I’m Dawn Derbyshire, and I guess I must be having fun, because I’ve been photographing weddings for over a decade.
My couples have said my talent is ‘immeasurable,’ and my portraits ‘have no price tag.’
My vendor friend once called me ‘The unofficial Mayor of Pittsburgh Wedding World.’ To my face.
Why?
Because so many wedding photographers go out of style, or burn out, or fade into the background of the community. But I’m still here. And I still love it.
I’ve seen it all. I set the bar for wedding photography in this city. My reviews from my couples, my relationships with this community, and (duh) my photographs…speak for themselves.
What prewritten, ~About Me~ page could compete with all of that???
My story is your story. My business is my full, authentic, and present self. Everything you need to know about me has been said through my work and my client’s words.
I need
Introduction
No
Are you my next couple?
I Need
Introduction
lunch dates
french cinema
and dogs.
lots of dogs
cats. so many cats
favorite things...
These are a few of MY
Year by
Year
The wedding that almost ended it all, I took this on with a professor of mine and a fellow student to see if I liked weddings. I did not. Little did I know, I just wasn't the right fit for this wedding.
Thankfully, I was offered a paid wedding photography internship so I gave weddings another shot. This helped me realize that with the right clients, weddings are my FAVORITE thing- and I've been obsessed ever since!
This was when it all changed- I booked my first Dawn Derbyshire Photography clients. It would be another three years before I embraced the idea of owning my own business, using those years to photograph hundreds of weddings to get practice before launching my business officially.
I took the leap and started my own business after working for someone else since 2009. While I stayed at my main job, my business took the first baby steps, kicking off with an amazing couple who let me do all the things I dreamed of!
After five years together, I married my awesome husband in an intimate ceremony in my old studio space. Being on the other side of weddings gave me a whole new perspective and changed how I run my business. I realized what was important about weddings and what was silly. I carry those lessons with me to every wedding, and you'll often catch me crying at the cute parts of the day since being married has made me a total sap.
Six years after launching Dawn Derbyshire Photography, having photographed over 400 weddings, I left my safe full time wedding photography and editing job and went full time with my own business. I had 29 weddings that year with BIG things on the horizon.
After surviving a rough 2020, shooting 53 weddings in 2021 (never again), opening a new studio, relaunching my boudoir and branding sessions, and hitting wedding #600 in 2022, my goal for the future is to cultivate a client base I love, who are as excited to work with me as I am with them. I currently cap my bookings at 30-35 per year to ensure I can give my clients 100%. I love this job and can't wait for the next 10, 15, 20 years!
You read that right, 600-ish (maybe a handful more) as of 2023. I started my career way back in 2009, and in 2021 alone I shot 53 weddings. It feels surreal to have been a part of so many couples lives!
I've shot about 600 weddings
I grew up with parents who loved to travel, so I've always had a thing for hopping a plane and exploring somewhere new. This is a perfect compliment to being a wedding photographer, since I've gotten to shoot weddings and engagements all over the country!
I love to travel!
I'm more of a vodka cranberry or whiskey sour kind of gal, but I love a fun champagne pop for photos and even have a special method to getting that perfect champagne pop shot!
I love to pop champagne but don't drink it
Because I'm amazing! But for real, the best compliment I've ever received from a client is the purest example of why I'm worth every penny: "[Dawn] gave us the feeling that our wedding pictures were as important to her as they were to us."
And it's true. I'm passionate about what I do and try to get my best photos ever at every wedding I attend. Your photos are the most important photos I will ever take, and the trust you give me as the person documenting these moments in your life together is such an honor.
