Meet David Weibel | Wedding & Engagement Photographer

We had the good fortune of connecting with David Weibel and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi David, have there been any changes in how you think about work-life balance?
This is definitely an area that I still struggle with- when I first started my business I was still working a 9-5 so I was putting in crazy hours every week to get things going. Then, when I quit the day job, I felt like I still had to put in 120% effort in order to be successful. What I’ve learned is that’s not always the case, sometimes it’s best to save a task for tomorrow when you’re going to be well rested.

More importantly, as much as I love my small business, nothing is more important than my personal relationships and I’ve learned to intentionally prioritized spending time outside of my business for my mental health and sanity. What I’ve found is that if you take care of yourself first, the rest of the hard work in the business comes easier.

Can you open up a bit about your work and career? We’re big fans and we’d love for our community to learn more about your work.
I’m a wedding photographer- and I’d like to think I do things differently than most in that industry.

What I’ve heard from my clients and friends in the industry is that couples who are planning a wedding are oftentimes put into little boxes- and you have to find the box that you fit into. For example, when shopping for a wedding photographer they’ll look at websites and have to pick 1 “cookie cutter” package that fits their unique wedding and love story- which I think is just crazy. I’ve been lucky enough in my business to be able to take the time to get to know each of my clients personally, find out what they need (and what they don’t) and help them plan the perfect wedding day. Taking that personalized approach to each client has made for nothing but positive experiences with each and every one of my couples; and who doesn’t deserve the best on their wedding day?

Another thing that’s helped me in my photography journey, at least stylistically, is my background in photojournalism. Using that “documentary” approach to a wedding day has helped me really capture unique moments for my couples that don’t feel awkward and look like every other wedding photographer out there. At the end of the day, I think that goes back to the couple’s experience and just trying to make everything feel as natural as possible.

With photographing as many weddings as I have over the years, I’ve seen it all. I’ve seen brides in tears because some vendor wanted to make the whole thing about them. I’ve seen timelines and weddings fall apart. I’ve seen the most difficult and challenging wedding days you could think of and you just sort of learn to roll with it. There are things you can control and there are things you can’t. I think that’s a good lesson not just for the wedding industry, but also for a small business. I’ve learned to accept that some things are outside of my control, and to just “roll with it” sometimes.

In conclusion, if someone is reading this and thinking about planning a wedding in the near future, I would just encourage you to get to know your wedding photographer and make sure that is someone who is willing to get on a phone call with you and actually cares about you and your wedding. Stay away from those big companies where you don’t even know who your wedding vendors will be. If you’re in the metro phoenix area, reach out to me and we’ll chat. Even if I’m not your wedding photographer, I love helping and my advice is free.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
I have a membership to the Desert Botanic Garden, so we’re definitely going to check that out especially with someone who’s not from the desert.

I love Tempe- Casey Moore’s Oyster House is a must for dinner. (If you’re into haunted bars)

If it’s summer, head down to the Salt River. either to go tubing or just hang out by the water and cool off. (That’s also one of my favorite photoshoot locations)

Oh and if it’s regular season I’m dragging you to a Sun’s game downtown at the footprint center. I know that’s hardly original but it’s one of my favorite things to do!

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
The #1 person I have to thank is my girlfriend Lexie- she’s been so supportive of me and my business through a lot of uncertain times. I absolutely 100% would not be where I am today if it wasn’t for her.

I also have to thank a lot of people- too many to list who encouraged me to believe in myself and trust that I had what it takes to run small business.

Website: https://davidweibelphoto.com/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/davidweibelweddings/

Other: https://bit.ly/34Np0WD (Google Reviews) https://davidweibelphoto.clientportal.photo/gallery/feb-2022-highlights (Recent weddings)

Image Credits
Photo of my (C) JJ Johnson, Intrinsic Studios (https://www.intrinsicimagery.studio/) All other wedding images are by me, (C) David Weibel Photo, LLC (https://davidweibelphoto.com/)