Meet Lexi Foster | Destination Elopement + Wedding Photographer

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

Hi Lexi, we’d love to hear about how you approach risk and risk-taking
Risk plays such a huge role in my business and it’s success. I’ve always loved the quote by Ellen Sirleaf “if your dreams don’t scare you, they aren’t big enough.” I repeat that to myself constantly + remind myself that I need to create opportunities for myself. They won’t just appear. When I first started this business, It really wasn’t a business at all but I told myself someday It would be and didn’t give myself an option to not make it successful. I was living in an apartment working a 9-5 corporate job that I wasn’t in love with. I would spend most of my days thinking about how to be creative after work and if there was enough light to go do a session. Most days I would be staying late or needing to write notes for my job I had at the moment, so I never had time to be creative. I ended up quitting that job, diving head-first full- time into what my passion was- wedding photography. I had no idea how it would work out, but I liked to think- “what’s the worst that can happen? I have to get a new job?”

Nine months later, I was featured in the New York Times for an elopement I had photographed in Stowe, Vermont. Every single day (and many nights), I worked to learn everything there is about photography. This is and never will be just a job for me. It’s what keeps me up late and gets me up early on Sunday mornings. Documenting couple’s stories the way they experience them is such a powerful storytelling tool for me + I love that I’m able to share that with people and make them happy through my art.

Later on, after I fell in love with photographing weddings, I wanted to focus on doing destination weddings and elopements. There is a great deal of risk that’s associated with this as well. Sometimes it is needing to travel alone to a destination I’ve never been before or even meeting people who are complete strangers in a desolate location. Since then, I’ve developed a method to travel safely and now my husband joins alongside me for most weddings, but there will always need to be some level of risk to establish clients in a new destination.

In addition to traveling, I think there’s a great deal of risk in also putting your artwork out there for everyone to see and judge. That’s what wedding and elopement photography is to me. It’s art. When I post on Instagram or my website or any social media for that matter, it feels very risky and vulnerable to post something that others may not like, but I may have fallen in love with while taking. I’ve learned that it’s okay for people not to like everything I put out there. That’s what makes me an artist.

Most important factor of success behind my brand?

I believe I owe my success to being unapologetically ambitious and motivated. If I have an idea + want to pursue it, I am committed to making it happen from the moment I decide I want to do it. I don’t really like to sit on an idea long, but instead jumping into planning how to make it happen. I always love a challenge. After my photos were featured in the New York Times, my first thought was “how am I going to top this?” It’s important to me to never become complacent in my career and always be striving for new knowledge + becoming a better business.

I am a firm believer in manifesting my reality. I’ve had days where I’d wished I was doing something different or wishing I had weddings in a certain place.  I find that until I actually begin pursuing the way to go after it, I won’t have what I yearn for. One example of this is becoming a destination wedding photographer. I told myself that if I wanted to start getting bookings worldwide, instead of just in my small corner of the United States, I need to travel first and show what’s possible in these countries. When I started doing this, the dream followed and inquiries and bookings started to flow in, because people were seeing that I was available for travel.

There have been nights where I’ve been up editing into early hours of the morning. I am absolutely obsessed with business. I listen to podcasts nonstop about different marketing tactics, search engine optimization, new ways to be creative, and gain other perspectives from other entrepreneurs in and out of the industry. My goal every day is to either gain more insight into this industry and find ways to increase my level of productivity or create a better client experience for my clients.

What’s the end goal? Where do you want to be professionally by the end of your career?
This answer to this is ever-changing, because I am constantly inspired by the environment and people around me. I’m always wanting to strive for more and learn how to become a better business owner + photographer. For now, the goal is to be booked for destination elopements all over the world, to stay inspired and to see environments with excited fresh eyes for my clients. I also run an education side of my business to help other photographers grow their businesses at an accelerated rate. I’d like to grow this side of my business more and explore what more I can do for other photographers with my course and workshop offerings. I’m looking to begin hosting more online resources for photographers in the future, to be able to assist them in growing their businesses at their own pace.

There are other awards and features I’d like to achieve such as be featured in various magazines and win a rangefinder award, but these don’t seem to amount to goal of having the type of lifestyle I yearn for. When I think of where I want my destination elopement business to be in the future, I know it’ll be a lifestyle that is constantly surrounded by nature and adventure, new people and new stories. To stay inspired, to keep learning, and to always be growing + never become complacent. That’s really my ultimate goal (as cheesy as that all sounds).

Can you give our readers an introduction to your business? Maybe you can share a bit about what you do and what sets you apart from others?

