Meet Cheryl Han | Southern California Wedding Photographer

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

Hi Cheryl, what was your thought process behind starting your own business?
From a young age, my parents always encouraged me to push beyond my boundaries and “think outside of the box”. After graduating college with a STEM degree and working in the corporate industry at a regular 9-5 for 3 years, I knew for a fact that I didn’t want to work for someone else. I dreaded the lifestyle of clocking my hours and sitting in traffic just to make a minimum wage to get by every month. I was unfulfilled, tired all the time and felt like life was passing me by. I was not a good employee and knew I needed to find something different.

I began exploring different career options and decided that maybe it was time to start a business. I’m highly risk-averse so starting a business from scratch was absolutely terrifying to say the least. I had no ideas and tried everything I thought I could be potentially good at. Some of them include selling stickers, designing custom stationary, floristry, and coordination. None of those really stuck and going back to a 9-5 for the stability was tempting. I concluded that the dread of working for someone else ultimately outweighed my fear of taking a chance on myself and decided to keep going.

After getting married and receiving my wedding photos, I was absolutely in love with them and saw the value it brought post-wedding. I knew I wanted to try my hand at wedding photography. Ironically, photography was never something I’d ever thought I’d make a career out of and it was the last thing I wanted to do considering the fact that I’m a relatively introverted person. I did a ton of market research, analyzed the risks, calculated my ROIs and feasibility, talked with a handful of photographer friends and committed this whole thing to God. Alas, with my little background as a photographer for my high school magazine many years ago and 1 semester as a film student in college (before switching my major), I decided to give it a try. As they say, “You miss all the shots you don’t take”.

Fortunately at the time, many of my friends were getting engaged and it was a great time to offer free sessions. I would put in hours of work for all these sessions to plan and study images and all that paid off. Looking back now, I’m immensely grateful to everyone who took a chance on me and gave me the opportunity to document their stories. I truly think that it is a combination of hard work, faith and the right timing for everything to work out the way it did.

While the journey was not easy and there are always new challenges every day, the excitement of working on my own terms make it so worthwhile. In retrospect, I definitely wish I had started sooner. It’s important to note that having a supportive community played a huge role in my decision to take the leap of faith. I have family, friends, mentors and even people who follow me on social media spurring me on! I would not be where I am today if it wasn’t for every single one of them.

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
I love to approach a wedding day with an open mind and a photojournalistic approach. My art is greatly inspired by human connection, intimate and intricate details/moments, textures and unique light. While my style is constantly evolving and improving, I believe my current images convey a blend of elegance and authenticity, while balancing timeless traditions with playful modern moments. Given my relatively recent entry into the wedding industry, I’m proud of how far I’ve come and how my art form is being refined.

It took offering many free sessions, hours upon hours of editing, networking with current industry professionals, second shooting, attending styled workshops and a consistent mindset that I was able to push myself to this point. It was definitely not easy and there were many moments where I doubted myself, struggled with imposter syndrome (still do) and wanted to give up. I think setting a positive mindset was probably one of the most impactful things I had done prior to starting my business. After watching countless entrepreneur interviews, the one thing I took away from many of them was having a mindset that if you believe you’ve already done it, the hard part is just doing it. Giving up is not an option.

As for lessons, I’m still learning new ones as I go. One thing I definitely had to learn was that resting is okay. As new business owners, it’s tempting to invest all of your time into your craft that you neglect everything else in your life. Having a work life balance was difficult as I felt like I needed to pour in all of my resources and time into building my business otherwise it would fail. I’ve come to learn that rest is not only okay but necessary for a successful entrepreneur. Another lesson I learned was that comparison is truly the thief of all joy. Again, this is still something I’m learning to navigate well but sometimes, as creatives, we get carried away comparing our craft to someone else’s. With social media like Instagram and Pinterest being some of the major marketing platforms for the wedding industry, it can be so difficult to draw the line between seeking inspiration, marketing to your target audience and comparing yourself to everyone on the internet. I’ve learned that sometimes, taking a break from social media for my own sanity is healthy and that just because someone else’s work is amazing, it doesn’t mean mine isn’t.

As a creative trying to find her way in the wedding photo industry, I definitely hope that my story can serve as an inspiration for those wanting to start their own businesses! As a brand, I’m constantly seeking ways to refine my art and showcase a better version of my work for current and future clients.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
Below would be a sample itinerary:

Day 1: Disneyland + Chubby Cattle Monterey Park
Day 2: Getty Museum + LACMA + Bestia in LA
Day 3: Beverly Hills (Rodeo Drive), Malibu beach, Dinner at Nobu
Day 4: Fashion Island + Boat ride at London Boat Rentals, Dinner at Red O
Day 5: Hollywood walk of fame, Chinatown/Koreatown, Quarters KBBQ
Day 6: Going to a basketball game, dinner at Din Tai Fung
Day 7: San Diego Day Trip!

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
There are so many people I need to credit for my journey and the first person being Jesus. Before even jumping into this business, I wanted to dedicate so much of my aspirations and goals to the Lord, as I know sometimes what I want for myself may not be what is good for me. It was important for me to get the green light from God. I believe that my gifts and talents are from Him and want to use it in a way to serve others.

The second person would be my husband. He has been incredibly supportive throughout my journey as a photographer and have gone through great lengths to make this a reality for me. He’s been my financial manager, driver, second shooter, website builder, travel coordinator etc – essentially my ultimate executive assistant. He’s the support for so much of the backend systems and without him, I would not be able to juggle all of this on my own.

The third ground would be my immediate family. My parents have always encouraged me to think bigger and my dad has always imparted financial education in me and my siblings from a young age. It was all the financial talks after dinner that I learned a majority of the benefits of starting a business and the financial freedom it can bring. My sister, Cheyenne, is also someone who greatly inspires me. She’s one of my biggest supporters and encouragers when I’m at a low point and always believes in me more than I do in myself at times.

Lastly, to all my friends, couples and mentors who took a chance on someone wanting to break into the industry. The ones who believed in my potential and gave me an opportunity to work alongside them to hone my skills and teach me more as I go. They will always hold a special place in my success story!

Website: https://cherylhan.com

Instagram: @cherylhanphoto

Image Credits
@cherylhanphoto