Rustic Light Photography

What Rustic Light Photography does

Wild Embers Photography is a privately held, partnership-based photography studio operating from a 1,500 sq ft private studio in Cleveland, Ohio. The firm was founded and continues to be operated by co-founders Colleen and Amanda as a two-person photography team, despite the firmographics field referencing a Mentor, US locale; the operational record is consistently Cleveland. The business is bootstrapped with no external funding, no parent entity, and no disclosed institutional ownership. The studio books 12-18 months in advance for weddings, indicating sustained demand at the current capacity.

The company's service portfolio spans three verticals. Wedding photography is sold in three tiered collections priced between $3,500 and $5,500 (6 to 10 hours of coverage), with à la carte hours at $400-$1,200 and add-on services including bridal boudoir, day-after, anniversary, and custom album products. Couples photography is offered through engagement sessions (complimentary with Collection One) and standalone Sparks Sessions. Boudoir photography — both individual and couples — is positioned as a confidence-building experience featuring professional hair and makeup, a 90-minute private studio session, a 150+ piece size-inclusive wardrobe, up to four wardrobe changes, and a structured pre-consultation and image-reveal workflow. The studio also offers worldwide destination coverage with custom travel quotes and operates an ancillary e-commerce storefront, the Wild Embers Boutique, with free shipping on orders over $60.

The revenue model is session-based, one-time license pricing with a 30% non-refundable retainer to secure the booking date, supplemented by print and digital product sales and modest product merchandise revenue. Go-to-market is direct-to-consumer, primarily through the Squarespace-hosted website, Instagram-driven portfolio marketing, consultation-led funnel (Dubsado/Square scheduling), client testimonials, and a private Facebook VIP community ('boudie babes') for past boudoir clients. Underlying technology consists of standard professional photography hardware and commercial photo editing software; no proprietary technology, integrations, or AI capabilities are disclosed. Customer mix is concentrated in mid-market couples and individual women in the Midwest, with no enterprise or recurring-contract exposure.

Name

Rustic Light Photography

Legal name

Wild Embers Photography

Website

https://wildembersphotography.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2015

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Privately held Cleveland, Ohio-based duo-photography studio founded by Colleen and Amanda offering wedding, couples, and boudoir photography via tiered wedding collections ($3,500-$5,500) and inclusive in-studio boudoir experiences, serving mid-market couples and individual women with worldwide destination coverage.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Photography Services

NAICS

Commercial Photography (541922), Photography Studios, Portrait (541921)

SIC

Services-Mailing, Reproduction, Commercial Art & Photography (7330)

akta.pro primary industry

Photography & Scenic Viewpoint Tours (THAJAAAI)

Keywords

• Wedding photography services
• Boudoir photography
• Couples photography sessions
• Engagement photography
• Destination wedding photography

Headquarters

HQ city

Mentor

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Supply Chain

Revenue model

1. Wedding Photography: Session-based wedding photography with tiered collection packages ranging from $3,500 to $5,500. Includes hours of coverage, digital files, online gallery, and print release. Additional hours available at $400-$1,200. A 30% retainer fee required to secure booking date.
2. Boudoir Photography: Full boudoir session experience including professional hair and makeup, 90-minute session, up to 4 wardrobe changes, and access to 150+ piece size-inclusive wardrobe. Session includes pre-consultation call and image reveal appointment.
3. Couples Photography: Couples photography sessions for engagements, anniversaries, and general couple portraits. Includes Sparks Sessions for capturing moments in current life stage.
4. Print and Album Products: Luxury print and digital product options available for purchase including custom fine art wedding albums and high-resolution digital files.
5. Wild Embers Boutique: E-commerce boutique offering products with promotional code FREESHIP for orders over $60.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Wild Embers Photography is a Cleveland, Ohio-based duo photography studio run by co-founders Colleen and Amanda, offering tiered wedding photography collections (6–10 hours of two-photographer coverage priced $3,500–$5,500), boudoir photography experiences that include professional hair and makeup plus access to a 150+ piece inclusive wardrobe, and couples photography sessions known as Sparks Sessions. The studio also offers a la carte services such as extra hours, bridal boudoir sessions, day-after sessions, anniversary sessions, custom fine art wedding albums, and accepts destination bookings worldwide.

Product overview

Wild Embers Photography is a duo-photography team (Colleen and Amanda) offering three tiered wedding photography collections (Collection One at $5,500, Collection Two at $4,500, and Collection Three at $3,500) with a la carte add-ons including extra coverage, albums, and specialty sessions. Their core offerings also include individual and couples boudoir photography experiences featuring professional hair/makeup, private studio sessions, wardrobe styling with access to a 150+ piece size-inclusive wardrobe, and image reveal appointments. Couples photography is offered through their Sparks Sessions concept, while engagement sessions are included complimentary with their premium wedding package. The business operates from a 1,500 sq ft studio in Cleveland, Ohio and provides destination photography services globally.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Wedding Photography Collections

Quantifiable outcome

• 80-100 individually edited images delivered per hour of wedding coverage
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers8 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Others

• Dubsado: Dubsado offers client management, contracts, and invoicing for creative small businesses including photographers. It is directly comparable because Wild Embers explicitly uses Dubsado for its booking and consultation workflow.
• Tave: Tave is a studio management CRM built specifically for photographers, covering booking, contracts, and invoicing. It is comparable as a workflow peer addressing the same operational pain points Wild Embers faces.
• ShootProof: ShootProof is a gallery delivery and sales platform built for photographers. It is comparable as an enabling infrastructure provider in the same photography services stack used to deliver online galleries and print sales to wedding clients.
• Brides (Condé Nast): Brides is a leading wedding media brand that curates vendors including wedding photographers. It is comparable as a discovery and demand-shaping channel that influences the same mid-market wedding couples Wild Embers targets.
• HoneyBook: HoneyBook provides CRM, contracts, and invoicing software for wedding and event professionals. It is an ecosystem enabler comparable because Wild Embers' contract/retainer workflow sits in adjacent tools (Dubsado/Square) and operates in the same professional wedding creative ecosystem.
• Adorama: Adorama is a major photography equipment retailer and education provider serving professional photographers. It is comparable as ecosystem infrastructure on the supply side, since Wild Embers' service delivery depends on professional camera, lighting, and editing gear.
• Pixieset: Pixieset provides photography websites, galleries, and studio management tools. It serves the same wedding/couples photographer segment as Wild Embers and is comparable as ecosystem infrastructure for portfolio presentation and client delivery.
• Aisle Planner: Aisle Planner is wedding planning software that includes vendor coordination, including photography. It is comparable as an ecosystem participant that touches the same wedding planning purchase journey and competes for the couple's vendor budget.

Broad incumbents

• The Knot Worldwide: The Knot is the dominant wedding vendor marketplace and planning platform in the US. It is comparable as a broad incumbent connecting couples with wedding photographers and other vendors, shaping the demand and competitive environment in which Wild Embers operates.
• Snappr: Snappr is an on-demand photography marketplace that aggregates photographers across categories including weddings and events. It is comparable as a broader photography incumbent competing for the same brides-and-grooms customer and offering an alternative booking channel.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses2 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Instagraminstagram.com/wildembersphotography
• Facebookfacebook.com/wildembersphotography
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/rustic-light-photography

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Rustic Light Photography