My business is all about taking a different approach to weddings. Adventure Elopements are where I find I’m my happiest. I am extremely drawn to the mountains, alpine lakes + spots that feature the naturally beautiful vast landscape. I attempt to make every session and wedding an adventure for my clients, whether that just be because it’s the first time they’ve been photographed together or because we are embarking on a true adventure such as a hike or ATV ride through the mountains.

Building a business, no matter the type of business, is never easy. It was definitely not a linear road to where I am today,with lots of learning curves along the way, but I’m thankful for all these curves such as learning how to build sound contracts, what programs to use, how to market myself, how to edit photos in a way that resonates with others, how to price myself, how to communicate with clients effectively and building the best experience for my clients etc. I now know how to build a stronger business moving forward because I’ve learned strategies for each of these topics. Over time, I have found that my drive for success controls how much the business continues to grow.

The thing that sets me apart the most from others is my ability to see new landscapes with fresh eyes + be consistently inspired by seeing new places. Instead of documenting the same cookie cutter story in different places, I do my best to see each couple and landscape with fresh eyes and document them in a way that is unique to them. Despite how draining travel is for some, I know that It will be worth the trip because I’ll immediately be inspired by a new landscape. It’s the most exciting thing for me about my job. I love spending hours of research to find a perfect spot for a couple for both them and I to experience together for the first time and watching everything come together as we planned it.

In addition to photographing, I assist in all the planning of finding new destinations, location scouting those places for my couples, securing permits, and even finding activities for my clients to do while we’re in town. It’s like I’m a vacation planner turned photographer (except it’s actually the opposite). The planning is another huge part about the job I enjoy. I love to research and see what’s possible. Building a business is an ever-evolving process. There are always tasks to be done, people to reach out to + new information to learn. Though, I am a firm believer that asking for help and seeking new perspective and knowledge can only help a business owner grow.

In addition to this, another thing I’ve learned is that comparison really is the thief of joy + in a creative industry, it’s hard not to compare yourself to others. I used to look at posts from other photographers and think “wow I wish I got booked to those places or I wish my editing was that good!” Now I feel as though I’ve evolved into my own artist and don’t think that way anymore. I do feel inspired by other’s work, but not necessarily envious. Once I stopped thinking this way, I felt like I was really able to become my own artist, enjoy what I was doing + document in the best way for my couples.

If there’s one thing I want the world to know about my brand, it’s that your elopement should be an experience and that’s what I do for my clients. If you are choosing an elopement over a traditional wedding day, chances are you value experience over material things + you deserve the chance to feel vulnerable and completely at ease on your day.

There are no moments that aren’t worth being documented. I’m an empath, so that makes documenting others that much easier for me. I put myself in my client’s shoes and wonder what they’d want to see. I want your specific story to be told + for you to be elated at the images you look back at. Even If I don’t want to feel what others feel, I do. I think that’s why I’m so able to photograph it’s that mundane moments in addition to the exciting ones are worth photographing. Photos are worth being printed. Stories told deserve to be matched to the photographs that have been taken.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
I absolutely love my state because it’s 1 hour from all the main attractions (the ocean to the East, the mountains to the north, and the city Boston to the south!)

In the white mountains, I love all different hikes, but a few of our must. see spots in NH are:
the kancamagus Highway
The town of north conway- super quaint town with cutesy and artsy shops.
Conway railroad- scenic railroad that has sights of the white mountains that only the train can see!
Sabbaday falls
Artist bluff- quick 20 min hike up to. a stunning view overlooking Cannon mountain
Mt Washington auto road- tallest mountain in NH, where you drive on the edge circling up the mountain.
Seacoast- towns like Portsmouth NH, Newburyport MA and York ME.
Of course- Boston (mikes pastries is a great bakery as well as Tate bakery)

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
I wouldn’t be where I am today without the people that have come before me in this profession, such as artists, SEO strategists, podcasters, marketing strategists, and of course other wedding vendors like florists, planners and venue owners. I constantly seek out others that have been where I want to be + always learn from those that may offer another perspective. One of those people includes Henry Tieu.

I do owe a lot of my inspiration to Henry Tieu Photography from Henry’s diary (as found on Instagram). I felt that Henry was someone who is unapologetically himself in this industry and has done so well with his art and capturing people so authentically + beautifully, in a way that reflects them. He is able to photograph couples in such beautiful landscapes, while doing their stories justice.

You know how people say? “This photo doesn’t do it justice.” Well, look at Henry’s work + you will feel like he’s doing the places he photographs justice.

Website: lexifosterphotography.com

Instagram: @lexifosterphotography

Facebook: facebook.com/theelopementphotographer

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@lexifosterthebohotraveler1049

Other: https://www.pinterest.com/lexifosterphotography/ Tik tok: @lexifosterphotography

Image Credits
All images are mine- Lexi Foster Photography