the 26 & Modern Story

In 2017 I had a friend approach me and ask if I was interested in shooting his brothers wedding. I did have a camera but I was not equipped to shoot the best day of a couples life. I certainly was not prepared to answer the next question I was asked….How much would you charge? I had zero idea what the rate for something like that was and even worse I had zero experience so we settled on $300 and I dove in trying to learn every possible thing I could about how to properly capture such a special day. Well that wedding booked me 5 more the following year, with no clue how to grow or run a business I took it one step at a time. 5 weddings turned into 10+ the following year and here I am 8 years later and still have no clue how I got here. Looking back there are things I wish I could have done to make learning this craft easier like becoming a second shooter or getting a job at a studio but I am so grateful for all the experiences I have had trying to teach myself how to keep this thing going. I have learned more about how to deal with clients and how to market my business as well as developing one on one connections with wedding professionals that I may not have been able to by working under someone else. In the thick of 2021, I was on pace to shoot a record number of weddings and It got me thinking about what the ceiling of this company could be. I could continue to shoot 25-35 weddings a year and forfeit half the weekends a year to shooting or I could try and scale another way, by leaning into what I know I am good at while being able to focus on what I want this business to become. So in mid 2021 I committed a cardinal sin for companies that have built traction and a reputation….I rebranded. I changed the name so I could allow myself to dream bigger, to grow 26 & Modern beyond just a wedding photography company to a full wedding business (our story is being formed). We know this is just the beginning but our dreams are big and we hope to one day expand beyond the creative space into a full wedding company committed to helping couples have the wedding of their dreams. I have been in the wedding business for over 8 years now and having planned a wedding ourselves we know how hard it all is. We want to make this the most pain free experience you can have and share with you the greatest day of your life. We cherish every opportunity we get to be brought in on your most important day. We take the responsibility seriously and desire to deliver the best product for all of our couples. We can’t wait to spend your wedding day with you!