Meet Ariel Min: Wedding Photographer

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

Hi Ariel, how has your work-life balance changed over time?
I frankly still grapple with this one all the time. I’m sure many business owners can agree with me, but I had severely underestimated how much brain space my work would take up day and night. Especially when I was trying to get my business up and running, I spent every free minute working, thinking and planning. Now that it’s been about two years, I think I’ve gotten much better at managing work life balance – I now itemize every little thing I have to work on and assign daily tasks to myself so that once I’m done with my day’s work, I purposely force myself to do something else. 

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.
Before diving into wedding photography, I worked in journalism – so a lot of my training and the storytelling eye come from my career in TV and video journalism. When I photograph weddings, I like to think about the story unfolding the day of, but also the story that has led up to the couple’s wedding day and the story they will continue to write beyond their wedding day. It sounds cheesy, but I am a sucker for all of it. I started photographing weddings on the side and assisting local wedding photographers years ago when I first began my journalism career. At the time, it was a great creative outlet and something fun to do on weekends. Eventually, it grew into my business and I couldn’t have done it without people who have mentored and encouraged me along the way. The biggest lesson I’ve learned so far is that yes, you can get to where you are by yourself, but it’s easier with help. Learn to ask for help and give help to others.

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?
My favorite neighborhood in Los Angeles is Los Feliz even though I don’t actually live there – I’d say grab coffee at Maru Coffee on Hillhurst Ave, then breakfast tacos at HomeState. Stroll Hollywood Ave to N Vermont Ave and walk up – there are so many little shops to visit. Then I’d recommend visiting the Los Angeles Municipal Art Gallery / Barnsdall Art Park for some art and a nice view of the city. Lunch at Big Bar / Alcove – their garden patio is one of my favorites. After lunch, I’d head over to the beautiful Griffith Park to do a quick afternoon/sunset hike. The Trails Cafe is great for quick snacks and coffee break in the entrance of the park. The Dresden is a fun spot with live music (well, pre-COVID times) for happy hour. I’d get dinner there or head over to All Time for dinner with good wine. After that, if you’re still up for it, I’d suggest going to Bar Covell for some more amazing wine selections.

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 would like to dedicate my shoutout to all the hardworking journalists out there. It’s been a rough year of constant COVID-related news, while trying to cover the election and the spread of misinformation. I see you and I appreciate you. We need good journalists.

Website: arielminphotography.com
Instagram: instagram.com/arielminphoto
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/arielminphoto

Image Credits
Ariel Min Photography