This week is HUGE for Tasha Rose Photography! May 5th marks 4 years since my first job as a wedding photographer. It’s so amazing to reflect on the journey this photography business has been and how much it has blessed my life in these past 4 years. Want to know more about my story as a Utah wedding photographer? Or maybe just thinking about starting your own photography business? Keep reading for all the details! Plus, the advice I’d give to my younger, photo-taking self.

My First Experience With Photography

As a high school student in Colorado, I joined the yearbook team. But, I actually didn’t enjoy the photo aspect of yearbook and was more attracted to working with design. In Colorado, senior pictures are a really big deal, to the point that if you don’t have a professional senior photo, your picture won’t be in the yearbook. My job during my senior year was to take pictures of the kids who hadn’t hired a professional photographer. As I did this, plus several photo sessions for families and friends, I discovered that I actually really loved taking photos!

Soon after high school, I moved to Utah to attend nursing school at the University of Utah. Every time I visited home, people would ask me to take pictures and I found a passion for photography that I had never experienced in anything else. Weddings still scared me though! Plus, there were so many photographers already in the wedding industry, so how could I ever get into wedding photography?

My First Job As A Wedding Photographer

In 2017, a boy that I had been on a few dates with a year earlier, reached out to me and asked if I would be the photographer for his upcoming wedding. He and his fiancé, Mariah, completely trusted me even though I had no prior experience with wedding photography. On their special day, I completely fell in love with capturing weddings! It sparked this light inside of me and I just knew this was the life path I wanted to pursue.

That year, I was able to photograph 5 weddings. By the following year I was up to 30 weddings and fully invested in pursuing this passion and the growth hasn’t stopped! I had officially become a Utah wedding photographer!

Working As A Photographer And A Nurse

But with this realization that I wanted to become a professional wedding photographer, I also decided that I didn’t want to give up nursing. I was half-way through nursing school and even though everyone told me I couldn’t do both, I was determined. Fun fact about me: if you tell me I can’t, I will get it done!

In December 2018, I graduated from nursing school! While at a wedding reception, I got a notification that a job I had applied for earlier (and hadn’t gotten) was reopen for applications. It was a school nurse position at Spectrum Academy and couldn’t be a more perfect fit. With summers, nights, and weekends off, this was the ideal job to combine with my photography business. I love that I get to pursue both of my passions by helping people on their best days and their worst days.

How My Associates Came To Be

During nursing school, I quickly got tired of having to turn down photography jobs because I was too busy. I hired two associates without even having a specific plan, but right from the beginning, it went so much better than I thought it would! Being a Utah wedding photographer can be a lonely job, because unless you’re with clients, you are at home just editing by yourself. It was so much fun to have a team of people I could work with! Over the years, I’ve added additional associates to my team and have loved working with these talented, blossoming photographers.

Where We Are Today

With the help of my associates, I now get to photograph and edit photos from 60+ weddings every year! For now, I am always the photographer and not the bride, but I love being able to take photos of people on their happiest days! It’s so rewarding to help in stressful moments by taking control of a crowd and capturing images that people can use to relive their most special days over and over again. One day when it is my turn to be the bride, I might step back from photographing so many weddings myself, but right now I can’t get enough of being a Utah wedding photographer and love having a team to share all of these wonderful weddings with!

Things I’ve Learned About Building A Business

If I could go back in time and give some advice to that young photographer from 4 years ago, this is what I’d share. And they are the same things I’d share with any young entrepreneur who is looking to turn a hobby into a professional business!

• What will set you apart is your passion! Whatever your hobby is, do what you love and be passionate about it!
• The only person you should compare yourself to is who you used to be. This is especially important as a photographer since progress is about visual improvement. Don’t get distracted by other photographers on Instagram and Pinterest because it takes time and practice to improve. If you’re just starting on this journey, take all of the pictures you can, whenever you have the opportunity.
• Find balance and make goals! Set aside specific time every day for both work and your personal life. Write lots of to-do lists since crossing things off as you do them will help you to feel more accomplished. Setting goals and recording accomplishments is a key to finding balance and success. When you put in the necessary work, you can expect to see results.
• Invest in yourself sooner. The #1 thing that took me from a hobbyist to a professional was treating myself like a professional. So with this change, I got headshots taken, I built a website, and I started telling people my job was photography. I showed up as a photographer, so other people started to treat me like one as well.

I would LOVE to photograph your wedding! Please contact me to book your session—spots fill up fast. To view more of my work, follow me on Instagram.