Conversations with Crystal Vanantwerpen

Today we’d like to introduce you to Crystal Vanantwerpen

Hi Crystal, thanks for sharing your story with us. To start, maybe you can tell our readers some of your backstory.
I’ve always loved taking photos! When I was a kid, I had an automatic point-and-shoot film camera that I would use to take photos of my pets, my toys, and landscapes. In high school, I started taking photos of my friends, posing the way “real photographers” did senior photos. Once I was an adult, married, and with a toddler and a baby at home, I decided I wanted a “good camera” to document my family memories, and I bought a DSLR.

Eventually, others started telling me that I should consider selling photo sessions because I was good at it. I think this is how so many of us start! I tried my hand at family photography and newborn photography, but I just wanted to do weddings. In 2012, my husband and I started a photography business together and we were asked to photograph a wedding for someone that went to our church. I remembered how fun and intense and scary it was being in charge of capturing such an important event in people’s lives, but I was absolutely hooked!

My husband and I eventually went in different directions with our creative interests, and I formed my own wedding photography business, Crystal V Photography. I have since photographed over 180 weddings! I credit much of my success to having the support of my family and incredible mentors and friends in the industry.

Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
It has not always been a smooth road growing a business as a wedding photographer. In the beginning, it often felt like many more seasoned photographers were gatekeeping knowledge and using whatever tactic it took to try to steal clients. Over time, I found that this was more of a problem when starting out and trying to beat everyone on price. There will ALWAYS be people that are cheaper than you, and if you try to compete on price, you will work so hard and burn out with nothing to show for it.

In 2019, I had my most successful year to date and things were only looking up. Then the COVID-19 pandemic hit. I was having to refund thousands upon thousands of dollars for cancelled weddings and reschedule the vast majority of what I’d had booked in 2020. Since things had not fully picked back up by 2021 and so many couples were nervous about moving forward with booking weddings, I picked up a “regular job” to make up the lost income. The wedding community is still recovering from the massive shakeup that the pandemic caused, as well as the inflation that followed, and the influx of new photographers that entered the market.

Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know about your work?
I specialize in wedding photography, more specifically tailored to couples that want photos that are traditional, elegant, romantic, and timeless. What sets me apart is that I’ve not only been doing this for over a decade, but I have also spent that time continuing to learn and grow by taking courses, attending conferences, connecting with friends and mentors in the industry, and actively reviewing my work to look for areas that I can continue to improve upon.

I have a degree in Marketing and highly recommend that all creatives take at least some college coursework that focuses on business and marketing. There are so many trends and so many photographers-turned-educators that preach that their way is the correct way, but just having a good solid knowledge of how to market a service is what I have found to be the most helpful.

I have also been working as a Social Media Specialist for almost a year now and I am loving it! As much as I worried that trying out another job might mark the end of my days of photographing weddings, I have learned so many new skills, connected with an amazing team of creative professionals, and have been able to apply what I have learned to my own business. I am proud that I listened to my intuition and tried something new, without abandoning my love of photography or my business.

We’d love to hear about any fond memories you have from when you were growing up?
I suppose this has nothing to do with photography, but my favorite childhood memories involve running around outdoors in my family’s cherry orchards. Most of the summer was spent playing outside, going for walks, and heading out to the beach at Lake Michigan for a swim after a hot day. Although I live in town now, I long to eventually live where the views are magnificent!

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.crystalvphotography.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/crystalvphoto
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/crystalvphoto