Meet Austin Liberato | Elopement & Wedding Photographer

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

Hi Austin, is there something you can share with us that those outside of the industry might not be aware of?
When people think of the photography industry, especially weddings, people think of staving artist or a struggling industry. There are in fact a lot of people who struggle to make money, or do it on-the-side, because there is such a low barrier to entry.

There is a high turnover of people who thought owning a photography business was all about shooting photography and the clients will come. When in actuality, 90% of what I do is the business side, and 10% actually has to do with clicking a button on a camera. With that said, there are a number of photography businesses that do very well and make a very good living. I attribute my success to my support,

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
Ever since I was young I knew I wanted to work for myself. Growing up, I saw my dad start a business and got to see first-hand how difficult, yet how rewarding it is. When you fail you can only blame yourself and it is your choice whether to learn from those failures or ignore them. When you succeed, there is no better feeling and that is what pushes me to do even better.

Couples these days are about experiences over things. When I started my wedding and elopement photography business I wanted to provide a one of a kind experience tailored to each couple that would be an unforgettable memory.

It is not easy in the beginning to attract those ideal couples that want to wake up at mid-night to hike to the top of.a mountain in Rocky Mountain National Park so that they can say their vows above 13k ft. as the sun starts to peak over the horizon. or the couple that wants to take photos while rolling around in the beach break in Costa Rica knowing they will be picking sand out of their ears and hair for the next few months, but they are the ones that make me love what I do.

My goal as a photographer is to capture the memories and the ones in-between.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
Ha! I hope they brought their biking helmet and hiking shoes. As soon as you land in Denver we would say “bye-bye” to the city and head straight to the mountains. first stop in our weeklong road trip, Rocky Mountain National Park. Its a national park for a reason. This place is insane! I hope you brought your significant other because I’ve got a fever and the only prescription Is doing a sunset couples shoot at the top of trail ridge road (Not sorry for the bad SNL reference).

Next we would make our way through Breckenridge to have a beer at my favorite brewery, Broken Compass, and we would either car camp or backpack out to one of the high alpine lakes. Again, photographs will be involve.

We would then wake up early and motor on down to Crested Butte for some of the best mountain biking trails in Colorado. If we were on this road-trip during the fall, we would definitely be leaf peeping the changing colors of the aspen trees. There is a reason I do most of my engagement shoots that time of year, It is beautiful!

I think after that we would take backroads to Ouray and Telluride, in the southwest corner of Colorado. We could chase waterfalls and visit a secret hot spring that is out of this world!

After that we would mope back to Denver so you could catch your flight home, but not before reading all of the conspiracy theories about the Denver International Airport. There are tons and you will look at the airport with new eyes when you are walking through the terminal, noticing all of the oddities that you were blind to just a week prior.

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
I have two big shoutouts. First off, to my wife who has been supportive throughout the entire journey of my business and has pushed and challenged me to do better, and to be better. In the beginning it was really tough to get traction. There are a million different directions to run (accounting, setting up processes, marketing, sales, and shooting) and picking one is tough and overwhelming. Having her support kept me from having complete meltdowns in the beginning.

My other shoutout is to my first photography coach, Sean. Sean helped me with the business and mindset side of photography. There are so many talented photographers in the industry that are struggling because they love to take photos, but neglect the business side of it. He helped me realize my worth and helped me form a profitable and rewarding career. I’m a huge advocate for hiring a mentor or coach. Every dollar I have spent on coaching I have receive back 10X in knowledge and success. If you’re not learning, you are losing.

Website: www.liberatophoto.com

Instagram: @austin.was.here

Facebook: Austin liberato photography

Other: Myspace…jk

Image Credits
All images were taken by me