Why Outsourcing for Photographers Is the Key to Creating the Life You Want

If you’ve been in the elopement world for any length of time, then the name Henry Tieu likely needs no introduction. If you know him even a little, then you know he operates with intention and heart (or, as we sometimes call it, (He)art). Henry is recognized industry-wide for his emotion-filled photos and his heart-centered approach to wedding photography.

What you might not know is that Henry was Sonder Studio’s very first client (and, fun fact – I was one of his, too). So featuring him as our first-ever client spotlight feels like such a full-circle moment!

In this interview-style post, Henry shares how he’s grown his photography business with intention and how outsourcing (especially blogging) has played in that journey. He also shares a few of the mindset shifts that have allowed him to scale his business without sacrificing what matters most.

If you’ve ever wondered what outsourcing for photographers really looks like and what it means to trust someone else with your brand voice and content, Henry’s story is for you! Over the years he’s built a brand that reflects the heart behind everything he does, and I’m very honored to share a piece of that with you today.

Here’s what Henry had to say.

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Q: Was there a moment you realized you couldn’t do everything yourself?

Henry: When I first started my photography journey in 2017, I thought I had to do everything myself – and not just emails and editing, but also website design and blog posts and everything else. I thought that clients want “me” in everything that I do. So, although I was overwhelmed, for those first three years of my career, I just held on to doing everything.

Eventually, that resulted in burning out from lack of sleep and rest. I was shooting multiple weddings, editing all night, answering emails at 2AM, trying to get more opportunities to photograph, as well as building a website and social media presence – all while still trying to show up for my family. I was burning out fast. And I wasn’t creating my best work. I was stuck in the weeds of running a business instead of leading one.

I got to the point in my business where I just kept telling myself “I’ll do this when I have time”. But those things never got done. I slowly started to let go of doing everything myself and learned to trust in others. The fact that I slowly outsourced one thing at a time helped me ease into outsourcing more.

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Q: What were the first things you decided to outsource?

Henry: Social media was the first. Then Pinterest. Then Blogging.

Blog posts took longer to hand off since I wanted everything to have my voice in it along with formatting for SEO. Mostly I was afraid the blog posts wouldn’t feel like me. I also felt like “how can someone write about this day when they weren’t there – when I am the one who had first hand experience at this wedding?”.

The first couple blog posts took a bit of time to get right and to let go of the process completely, but, it all worked out.

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Q: When you were looking for someone to help with blogging, what mattered most to you? 

Henry: What I looked for in people I work with is their level of dedication. When we first started working together, I knew you [Kiersten] did not have any experience in blogging and that was totally ok with me. Some people are invested and they take the initiatives in everything that they do and I think that is what’s most important for me. Lack of knowledge? That can always be trained. But dedication and how invested someone is, those qualities you either possess or you don’t and that is how I choose the people I work with.

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Q: How has blogging helped your business?

Henry: It’s been absolutely amazing to have an increase in traffic to my site and more couples able to find me with different keywords.

But not only that, blogging has allowed couples to see themselves in my work and feel aligned with my approach. One example I am thinking of is an LGBTQ+ couple who inquired and shared that through my work and website, they could see that I “celebrates us, not just tolerates us”, and that is truly something I hold close to my heart.

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Q: What would you say to a photographer who feels like they should blog but can’t find the time?

Henry: Please be kind to yourself. You are ONE person and you are not required to know and do everything.

One of the things that helped me determine when I should ask for help is I looked at everything that I needed to do to grow my business. If there was something that I told myself “I’ll do this when I have time”, that was the thing I outsourced first because, as humans, we will always be busy.

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Q: What would you say to photographers who think outsourcing is too expensive or not worth it yet?

Henry: Your time is your most valuable asset. The cost of holding on to every task isn’t just money — it’s your creativity, energy, and personal life. So if you’re on the fence, start small. Trust others with what doesn’t need your fingerprint. And watch what happens when you finally have space to breathe again. You don’t have to outsource everything all at once.

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Q: Do you have any advice or tips for finding the right person to outsource to?

Henry: If you’re in the wedding industry, you know how important it is for your clients to connect to your work before they book you. It’s the same thing with finding someone who you can outsource to since their work now represents you in the public facing side. You need to be able to understand who they are, what their values are, and how they work. Then compare everything you see there with who you are. If you feel a disconnect, it doesn’t matter that they have proof they can bring a website to rank on page 1 on Google. If you can’t connect, it will result in not trusting and not being able to work together.

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Q: What’s your best advice for photographers who want to build a business that lasts (and doesn’t burn them out)?

Henry: The number one thing I wrote down in my journal that I want to share with you is “Build your business around your life, not the other way around”.

In the beginning, I felt like I had to sacrifice my own life to build a business. But when your own life doesn’t get the attention, rest, or care it deserves, you will soon start asking the question “why do any of this?” and “for what?”.

Dream the life you want to have, then write down a list of actionable items you can achieve yourself and a list of items you feel like you need help from others. If it’s something you can get help from family and friends, ask for it, verbalize it. If it’s something you need to outsource, slowly do it.

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Q: What does life look like now that your business doesn’t rely on you 100%?

Henry: It’s great because I get to have more time for both business and personal life. In the past, it would take a long time for me to get a blog post out since I had to prioritize photographing, editing, and sharing on social media before I could update my own website.

Not worrying about blog posts now allows me to spend that time wisely. I get to focus on my craft and spend more time with family – both of which are important for me.

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Final Thoughts on Outsourcing for Photographers:

In classic Henry fashion, there were so many nuggets of gold in what he shared. But, if there’s only one thing you take from his story I hope it’s this: You don’t have to do it all alone. In fact, not doing it all alone is exactly where the magic starts. Build the life you dream of and make your business work for you – not the other way around.

If Henry’s story resonated with you and you’re ready to take blogging off your plate so you can focus on the parts of your business that only you can do, I’d love to help.

I’ll also be sharing more interviews like this soon, so stay tuned because there’s more goodness to come.

And Henry, thank you for being not just an inspiration in business and art, but for also being a friend. Cannot wait to see what the future holds for you!

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