Meet Amber Brannen

Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Amber Brannen. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Alright, so we’re so thrilled to have Amber with us today – welcome and maybe we can jump right into it with a question about one of your qualities that we most admire. How did you develop your work ethic? Where do you think you get it from?

I can honestly say that my work ethic comes from my dad. Growing up, my dad always worked so hard to make sure that me and my siblings had everything we needed. He works in sales, and anyone who works in that field knows how up and down the job market can get. If the paycheck wasn’t coming, he found a way to make ends meet. He worked multiple jobs to not only pay the bills, but make sure we had what we needed to play our multitude of sports, field trips, summer camps, and everything in between. He pushed me and my siblings to be the best versions of ourselves, both personally and academically. He made sure we all got through school and then college. The most important part? He always showed up. He worked two, sometimes three jobs at a time, but still found time to show up to every softball game, every dance recital, every choir performance, or any special event that we had. I watched him and I learned. I now pride myself in that same work ethic and bring that to my clients. I work hard to make sure not only that my “job” is done, but also make sure that my clients know that I am invested in them and their love story. I want their wedding day to be seamless, not for myself, but so that their memories of their special day are sweet and joyful like they should be. That is the ultimate joy.

Thanks, so before we move on maybe you can share a bit more about yourself?

My name is Amber Brannen and I am a wedding and portrait photographer specializing in couples, engagements, and weddings. My journey started in 2016 when I received my first camera for my 21st birthday. At the time, I really just wanted to take up photography as a hobby. I started by taking pictures of nature, my fur babies, and for trips and vacations I went on, but slowly I started to venture into taking pictures of other people. I started to test the waters with my sorority sisters by taking some headshots, which led into taking some couple photos of some of my sisters and their partners, and then I started to realize I really wanted to dive deep into photography. I had another sorority sister who was a wedding photographer/videographer who asked me to come along and help her shoot a wedding in mid-2017. I was hesitant at first, but decided to give it a go. I figured worse case scenario: I was no good at weddings and could stick to families and couples where I was comfortable. The moment I stepped into that wedding venue in Marietta, I was enamored with the idea of being a wedding photographer. I used some of the photos I took at that wedding to start promoting myself and booked my first solo wedding in mid-2018. To this day, I still am in awe that my friend trusted me enough to shoot her wedding ALONE. I was still so new to the wedding scene and it felt like a dream. From that point, I started to gain more traction and started booking more and more weddings, with each year being better than the last.

The most exciting part of my job is to watch my couples live out the best day of their lives. The love and pure joy on their faces when they see each other for the first time, there is nothing like it in the world. I get to know them and their love story throughout the engagement period, and a lot of times, it truly feels like I am watching friends get married. Knowing that I am the person that they trusted to capture the most special day of their lives is a true honor and privilege that I hope they know I will never take for granted.

Some new things on the horizon for Amber Brannen Photography are introducing film and drone photography to my wedding packages! I hope to have these launched by the end of 2024.

Looking back, what do you think were the three qualities, skills, or areas of knowledge that were most impactful in your journey? What advice do you have for folks who are early in their journey in terms of how they can best develop or improve on these?

Looking back, I think the biggest area of knowledge that was most impactful to me was not only just learning how to use my camera efficiently, but learning about lighting and locations and just how big of an effect they have on the outcome of your work. You could know how to use your camera all day long, but if there’s full sun on a person’s face or they’re standing in front of trash cans, there’s only so much you can do in post-processing to make it look how you want it. While there have been some major updates to AI within the major editing platforms, you can only make it look so natural without getting into the over-edited, unrealistic realm of editing.

I have learned over the course of my career that two qualities that are so important for not only photographers, but especially WEDDING photographers and vendors are confidence and organization. My first instinct when thinking about the qualities of a wedding photographer was “being outgoing and personable”, and while I think this is true to an extent, I don’t think that’s necessarily true for everyone. I myself would identify as an introvert by nature, but when it comes to my work, I can be extremely outgoing. I think more importantly, a wedding photographer needs to have confidence. It has taken me a long time to realize what an important quality this is. In a field with so much competition, it is so easy to have imposter syndrome and compare your work to everyone else’s. I have learned that my work is SUPPOSED to be different. It is what makes me stand out. It is why brides choose me. I will never been everyone’s cup of tea. Not everyone will like my editing or how I pose, but the more confidence you have in yourself, your skills, and your business – it makes all the difference!

Over the years, as I get more and more clients, organization has become crucial for me to not only stay sane, but to grow my business. Making sure every bride is taken care of, making timelines, creating questionnaires/proposals/invoices, communicating with planners, collecting names for family photos, the list could go on and on. Last year, I finally invested in a CRM to help me stay organized and it was the best decision I could have possibly made. It has made a world of difference with keeping up with weddings and my to-do lists and I feel it has made me a better business owner. I pride myself on being super responsive and organized with my clients, with everything being done ahead of schedule, and organization is the key to a better client experience.

For the photographers entering the wedding scene (or just entering into photography in general) – it is SO important to invest in education. I wish I had done it sooner. I prided myself on being self-taught through youtube videos and shadowing some other photographers, which is definitely a great start, but once I invested the money to really train myself in what mattered – it made ALL the difference. Don’t get me wrong, when I say education, I don’t mean college. I mean online courses that truly enhance your knowledge of your craft. I have taken courses for editing, lighting, posing, and am currently working my way through a course to elevate my client experience and overall wedding photography knowledge. NEVER stop learning or growing! You will make mistakes, you will get passed over for someone else, but don’t let that shake your confidence. Keep practicing and keep going!

All the wisdom you’ve shared today is sincerely appreciated. Before we go, can you tell us about the main challenge you are currently facing?

The biggest challenge I am currently facing right now is burn-out. Most people know this, but I don’t do photography full time. A part of me likes keeping it that way because I want photography to remain a passion and not feel like a “job”. However, I also have a hard time saying “no”. The last year, I have grown SO much and I am incredibly grateful for each and every session and wedding I’ve booked. However, I know and can admit to myself that I way overbooked myself this year and it is leading to some serious burn out. I absolutely love my couples and I want everyone to feel like I am invested in them (and I am!), but I feel like lately I am investing too much time into my business and not enough into myself and my family.

I have had to take a step back and realize that I am starting to feel burnt out and figure out how to remedy it. I have decided to only take a limited amount of weddings for 2025 and beyond, capping the number of weddings I do per month and limiting sessions to certain weekends. This way, I can truly engage with and take care of my couples and clients, while also saving some time on the weekends to spend some quality time with my kids and my husband. It is important to take care of yourself, and I am finally realizing it’s okay to put myself before my business sometimes.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.amberbrannenphotography.com
• Instagram: @amberbrannenphotography
• Facebook: @amberbrannenphotography

Image Credits

Amber Brannen Photography