We had the good fortune of connecting with Lyndsi & Geoff Thornton and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Lyndsi & Geoff, have there been any changes in how you think about work-life balance?
A work/life balance is something we are constantly striving towards! This question has taken on a lot of meaning for us in the past few years with us having our first baby girl and then facing the pandemic. Being a small business owner, it’s really hard not to take on every client that comes our way. The first few years of us shooting weddings and building our business were BUSY. I feel really lucky to say that, because we grew quickly. However, it was at a pace that was absolutely not sustainable. By December of those first few years, we would be totally exhausted and burnt out by the end of the year. Then, we got pregnant with our daughter, and it was a natural “slowing down”. Geoff and I had many discussions of what our “sweet spot” is for how many weddings and portrait shoots we will take on per year. We’ve been able to raise our prices to off-set taking on less clients. This also forces us to only work with clients that we really resonate and connect with, so it feels like a win-win. When the pandemic hit, of course it was extremely difficult to have so much work canceled, however, we were able to pivot and take on smaller projects, which has been a great step for our family. Our plan moving forward is to continue with smaller projects and only work with a certain number of wedding clients per year. It has taken us 6 years to get to this point and its always a work in progress! Other ways we make sure to keep the balance: eating healthy, getting a good nights rest every night, not working more than 8 hours in a day, no screens in our bedrooms, making sure we take at least 2 days off per week for family time (with no work interruptions), and making sure we are getting enough sunlight and outdoor time throughout the week.

What should our readers know about your business?
We are primarily wedding photographers, but we also do a select number of family, maternity, newborn, and branding shoot throughout the year. There are two things that we are constantly getting feedback about and have become our niche: our clients love our ability to capture emotion and make you truly feel like you have stepped into their wedding day. Geoff’s photojournalism background has definitely shaped our style. He can make people laugh and then disappear into the background to allow the moments unfold at a natural pace. All the while Lyndsi provides direction and gentle encouragement from the foreground. We work very hard to get to know our clients. It’s super important to go into their day like old friends rather than just another vendor. We have said since the beginning that we want to love the people we work with and hope our couples feel the same. I think our personalities really set us apart from other wedding photographers in the industry. Being a wedding photographer is only half about your art, you also have to be a strong leader, be able to carry and guide a wedding day with tact, be ‘of-service’ to literally every guest and vendor, all while making sure you are getting great photos. I think we both do a great job of this!

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
We live in Ventura, California, so we would spend a lot of time at the beach, hiking, riding bikes and doing all the outdoor things. For a pick me up, we’d go to Prospect Coffee Roasters or Singing Sun Coffee. For the best fresh juice in town, Channel Islands Juicery. For our favorite fish tacos, Spencer Mackenzies. We would also have to do a tour of all our favorite breweries around town: MadeWest, Topa Topa, and Ventura Coast.

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
Firstly, we are each other’s biggest cheerleaders. We both get a little anxious before heading into a shoot or wedding and it’s so nice to always have each other to soften those emotions. It’s scary starting your own business! Especially early on, we were constantly having to reassure each other that we were on the right path and doing what we are meant to do.

Our parents are definitely our biggest cheerleaders outside of each other! Especially both of our moms. We became parents last March and would not have gotten through the last year without their physical, emotional, and logistical support.

Our wedding photographer and friend, Katie Shuler, gave us so much support early on and even had Lyndsi tag along to a few weddings to second shoot. She gave us a ton of encouragement and has even recommended clients to us over the years!

Also, every single one of our clients has played a role in our success, especially the early couples that trusted us when we didn’t have a ton of experience or a big portfolio to show for.

Website: www.geoffandlyndsi.com

Instagram: @geoffandlyndsi

Other: https://www.theknot.com/marketplace/geoff-and-lyndsi-photography-ventura-ca-2036746

Image Credits
Kyle Sparks took the photos of the two of us.

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