Why I walked away from weddings:

If you would’ve told me three years ago that nearly 100 weddings later, I’d be voluntarily stepping away from my passion, I would say, You’re crazy! I haven’t even booked enough weddings to be legit!”

It feels like just yesterday I posted on Instagram, “I’m proud to say I am now a full time photographer.” That on its own was mind blowing for me! After closing out my first year of photography with a whopping $6,000 in revenue, I wasn’t even sure if my business could continue, but boy howdy things came together for good! 

God led the way in my business plans. He nudged me to step away from consistency and security and I leapt into uncharted waters. That first $6,000 was a taste of where my business would be four years and 10 times the revenue later…

I fell in love with photography by documenting love stories. My passion and obsession for the work grew with these love stories and they will always have a special place in my heart. 

But something changed. I changed. And that’s supposed to happen.

You see, we’re not made to find our spot and stand there forever. We’re made to find a path and explore it. We are made to grow, to change, to transform. And often, our path may change too. 

Working in the wedding world keeps a cap on my creativity. Of course, each wedding is beautiful and unique in its own way, but for the photographer, the process can be repetitive. Each weekend, we load up with all the essential gear and head out for 8 hours of celebration. We have our shot list. We know the moments to capture.

Don’t get me wrong. I am abundantly thankful for each and every couple who includes me in their special day. And I’m eternally grateful for that season of growth. Wedding-photographer-Lily helped me become who I am today. But slowly, my path began to change.

I craved consistency. I craved the desire to set my own schedule. I craved weekends at home and Saturday nights with my husband. I craved a personal life that was different from the life wedding photography could provide.  

And that’s when it hit me. Lily Notz can grow, change, and transform as a brand just like I do as a person. And just like I’m the newest and best version of myself, my brand has become the best version of itself too. Lily Notz is still capturing stories, but now, it’s a different kind of story.

I’m turning to the story of small businesses. Once I spoke the pivot out loud, it was perfect. It was exciting. It was right. I’m pivoting in a direction that allows me to set my own schedule while still providing detail-oriented service. Now,  I’ll capture flatlays with products and planners as I capture the story of independence.

I’ve had so many huge moments with my beautiful couples. “Thankful” doesn’t even begin to cover the half of how I feel about the amazing people I’ve met. To the 9 wonderful couples on my books for next year: it’s going to be an honor to serve you as my final wedding clients. I can’t wait to make magic with you. And to those of you who are ready to make this pivot with me, buckle up, it’s gonna be GOOD. It’s a scary leap, but whoooo boy I’m SO READY!!

Wish me luck as I pivot over the next few months!!