Madison is this high vibe, airy beautiful bright soul who is one of the most lovely photographers to work with here in Charleston. Her energy is calm, easy, giddy and giggly, and her vibe comes through in her work and how comfortable her clients are in front of the camera.

Today we talked through her journey in launching her micro wedding photography and engagement business in the middle of a pandemic, and what she’s learning coming into this next year of business.

A Candid Interview With Madison Krupp On All Things Micro-Weddings + Engagement Photography

Shelby Ring:

So, tell me, Madison, what did you have to change or tweak to make it through 2020 and come into 2021 in your business?

Madison Krupp:

It was the first year that I had an entire wedding schedule booked out right around the initial shutdown of February or March. And I had just quit my other full-time job to go full-time with this, and COVID happened, and I was kind of like, Oh my gosh, did I pick the wrong time to focus on launching my photography business full time? But then I realized that there was so much more time to focus on building. And it was unfortunate at the beginning because everything was rescheduled for at least, probably a good month and a half. So after that month and a half of everything being shut down, I started getting a flood of inquiries from people just saying that I really want pictures with my loved one, just because we spent a lot of time together recently, and I realize how much I value that. And I just want to have pictures taken with my loved ones.

Madison Krupp:

And that, combined with people rescheduling their weddings and elopements, just put a lot of business on the calendar, which was overwhelming at first. But it was just such a blessing to have that problem in the first place. And it wasn't actually a problem; it was a blessing. Yeah. I mean, it was just really great.

Shelby Ring:

Awesome. That's awesome. I love it. I know I've heard that a lot where people are like, everything originally face planted and then like other things started coming in. I love that.

Madison Krupp:

Yeah, and I feel like it almost just gave me a minute to get my ducks in a row...Right after I quit my other job, it gave me a little bit of extra time that I hadn't prepared for, just focus on my way, and make sure that everything on the back end was ready to go and the way that I wanted it. And I just feel like I had extra time that I wouldn't have had otherwise.

Shelby Ring:

Yeah. I love that. Perfect. What are you noticing as far as trends coming into 2021? Anything different photography-wise from this pandemic-chic wedding planning era?

Madison Krupp:

Yeah. So I definitely feel like there's much more of an emphasis on micro weddings now, which really ironically is like what I started my business as, to begin with. Because one of my first inquiries was for an elopement and the first wedding that I ever shot was just this really sweet couple. And they had their immediate family; that was it. And it was just such an intimate celebration. From that experience, it really morphed the rest of my business model of saying, yes, I want to specialize with intimate weddings and elopements and just really celebrate every person that attends and giving the couple room in their timeline to step away for 10 minutes and take a breather, and have a drink, have some water, whatever they want to do. Actually enjoy their day.

Madison Krupp:

I feel like there are so many times where you reach the end of the wedding day, and you hear the family say, "Oh, now we get to have fun, now we get to relax," and it's like, you should be feeling good all day! And nothing against the big wedding, if that's what resonates with you, that's really awesome and super happy, and that's so great. But if not, it's okay to just explore your options and realize that even if you do have a bigger family, a lot of what I've seen as people doing an elopement ceremony and then having a later date with a bigger reception for all their friends and family. And just knowing that you have the option to do something more intimate and then also include your family. It's just not the traditional setup, but you can still have both of those aspects in one celebration. So I feel like it's just really important to educate on that and make people aware that that's an option.

Shelby Ring:

So as a wedding photographer and entrepreneur, what are you coming into 2021 with that you didn't have coming into 2020?

Madison Krupp:

Well, this was just the first thing that I thought of, but on a direct level, on a super straightforward level, I had time to revamp all of my pricing guides and my style guides to help clients with what to wear during their sessions. And I keep all of that very open because I don't stray anybody away from their personal style, but just suggestions of things that they might be able to bring wardrobe-wise.

Madison Krupp:

But I really had time to go through and revamp all of that, revamp all of my contracts, make sure I had a force majeure clause.

I feel like the biggest things I’m bringing into this new season as a wedding photographer is going to be my experience from traveling recently. So I really invested in this photo retreat. I just got back about a week ago. So it was January 12th, we left, and I just loved having it right at the beginning of the year to go to a bucket list state for me, which was Utah, and see so many different varieties of landscapes within one state. Which the state was just so incredible, and the fact that all of those places were in one state was just mind boggling because they all seemed so different.

Madison Krupp:

But I think just that experience of seeing new places and opening up my mind right in the beginning, before everything gets crazy busy, is only going to really bring more intentionality to my shooting for the rest of the year. And it was just lovely to have some creative shoots set up to where... Of course, I still stick to a general deadline when I give photos and stuff like that, but it was just for creative fun. And I feel like that was something that I hadn't really been able to fully embrace for a while. So it was just really nice, like getting together with a group of like-minded people and just feeling some community at the beginning of the year. Revving up for all 2021 and 2022 have in store!

About Madison Krupp Wedding Photography

I snatched this little diddy off of her website - it was too good!

I’m Madison, but you can call me Maddy. You should know right off the bat, I’m not your typical wedding photographer. 

As a journalist, I was trained to see the story in everything. Now, as a photographer, I use storytelling to connect with people.

AND THE STORIES I WANT TO TELL ARE ADVENTUROUS, ROMANTIC, NATURAL, AUTHENTIC LOVE STORIES. 

So let’s skip the small talk. I want to hear about your biggest life hurdles, your aspirations, your journey, and the things that ignite your soul. Let’s skip the pomp and circumstance, too. If your dream is to marry your partner on a mountaintop, I’ll grab my hiking boots. 

I specialize in engagements, elopements and intimate weddings so I can capture the genuine connection you experience with your loved ones on your special day. Together, we’ll capture those moments on camera so you can relive them over and over again. 

I’m honored you are considering me for your elopement photography or intimate wedding photography, and can’t wait to create these timeliness images for you.