Hannah Brooke Photography

This Start-Up Story comes from the lovely Hannah, founder of Hannah Brooke Photography.

Tell me a little about you & your family, what your business is, and the inspiration behind getting started…

Hi, I’m Hannah. I’m married to Rich, Mum to Thomas (4) , Ellie (2) and a lively Labrador, Lottie who I include because she’s every bit as demanding as the kids! I’m a photographer, documenting families and weddings and I had a lightbulb moment after taking a photo of my kids in the bath one night whilst desperately unhappy in my job, and thinking that there had to be more to life.

How did you make the leap from idea on paper to reality with your business idea?

I’d already scribbled a spider diagram of “things I enjoy and am any good at” in a bid to see if there was any more “meaningful” work out there – and taking photos had actually appeared twice but I’d thought nothing of it. Once I realised that I actually had a good eye for taking photos, I did a bit of market research and then sat the hubby down for a chat…..which involved me wanting to spend the best part of a grand on a camera and training course!

How did you get your first sale or client?

I did a few free shoots first of all to build experience and portfolio – and then I submitted a blog to a friend who runs a network for working mums and my first customer contacted me after being forwarded it by a friend (she worked for the company I had previously worked and been so unhappy at!) That gave me the confidence to keep going.

What ‘lucky breaks’ or helping hands have you had along the way that have really boosted your progress?

A few months into my business, a girl I knew messaged me asking if I would photograph her wedding. I replied saying I hadn’t ever done one before and she asked me to quote her a price anyway. I hadn’t really considered doing weddings before this but as I stood there snapping away on her big day I KNEW that this was what I was put on this earth to do. I also randomly replied to an Instagram story my friend had forwarded onto me from someone asking for a family photographer – I messaged the lady, secured the booking, and then went on to look at her Instagram page and realised she was quite a big deal in Insta money! (It was @tobyandroo!) I did the shoot and she LOVED my images!

What do you LOVE about your business and working for yourself?

I love making other people happy through MY work and that not a single other person can take credit for that (can you tell I may have had my fingers burned with this kinda thing in the corporate world?!). I love that I can take my business in the direction I want it to and I love seeing results as a direct result of my hard work!

What’s the scariest thing you’ve had to do since setting up on your own?

Probably the @tobyandroo shoot! I barely slept the night before as I was so worried about messing it up! I needn’t have worried of course, they’re just a normal family and completely lovely – and I was just doing what I do best!

Who is your support network that you simply couldn’t manage without?

My husband, my parents and in-laws (for the weekend child care) and a select few friends who know who they are and know exactly how hard I find it sometimes. Working for yourself can bring the highest of highs but also the lowest of lows. You don’t want to be seen to be moaning about it, so it’s really important to have a few people that you really trust and can be honest with…and who will be honest right back at you!

What exciting plans do you have for your business over the next 6-12 months that you’d like to share?

I’ve got quite a few weddings booked in and will be creating a marketing plan because most of the bookings I’ve had so far have been word of mouth or friends of people who I have photographed.

You can find more details about Hannah’s work online on her website and see her brilliant work featured on social over on Instagram and on Facebook.

🗓️ 2026 Update: Where Is Hannah Now?

I caught up with Hannah to find out what’s changed since she first shared her story. 5+ years of full-time self-employment, a couple of awards, and a horse. Not bad going…

How has life and business changed for you in the last few years?

Wow, it was interesting to read the original blog back – as back then I was side hustling alongside my part time job in HR and I still wasn’t 100% sure how my business was going to work out, but I was feeling very optimistic.

Now, I’ve been a full time self employed photographer for almost 6 years (the corporate world feels like a distant memory), my kids are 9 & 11, which means I now officially have a high schooler, the dog is now 12 and significantly less bouncy and we also now have a horse. Oh, and I recently won a couple of awards for my documentary wedding photography!

What’s been the lowest ebb, and what’s been your biggest high since you originally shared your story?

The lowest ebb was covid hitting. I resigned from my day job in January 2020. Didn’t see that global pandemic coming, did I? By the time lockdown actually hit, all my bookings for 2020 had been postponed and I wasn’t eligible for any sort of furlough or small business support.

The reality of suddenly having zero income, and two small kids at home 24/7 was quite the shock. I had to quickly pivot my business and I created an online course for smartphone photography – I remember sitting and crying when I launched it and the first person bought it for £20. I hit £600 in sales over that first night, and I knew at that point that I would find a way through this and I would be ok.

The wedding industry was hit particularly hard by the lockdowns. Whilst the UK was being told to go “eat out to help out”, weddings were still a big no-no and it took us until the latter part of 2021 to get our business back. What then followed was a huge rush of weddings as the postponed people rushed to reschedule their dates and the new people who hadn’t been able to book theirs wanted to get their dates booked in, so 2022 was an insanely busy year. I completely burnt out at the end of 2022, which was another massive low as I started to lose the love for what I was doing.

But I invested in a group mentoring programme which helped me gain loads of perspective and clarity, and rediscover the joy in my business.

My biggest high so far had to be last summer, when I was asked to go and photograph a wedding in the Douro Valley, Portugal. It was the 3rd sister in the same family whose weddings I had photographed and it was an absolute vibe! I had many a “pinch me, is this really happening to me” moment as we walked through the sun drenched vineyard snapping photos of the happy couple.

What would you tell your earlier self, back at those scary start-up stages?

When I started out, I thought being a photographer meant I just had to take great photos. Turns out, running a business is a whole other art form; from marketing to client experience to believing in your own worth. My advice? Learn the business side early, charge properly, and remember your time is valuable so don’t do things in exchange for a “shout out on instagram” ever!

What are you most excited about tackling next?

Challenges wise: standing out in a crowded market (there are loads of photographers out there, so getting couples to connect with my relaxed, documentary-led, colourful style can still be a challenge), balancing work and life, content consistency, and pricing confidence – knowing my worth and holding firm on pricing even when others undercut.

On the goals front: a full but balanced diary of around 25 weddings a year with dream clients who love my style. I’ve also set up a one day event with a photographer friend called Shots and Giggles. I’m continuing to push myself creatively, entering awards like This is Reportage, and protecting more time for family, fitness, and fun. Because I really do believe we should work to live, not live to work.

You can follow Hannah’s work over at hannahbrookephotography.co.uk, on Instagram and Facebook @hannahbrookephoto