Meet Stephanie Ray | Wedding Photographer

We had the good fortune of connecting with Stephanie Ray and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Stephanie, putting aside the decision to work for yourself, what other decisions were critical to your success?
Finding a niche or specialty (weddings) and focusing on refining my style in that category was a huge turning point for me in terms of success. I have always been a bit of an entrepreneur, but I am definitely an artist at heart! As a self-employed photographer, trying to start a business, I took every opportunity that came my way for a paying gig. I even turned my Van into a photo booth so it would “pay for itself”! I soon realized that this scatter-brained approach to making money was not a good business model. Dividing my time and resources between businesses and taking random jobs that didn’t bring me joy, wasn’t working for me anymore. I constantly felt overwhelmed and disorganized and it was starting to affect my bottom line. After giving it some thought, I sold my Photo Van and dissolved that business, and put 100% of my energy into refining my skills as a wedding photographer. It is still a work in progress, but I am so happy I took the leap and decided to focus on weddings. The best part is, I haven’t had to stop doing other types of photography! I still do portraits like headshots, maternity, newborns, seniors, etc. but by focusing on wedding photography, my style has evolved and my work has improved substantially. As my artistry has improved, so has my bottom line. I feel like people finally see me as an artist, and not just a photographer for hire.

What should our readers know about your business?
I am a photographer by trade but an artist at heart! I have been photographing professionally for 18 years but a few years ago I decided to focus on wedding photography as my specialty. I think my biggest attribute besides my photography skills has been my personality. I love to make people laugh and have fun. Which is a great quality to have when you are a wedding photographer!

I have a very distinct style that took me a long time to develop! (pun intended) I took my first photography class in 1999 and fell in love immediately. However, back then it was a lot harder to start a business. There was no social media, the internet was just for chat rooms, and cameras used film. Becoming a professional photographer seemed impossible at the time, but it was always dream, so I never stopped trying. I can’t say that I never gave up, because I did. I gave up a lot, but I never stopped trying.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
I love spending a day at the FOE pool in Dallas, or singing karaoke at a random bar, but a visit from an out of town friend would probably be spent at my local friends houses, talking about life around the fire pit, or sitting around my kitchen island while I cook dinner for us at the house.

I have a 4 year old so I don’t get out much. Our most visited places include Kroger, Cheeky Monkey, Chick-fil-a, or the park down the street.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
Shoutout to:

My assistant team- Alexis, Nicolette, and Tayler. I am so thankful for everything they do for me. I would not be able to do this without their help.

My husband- Brad has always been my biggest supporter! He has believed in me and supported me through every struggle, every success, every milestone, and every crazy idea I have had for the past 10 years! I would never have made it this far without his love and support.

Website: www.stephanierayphoto.com

Instagram: @stephanierayphoto

Facebook: facebook.com/stephanierayphoto

Image Credits
My headshot: Chantz Hough All other photos are mine