Conversations with Shelly Anderson

Today we’d like to introduce you to Shelly Anderson.

Hi Shelly, please kick things off for us with an introduction to yourself and your story.
My first taste of wedding photography came by chance as I applied for a photography internship with a local wedding photographer while in college. I didn’t expect to fall in love with everything this woman did in her day-to-day job, but here I am now over 10 years later following in her footsteps.

After the internship, I moved to California. I worked hard to spread the word that I wanted to photograph people, especially weddings. I edited images for other local photographers, managed their studios, and even tagged along at their events assisting them with whatever they needed. Within a few short years, I started gaining my clientele, and then I decided to make the jump and go full-time.

I found myself getting flown across the country to document weddings all over. Wineries in Napa, historic homesteads in New Orleans, backyards in Massachusettes, mountaintops in Colorado. I became obsessed with my job and where it could take me. I fell in love with my clients and their own love stories. I became friends with them and also documented their big life events like pregnancies and babies.

Eventually, I wanted to settle down myself. After getting married and having our first baby, I realized I wanted to start focusing on weddings closer to home. Long gone are the days when I’d be on an airplane to Miami for a wedding, and fly back the next day to pack for an Arizona desert wedding the following weekend. I wanted to niche down to my home state of Colorado.

Luckily, Colorado is a huge destination for weddings in itself. Now clients come to ME. A large portion of the couples I photograph come from out of state, and I get to share with them the beauty that is Colorado.

By narrowing my niche to just Colorado, I’ve made myself focus more on local relationships with vendors and other photographers. I’ve found this journey to be so rewarding. Some lifelong friendships have been through meeting amazing clients but also working with some top-tier vendors in Colorado.

We all face challenges, but looking back, would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
I’ve had to pivot my business a few times in my 10+ year career as a wedding photographer. Learning to jump out on my own was the first major hurdle.

Then branding myself as a destination wedding photographer became the next challenge. Always being on the go was thrilling, but also mentally exhausting. Then transitioning my home base to Colorado, RIGHT as the pandemic started was a major shift in my business. I offered a lot of elopement packages that year. Lastly, narrowing my niche to a higher-end clientele in the luxury market of Colorado has been my most recent pivot.

Every turn in the road has made me reevaluate my business, my practices, my gear, and my knowledge. I’ve had to rebrand myself so many times that I’m pretty much a pro at it by now!

As you know, we’re big fans of you and your work. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about what you do?
After years of experience, I’ve realized the true importance of my job. I document real-time feelings, real-time emotions, and real-time relationships.

Sick fathers making it to their daughter’s wedding day to walk him down the aisle. Friends who have been with you since childhood picking up the mic for a toast. Little kids goofing around during cocktail hour chasing each other and making a scene. A grandmother’s handkerchief that is wrapped around a bouquet. These are the moments. These are the things I look for on a wedding day.

I tell my couples that for the portrait time, it is my job to make them feel comfortable in front of a camera, to find the good light, and to find the good backdrops. I’ll direct you and make you feel at ease. But the rest of the day I am a fly on the wall. I look for the timeless moments. The ones you will want to look back on and remember the day by.

Do you have any advice for those looking to network or find a mentor?
I’ve found that networking only works if it is genuine. Networking can’t be one-sided. Sucking up to someone will only get you so far.

Truly connecting with a human and getting to know them will be how they remember you and WANT to be remembered by you. You can help that person just as much as they can help you, you will just have to find out how.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.shellyandersonphotography.com
• Instagram: www.instagram.com/shellyandersonphoto
• Facebook: www.facebook.com/shellyandersonphoto

Image Credits
Shelly Anderson Photography