Today we’d like to introduce you to Francis Sylvest.
Hi Francis, can you start by introducing yourself? We’d love to learn more about how you got to where you are today?
I’ve been photographing and filming weddings for a little over 10 years now. I started out shooting in New Orleans, before moving to Colorado and now mainly doing destination work in Colorado, New York, Brooklyn, New Orleans and Iceland.
I got my start my second shooting with a mutual connection and ended up shooting a lot of events that were way above my skill level. This was an incredible opportunity to take a back seat, learn, and develop my own style in the background.
Now 10 years later, I’ve been photographing weddings full-time for 6 years and have a very successful business.
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
It was not a smooth road at all. Switching markets was a very hard change to make. It took me nearly 4 years to fully break into a new market. This goes from making connections, getting local work to show that you’re actually local, etc.
It’s also hard when you’re starting out because you don’t have a very defined style and can’t properly show your potential clients what you love to capture most, or what types of couples you like to capture the most because you just don’t have the experience yet.
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
I specialize in shooting on film for both photography and videography. Over the years, I’ve had quite a bit of couples specifically book me for film only coverage on their wedding day. In 2o26, 30% of my bookings are 100% film. Whether it’s 35mm or medium format film photography, or 16mm videography, it’s really been the driving force of my business. I love film because it’s very true to life and 100% honest of what you see in the moment.
In addition, I also shoot in a very true to life ‘documentary style’. This is very much a buzzword right now that doesn’t have much meaning, but I consider myself to be a true documentary style. The couples that hire me really aren’t focused on the traditional wedding photography experience – they want someone who will be unseen and really capture them candidly. A typical day with me consists of 4-5 minutes of portraits and then limited group photos. The rest is 100% candid with minimal direction unless the couples asks me to do so.
How do you define success?
I feel like success is defined by the quality and alignment of the couples I work with. Yes, this is a business and I need to make money to provide for my family, but it’s the people that continually trust me and hire me to document an incredibly important moment of their lives that really makes me feel successful.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://francissylvest.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/afsylvest/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/afsylvest
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/AFSylvest
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@coloradoweddingphotographer
- Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/francis-sylvest-boulder
Image Credits
Francis Sylvest (All Images)
