Well friends, it is OFFICIALLY my off-season! Wedding photography can be somewhat of a strange cycle- things are crazy, crazy, crazy from April to November, sometimes December, and then? Almost nothing during the winter. Towards the beginning of March you start to get a bit of cabin fever, but for now, I’m grateful for the chance to slow things down for a bit!

See, burnout is a real problem in seasonally-intense careers like the wedding industry; if you’re not proactive, you may end up working 80+ hours a week for months on end during the busy season. And I don’t care how much you love what you do- that kind of work/life imbalance will wreck anyone after a time, especially people who desire to maintain relationships outside of their jobs.

What to do in the off-season for wedding photographers | Abby Grace

And that’s a significant reason why I love the off-season so much; it gives Matt & I the chance to step back and gain some perspective, and take a look at how we can adjust for the next year in order to stay in love with what we do.

Because we desire to run a business that enables a life that we love,
rather than a life governed by our business’ needs.

That means that we don’t WANT to make our wedding seasons so insane that we constantly long for the slower months of winter! I know that work will inevitably be busy from time to time, given the ebb and flow of my profession, but we try really hard to create systems and workflows that prevent us from getting anywhere near the burnout line.

Keeping that vision in mind, we have a few off-season plans that I’m really excited about!

What to do in the off-season for wedding photographers | Abby Grace

1. Rest. Sleeping a little later, closing the office doors a bit earlier, Monday afternoon trips to Stone Tower, lazy reading on the couch. We were better about finding rest during the busy months this year thanks to Matt coming on as my partner, and now we’ll have even more time to recharge our proverbial batteries. My hope is that 2017 will see us working from a place of rest, not resting from overwork.

2. Retreat. We’re heading down to Kiawah Island in January with two other husband + wife photography duos for a few days of relaxation, brainstorming, and planning for the year to come- Matt & I are SO excited!! Some of my/our greatest ideas have come from spending time with other creatives, and these two couples are as awesome as they come.

3. Travel. You all know how much France fills me up, creatively speaking, and the slower season is one of my favorite times to visit! I’m heading back over in February with my sweet friend Katherine to explore a side of the country I haven’t seen before. Finding fresh inspiration has always been an essential part of my off-season!

4. Reflect. There were a lot of things I LOVED about 2016! And there were also a few areas that didn’t turn out the way we’d envisioned, and a few bad habits I still need to break. These next couple of months give Matt & I the chance to step back and evaluate what we did over the year, and to ask ourselves: what worked? what didn’t? and what are we going to do about it for 2017?

5. Aim. You’re probably tired of hearing people talking about setting goals, because it seems like every newsletter landing in my inbox over the last two weeks has been ALL about tackling those for 2017. But the fact remains that goals are crucial for business owners who desire to see measurable growth! There’s no way to know how far you’ve come if you don’t know where you started.

What to do in the off-season for wedding photographers | Abby Grace

So I would love to ask you to do some thought work, and process through these questions:

  • What does rest look like to you? How will you incorporate that into your lighter workload this winter?
  • What worked well for you this past year? What DIDN’T work so well?
  • What absolutely NEEDS to change in 2017?
  • What are five measurable goals you’re hoping to achieve for next year? 

Happy Thursday, friends! All photos by my dear friend, Kaitlyn Phipps!

Off-season plans

December 15, 2016

  1. Jean says:

    Glad you and Matt are having time to relax and recharge! I know you will enjoy your trip to France.

  2. Mandy says:

    You are living my dream life, girlfriend. The supportive husband, successful business, ability to travel… *sigh*

  3. Karen aka Mom says:

    I love to see how you’ve grown from your early days in the business. Enjoy your time of rest!

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