Today we’d like to introduce you to Bailey Wooten
Hi Bailey, thanks for sharing your story with us. To start, maybe you can tell our readers some of your backstory.
I started my business officially in 2018 but I started taking photos for fun in 2017. In 2017 I was a freshman in college and an opportunity to travel to Italy was presented to me and I said yes immediately. Traveling has always been important to me so I was insanely excited for this trip. Any time I told friends or family that I would be going to Italy they all, in some form or fashion, told me to take as many photos as possible. I took that statement literally. I took so many photos on that trip so I could show everyone what I had been up to. When I arrived home and started showing off the photos I was really disheartened by the quality. I didn’t feel that it accurately showed how beautiful the country was. I got back from that trip in early August and for Christmas that year I asked for a camera. My parents very graciously bought me a beginner canon camera and that is where it all began! It was a new and exciting toy that I was fixated on figuring out so I started taking pictures of everything. I had photoshoots with my dogs, I took selfies, pictures of my parents and brother, and I took it on every trip after that. I would post some of my photos online so I could show my friends. A few months later a friend asked if I could take her graduation photos. I was really nervous but figured I would give it a shot. I fell in love with it and started doing as much research as possible on cameras and posing and lighting. I asked all of my friends to model for me and I was just having a lot of fun with it! I didn’t really think to start charging money for it until someone saw a photo that I had posted and offered to pay me to take photos of her and her partner. After that I started charging really small amounts, continued doing research, and used every shoot as a learning experience. As time went on I started to reach out to photographers in the area to second shoot weddings. I was able to learn from a lot of amazing photographers in the area as well as attend some awesome workshops from photographers that I looked up to. I was (and still am) obsessed with learning as much as I can and growing with every shoot. Fast-forward to a few years and tons of shoots later, I am still learning and growing and meeting so many amazing people! I have shot just about everything you can think of but what I am booked for the most are portraits, couples, and weddings/elopements. I love photography and I am also now getting into the art of videography. I am just obsessed with capturing memories and being able to give them back to people to cherish forever. I am so passionate about it and lucky that so many people have supported me along this journey!!
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
Luckily I have been privileged with a pretty smooth road from when I started photography to where I am now. I owe a lot of my success to every person that has supported me thus far. My parents for buying me a camera and accompanying me to tons of shoots and workshops. All of my friends and family that have supported me by sharing my work, booking with me, recommending me to coworkers and friends in need of a photographer. VoyageSTL magazine for noticing entrepreneurs in the area and sharing their story. The support has been endless and I am so grateful for that. Of course every creative and business will experience setbacks here and there. Breaking into the wedding industry can be hard because there are tons of other creatives in the area to choose from, and figuring out how to make your work stand out can be challenging. Running a business in general is not for the weak! As a creative a lot of us just want to be able to do the creative thing. As an entrepreneur you have to be able to balance doing the creative part with also doing the business part. That has been a learning curve for me personally. Figuring out how to not only create and constantly be learning and growing in that area while also juggling marketing, taxes, emails, websites, etc. It has gotten easier over the years but it is something I think I will always have to work to have balance in. Another struggle this past year or two that I think a lot of creatives have felt the impact of is the election. Election years can create a lot of anxiety, overthinking, planning, saving, etc. Going along with that, the rise in prices of everyday items as well. The strain this has taken on people can lead to less bookings. Photography is a luxury item. It is not an essential product like food, clothing, electricity, gas, etc. Because of the rise in prices in these items I have noticed my personal bookings declining over the past 1-2 years. I completely understand why but it can be hard for creatives when our income fluctuates so much. However, as a creative and entrepreneur there are times when this happens and I have learned to flow with it as much as I can!
Thanks – so what else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?
I currently offer portraits, couples, and weddings/elopements. While I do still shoot other types of photography these are the three categories that I feel most confident in and passionate about. Portraits are what got me into photography and they are still one of my favorite things to shoot. I shoot tons of senior portraits each year and it brings me so much joy. I love how excited all of my senior girls are to get dressed up and have a photoshoot! The high-school years are such transformative years in life and can be filled with a lot of comparison, self-consciousness and unsureness. Being able to make my seniors feel beautiful and empowered is so cool and so important! It is great for the seniors and it is also great to be able to capture these moments for parents and family members as well. I have so much fun at these shoots. A lot of my seniors say that they are drawn to the warm feel of my photos, the bold colors, and the posing. I have a lot of seniors say that my photos feel happy, carefree, and fun and they are drawn to that! While I do take some serious photos for all of my seniors I do make it a point to take a lot of happy and carefree photos as well. This is an exciting time in life for them and I want to portray that in my photos!
I also really love couples/wedding/elopement photography as well. Engagement photos and weddings are so cool to be a part of. Being a part of weddings is being a part of something much bigger than just the couple. You are working with vendors, the couple and all of their friends and family, other creatives, etc. It is always so fun and a great way to network and meet other people in the wedding industry as well. I have also been slowly breaking into the elopement world! Elopements are so fun and became more popular after 2020. They usually consist of just the couple, or the couple and their closest friends and family. These are fun because there is a way different feel to them than big weddings. They are very intimate and are often in really cool outdoor locations. Because of my love for travel these have been really fun for me! I connect with my couples a lot on the love of hiking and being outdoors and wanting to incorporate that into their elopement day.
I think editing plays a huge part in setting me apart from other photographers. Editing is where a photographers style and personality really comes out in the photos. There are a million different ways to edit one photo but most of my clients share that they are really drawn to the warmness of my photos. I absolutely love bringing warmth into my photos. Warmth feels cozy, lovey, and safe to me. I have seen a trend of very neutral and natural editing emerging lately. Very modern and not a ton of editing. While I can appreciate that style of editing, I think I will always be more drawn to the warm feel!
What do you like and dislike about the city?
One of my favorite things about the St. Louis area is how many venue options you have to choose from as well as all of the different locations to use for portrait shoots. There are so many different venues that each offer a unique experience. There is truly something for everyone and having so many options allows clients to choose a venue that best fits their wants and needs and personalities. Having so many location options for portraits and couples allows us to incorporate hobbies that the clients have or special places they may have met or had a first date at. There is never a shortage of places to go and see.
Shooting in Cape Girardeau has pros and cons too! Some of the cons are only having a few wedding venues to choose from, lack of elopements, and not as much diversity in clientele. I believe in and support all love and I want to be able to show that in my photos. All of the shoots that I have done with same-sex couples have been outside of Cape Girardeau and I wish that there was a bigger opportunity in this area to work with all different types of partnerships. Pros include word of mouth working wonders, repeat customers, and being able to shoot in several locations during one shoot because of how small the town is!
Pricing:
- Portraits starting at $250
- Weddings starting at $2200
Contact Info:
- Website: https://baileywootenphoto.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/baileywootenphoto/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/baileywootenphoto/
