Vendors Working From Home

Our photographers worked from home and did not have a studio. They did a fantastic job on our photos, so I would say this did not take away their legitimacy. In fact if weddings and events are most of a photographers business, it wouldn’t exactly make sense to pay the rent for a studio when all of their shooting is not even going to take place there, but where the couple is getting married. Having an office can add up to a lot of overhead and eat into their revenue.


The payments via Venmo is the part that would give me pause though. Our photographers used a portal from a vendor software company for our contract signing and payments. But as far as the not owning a studio part, I would encourage to not let that deter you from a photographer/videographer.

I dont' know many photographers who have a studio - all the ones we met with were at a coffee shop or something. Venmo is increasingly common for self-employed business owners. IF you're uncomfortable, just ask if there another way you could pay bc you don't use Venmo (or if you're just uncomfortable).

Wedding photographers aren't always full-time photographers, but they're also "traveling" frequently for shoots (to be at weddings), so it makes sense and is totally ok/common for them not to have studio space. Our wedding photographer is wonderful, but this is her side gig and she doesn't have a studio; we initially met over Zoom (early 2022) and she was awesome! She does use a portal for payment, but many of our other vendors we've paid through Venmo.

Agreed that Venmo is more common these days. We paid our church marriage prep fees through Venmo, as well as our DJ and our photobooth venue. We also paid our dance instructor for lessons through Venmo after each lesson in a studio, and I've paid my seamstress/tailor through Venmo (and Zelle). Business can set up a legit business account via Venmo, and Venmo has protections available for payments that are to sellers/businesses.