The Feature Frenzy | Charlottesville Virginia and Destination Wedding Photographer Sarah Houston Photography
As a photographer there are certain things that you have on your goal list, whether it be buying an awesome camera, making the cover of Martha Stewart Weddings or like me....making it on an ultimate wedding blog like Style Me Pretty. So you work REALLY hard to achieve that goal and when it doesn't happen, your soul is crushed.
Sadly I was there, I wanted SO desperately to achieve the goal of print or the amazing blog feature, I tried everything....but it just wasn't happening. I let that defeat define me, I let it tell me that I wasn't good enough despite all of the other amazing things in my business. Why in the world was I letting some silly feature on a blog destroy me?? Why was I SO obsessed with seeing my photo on a cover of a magazine? Because the industry told me that if I were to be successful- this was it. So basically right now I'm not successful, I'm not a "real photographer" because I didn't make it in a magazine and I don't have a Style Me Pretty Badge on my website.
Think about this though: that magazine....it will be looked at, then thrown away. A new issue will replace the old and you are out! Style Me Pretty Blog features a TON of weddings, they churn them out so fast that your feature is pushed to the bottom before you know it. Local blogs have had WAY more success for me then a blog in California. I don't know WHY I let myself believe that. I don't know WHY I felt the need to drive myself insane chasing something that I can't control.
I've never had a bride say they picked me because they saw me on Ruffled Blog, they have told me that they chose me because they loved my work. Borrowed & Blue has been an extremely beneficial resource for me because it reaches my "target brides" better known as "The Sarah Houston Tribe". Why? because it's a LOCAL blog in my area!! I thought that submitting and being featured on a ton of blogs would bring me the success that I have heard about, but honestly only the local blogs have had the best outcome-because my brides are here in my area...I just had to market to them!
Don't get me wrong or start sending me hate mail. The cover of Martha Stewart Weddings is a complete honor and definetly something to try for as well as a feature on a blog you really love...but don't let the "I'm sorry it's a not fit" email ruin your life or defeat you as an artist. Those local blogs are worth SO MUCH more than you think and you should give them a chance first!
xoxo
Sarah