they don’t realize that sometimes those candid moments still need to be created. It’s through a mix of being hands-off and providing light direction that I am able to get people who think they are not photogenic to open up and make some really great memories during their sessions.
We’d love to hear about how you think about risk taking?
I would say I’m a safe risk-taker. I do not go all-in on things, I’m a planner and an organizer, but I would say I have taken some risks with my business. Before I went full-time with my business, I was working full-time as a photo editor at a school photography company. As the demands and stresses at that job started to stack up, I felt myself putting my business on the backburner. I tried really hard to work on my business during the weekends, but I was always burnt out from the week with my photo editing job. It got to the point that I was not even excited to pick up my camera anymore because I felt so drained over the thought of imaging.
I didn’t even realize how much my attitude had changed because of that job until my then fiancé pointed them out to me. I realized that something had to give and with gentle encouragement from my partner, I put in my two weeks at the photo editing job. I have blocked out a lot of moments from that job mainly because of how anxious I was during that time, but one of the things I can vividly remember is how light I felt on my last day walking out that door.
Leaving my steady income, full-time job for a business that was barely established was one of the biggest risks I have taken. While I sometimes still feel like I haven’t quite made it with my business, I know that cutting that huge emotional drain from my life was absolutely necessary.
Pricing:
- My starting price for weddings is $2900
- My price for portrait sessions is $400
Contact Info:
- Email: britney@britneyclause.com
- Website: https://britneyclause.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/britneyclause/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/BritneyClausePhotography
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCcOTyH3e_jc-Y8NnYC4XYvQ
Image Credits
Personal Photo – Marlayna Photography
