Hire this wedding photographer, and you just might leave your big day with a new friend. Colby Campbell, the man behind the camera, goes the extra mile when it comes to capturing love stories. He puts an emphasis on building relationships with his clients so that the final photos truly show the connection between the people in them. Plus, every wedding Colby shoots supports OneIowa, donating $2,000 in 2022.
Written by Giovanna Zavell, DSMG Contributor
“I had this crappy little point and shoot camera when I was in high school,” Colby says. “I submitted a couple of photos to the state fair photo competition just for fun. I had no idea that photography would one day be a major part of my life.”
Colby grew up in Norwalk, Iowa and later found himself at the University of Northern Iowa where he majored in music. Having a friend who worked for the student newspaper, it wasn’t long before word got to Colby that they needed a photographer.
“They were like ‘hey, we need someone to take pictures, you can borrow a camera from us and we will pay you five bucks a photo,’” Colby laughs. “So I became a photographer for The Northern Iowan. I was given assignments and eventually had a few mentors who noticed my interest in photography and asked me to help them with their wedding shoots.”
But at that time, Colby wasn’t behind the camera. He was carrying the bags and learning the world of wedding photography.
“I love weddings, I love people. I love creating things.”
Colby Campbell Photography, Est. 2022
Before him and his wife, Jenny, married, they lived in Chicago where Colby worked at the University of Illinois-Chicago in residence life. Burnout and the pandemic soon pushed them to move back to Des Moines. “Realizing I no longer wanted to work in higher education, and the ongoing pandemic, I saw it as an opportunity to get back into photography,” Colby says. “I thought ‘I can probably run a business a lot better now than when I was 22.’”
“This is my way of making the wedding industry work for queer joy instead of against it.”
Colby, Jenny, and their pup, Rory, moved back to Des Moines in December of 2021. He took the risk and started as a photographer full-time, with only one or two weddings booked at the time. From January to March, Colby sat at his computer, marketing himself. Getting his name out into the world in hopes of booking more weddings.
“I was working five, six day weeks drumming up business and not actually taking photos,” Colby says. “There were a few weeks in February where I made zero dollars. Then there was a 24 hour period where five couples signed their contracts. The ups and downs of starting my own business were really tough.”
Since then, Colby booked 20 weddings in 2022. His goal was to capture 22 weddings. Now, in 2023, his goal is to photograph 30 weddings, with 20 already booked.
“When that relationship is strong, it feels like the camera disappears,” Colby says. “It’s not my idea of what people should look like but instead, real, organic moments. My goal is for these photos to not just look like you, but feel like you.”
An Emphasis on the Photographer/Client Relationship
When a couple fills out the inquiry form on Colby’s website, they can expect to receive a text from him within 15 minutes. His first question–when can we find a time to meet? “I want the couple to know immediately that I am here and am emotionally invested in them,” Colby says. The process is simple: Colby meets with the couple, usually over drinks, coffee, or good food to get to know each other. Then, they practice, in the form of an engagement photo session. Next is planning, and finally, the celebration.
“What I do is based on the relationship I build with the couple,” Colby says. “When I meet with couples, I often find our conversations aren’t about photography or even their wedding. It truly feels like hanging out with old friends.”
“I love working with 25 to 35 year olds,” Colby says. “Young professionals who are out of college and now figuring a life with their partner. It’s really only a couple of years behind me. Having just gone through that, I enjoy being able to walk beside them as they experience this phase.”
That is the easiest part of Colby’s job—connecting with people. He is trusted by the couples to be present for the tender moments on a wedding day, when no one else is around. He is trusted to wrangle 150 people, or more, for photos, and make it fun. When you invest in a wedding photographer, Colby says it’s important to make sure their vibe matches your vibe, so that everyone will have a good time.
“I always used to relate being a wedding photographer to my job in college as a tour guide,” Colby says. “It’s walking around backwards for an hour, winning people over and getting them from point A to point B in a way that makes them feel like they got there themselves. That’s wedding photography—creating a positive and memorable experience.”
Sometimes, the relationships built go beyond the wedding day and become community. Clients become friends, clients refer to friends and suddenly bonfire invitations are being sent and lunches are being had. As Colby puts it, you get a new friend out of the deal too, whether you asked for it or not.
“I call myself a professional hype-man sometimes, half jokingly, but it really is the most basic way to describe this crucial dimension to my work. The way I see it, if you ask me to create photos of you, before I ever pick up a camera I need to understand who you are so I can love you and help you see how worthy of love you are.”
Every Wedding Supports OneIowa
That’s right. A portion of proceeds from every wedding Colby photographs is automatically donated to OneIowa, a nonprofit dedicated to improving the lives of LGBTQ Iowans. “I have a lot of LGBTQ loved ones, and have been with them as they go through life,” Colby says. “It’s still scary in 2023 to be a gay, trans or queer couple or cule, especially when it comes to the wedding industry. There is still so much discrimination, which sucks when marriage should be a happy season of life.” In 2022, Colby donated $2,000 to OneIowa.
Final Advice From the Wedding Photographer
“Print your pictures,” Colby says. “Don’t just have them on your phone or on a flash drive (which can be easily lost). Soak up all the value these photos have to offer. Print them out and show them off. Also, don’t print them at Walgreens or Walmart. Please go to a real printer.”
“I offer prints from a professional lab at no markup so my clients can have nice prints,” Colby says. “I just love them having physical copies of their memories.”
Getting married soon or have another occasion you want to capture? Want to scroll through photos of beautiful, happy, couples? Be sure to stop by Colby’s website and follow him on Instagram @colbycampbell.jpg
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