A Look Back at the Journey of Cam & Courtney Photography

As we reflect on the past 15 years of this business—our little corner of creativity, connection, and memory-making—we wanted to take a moment to journal through the journey. There have been seasons of change, challenges that stretched us, wins that fueled us, and a whole lot of growth along the way.

In our first post, we shared a bit of how it all began: Why Photography and Why Photography Matters.

Today, we’re taking a walk through the years—sharing how this business has evolved from a creative hobby into something that has deeply shaped who we are.

CLP/CCP Year-By-Year

2010 – So It Begins
Courtney received her first DSLR and dove into a photo-a-day challenge—snapping something new each day, whether it was a bird’s nest, a friend, our son, or a simple piece of fruit. She pushed herself to see the world differently, to grow creatively, and to learn the ins and outs of her camera. A few close friends began asking for photos, and the seed was planted.

2011 – Mentoring Under Trevor & Our First “Unknown” Clients
Word started to spread, and Courtney began photographing people we didn’t know personally, which was an exciting milestone! Around that time, she also connected with Trevor from Blu Room Photography, who graciously allowed her to assist and learn from him. Watching a pro in action helped grow both skill and confidence and sparked a deeper love for the craft.

2012 – First Solo Wedding
Courtney officially stepped out on her own as Courtney Liske Photography, and took on her first solo wedding (thank you Matt & Cherise for trusting us). Cam joined in to assist and second shoot, offering support and backup coverage. We were all nerves, but deeply excited. That wedding became a foundation for what would come next.

2013 – CreativeLive & Investment in Learning
We realized that if we were going to do this, we wanted to do it well. We began digging into online education, especially CreativeLive training. Those early courses opened our eyes to the business side of photography: pricing, branding, workflow, and building a sustainable creative career.

2014 – Finding Our Groove (and a Little Cinematography)
We continued taking on more sessions and weddings, experimenting with different styles and refining our own. This year also marked the start of Cam offering cinematography services for weddings, often with help from his brother, Jordan. It was an experiment in stretching ourselves and offering more value to our clients- an idea that worked well, but we eventually decided to focus on our primary love of photography and not stretch ourselves too thin.

2015 – Learning What We’re Not
In an effort to expand, we dipped our toes into photographing architecture, headshots, products, and commercial work. While it was a great learning opportunity, we realized pretty quickly that it wasn’t for us. Our hearts were always drawn back to people, to emotion, relationships, and storytelling. We don’t regret trying these out, but it helped solidify our direction.

2016 – Closing Shop for a New Calling
We felt called to become career missionaries in Rwanda, which meant closing Courtney Liske Photography—a difficult but prayerfully considered decision. In preparation, we attended the Connect Retreat for married couples in business, where we found a beautiful community of like-minded creatives. Even in the closing of CLP, doors of connection were opening (read more about that story HERE).

2017 – This Isn’t Africa
Due to unforeseen health issues, our plans to move overseas changed VERY suddenly. We re-opened the business and poured ourselves into photography as an outlet during a season of confusion and grief. Cam stepped fully into the creative side and began shooting every session alongside Courtney. This was a turning point. We also attended ShowIt United that fall—deepening our community and reigniting our creativity (read more about that story HERE).

2018 – A Building Year
This was a year of momentum. We photographed more weddings and sessions than ever before, and our systems, style, and confidence were in full swing. We also hosted our first-ever workshop that we dubbed De-stylized Wedding Workshop, bringing together photographers to practice in less-than-ideal scenarios—harsh light, cramped prep space, minimal decor—and learn how to thrive in real-life situations.

It wasn’t about perfect styling—it was about real growth. Thank you Starr Mercer Photography, Ali Lauren Creative Services, Nicole Gerhardt Photography, and Jessica Hunter Photography for being willing to teach and run with our wacky idea. If anyone wants to run with this idea, you have our blessing! We saw huge value for so many people!

2019 – What’s an Appendix for Anyway?
Business was booming, but life reminded us that it doesn’t always go according to plan. Cam came down with appendicitis the night before a wedding in the summer of 2019, and had emergency surgery during the wedding itself. It was the first and only wedding Courtney photographed without him. A wild memory, and a reminder of the unpredictability of it all! Thank you, Krystal Moore of Krystal Moore Photography, for stepping in to fill Cam’s shoes!

2020 – A Weird but New Year
COVID changed everything! The biggest understatement ever… The wedding industry (and every other industry) was turned upside down, and we had to pivot alongside our couples. From rescheduling to reimagining celebrations, we leaned into creativity and flexibility. It was also the year we officially rebranded from Courtney Liske Photography to Cam & Courtney Photography—a change that felt long overdue. We were always in this together, and now the name reflected that.

2021 – Isolation & Missing Our First Wedding
The pandemic lingered, and our family contracted COVID, which meant we had to miss a wedding for the first time ever. Our dear friend, Thom Hamilton, of White Tail Films stepped in to photograph for us, and we’re forever grateful. We still edited and delivered the wedding, including a same-day slideshow. It wasn’t ideal, but it was a beautiful picture of the incredible community around us stepping in when we needed them. Thank you so much, Thom!!!

2022– Life Takes a Surprising and Unwelcome Turn
Post-COVID, we found ourselves in a rhythm. Cam started a new day job, which made balancing everything more complicated- work, parenting, editing, shooting, and life in general- but we were able to maintain systems that supported both us and our clients. This year also was one of the hardest ever, with the very sudden passing of Courtney’s dad in November. A hero in our lives, and so many others. This sent us spiralling, asking so many questions and re-evaluating life. Read the One Year Reflection post for our hearts and our struggles.

2023– A Busy Season in Recovery
This was one of our busiest years again. We were able to photograph so many amazing families (new and repeat) and more beautiful weddings. This was a difficult season as we were still processing the loss from 2022. Every family photo, every father-daughter dance, every moment between parents or grandparents was a tear-jerker but also so much more vitally important to us now. We wanted to cherish and capture these moments as intentionally as possible for our clients.

2024 – A Bucket List Trip
Our client base continued to grow, and we were so grateful to keep doing what we loved with people we adored. Generally speaking, September is our busiest month with fall weddings and engagements, family photos, back to school photos and so much more. This year we decided to take the entire month of September off – for ourselves. We took a bucket list trip to Ireland and Scotland, just the two of us, to commemorate our 20th anniversary. Read more in our 2-part blog of that trip: Part 1 & Part 2.

2025 – Our Final Year
At the end of our 2024 trip, we intentionally chose to take on fewer weddings for the 2025 season. We wanted to reclaim balance—especially after so many evenings and weekends spent away from our kids. As the months passed, the decision distilled down: it was time. The chapter of Courtney Liske Photography / Cam & Courtney Photography was coming to a close. We didn’t want to burn out or drift away slowly. We wanted to finish strong, while we still loved what we did, and had time and energy to give in other areas of life- namely our kids.

This decision wasn’t easy (we’ll share more about that in the next post), but it was right.

It’s hard to put into words how deeply this journey has shaped us. These snapshots don’t capture every moment, but they offer a glimpse into what the last 15 years have meant to us.

Every client. Every wedding. Every family session. Every tear, laugh, and quiet moment frozen in time. We are grateful for it all.

Thank you for being part of our story!

Cam & Courtney