Playing w/ a business idea

[HotHolly]

I'm not gonna say what Im thinking...just looking for thoughts. If you already heard about my 1/2 formed plan somewhere else...shshshshhhhh!

What are the different ways a photographer could use a current style wedding gown to help their business? (Not a Goodwill, outdated rag. Something that is nice & current).

eg -
-For a model to wear a bridal fair and get you lots of attention
-Practice Shooting (trying new stuff you might not want to risk on a paying client)
-Trash the Dress
-Creating marketing pieces

Im sure there are other things, but nothings jumping to mind. Scare the he!! outa your girl friend (or she may scare you!) While that would be funny, its not business related.

Can you think of anything where a photographer may want a wedding gown for a few days without making the investment of buying one?

[texxter]

> -Practice Shooting (trying new stuff you might not want to risk on a paying client)

Shoot in a very unusual place to add unique images to your portfolio - kinda different from practicing. Here is a good example from the last issue of Rangefinder:

http://www.rangefindermag.com/reposi...snake_Dorn.pdf

[toverman]

Games of "Pin the Tail on the Fake Bride" come to mind.

Considering the stories we've all probably heard about brides not being happy with their bridal or wedding photos, there's probably a market for renting/borrowing a similar dress for retakes. Some times that by the time it's discovered that the photos are crap the dress has been sealed in a cardboard time capsule for preservation (or later sale on e-Bay or whatever).

[C!LLY]

I bought my sister a wedding dress when she got married as my gift for her because she and her husband (still) have never been good with managing money. So I bought her this dress (with no return might I add) and she decided she didnt like it. She borrowed $300 from her Dad to help pay her electric bill, but bought the dress she wanted instead and her electricity was shut off until her mother in law payed it for her when she returned from her honeymoon. So I've been stuck with this dress for a few years now and just got the idea to get a friend to wear it so I can do some bridal shoots to put in my portfolio. I never put it on ebay, because I've never had a big trust for ebay.

[HotHolly]

Originally Posted by toverman

Games of "Pin the Tail on the Fake Bride" come to mind.

lol. OK, that's be a fun bachelor party game.

Interesting ideas so far.

One more idea - have a fake bride at the mall on a Saturday to hand out info about your wedding photography.

If you do kiddy photography you can kinda tweak that idea by bustling up the train up (so the gown is floor length) and go for the princess look. Stick a tiara on her head. Hand out/ book kid sessions or info. Little girls LOVE princesses. You'll have to peel the kiddos off the pretty pretty princess. (I need another intern. lol).

[C!LLY]

I have a pretty pretty princess dress thats yellow and doesnt fit my daughter anymore. (yes was worn at my stupid sisters wedding)...I should do that here. That is a good idea, if the mall will let me. I dont think the same managers are there from when I worked at the mall.

[HotHolly]

Each mall is different. Some will charge, some want insurance for the day of use or min liability coverages, others will let you do it in conjunction with a store in the mall (which is free), or a non profit (which is also free). The cheapest way into the mall is during a craft fair. Go for it Cilly!

Any more ideas?

[Graydon]

Well, if it was Tracy Hicks and Tara asking, I'd say put it (the wedding dress) on a guy and have him hand out glamor shots as samples of the "after".

Or... go and take some really great photos of someone in the wedding gown... then put it in the "cardboard storage box"...

... then do a simple 2 display stand someplace... on stand 1, put the box with the gown inside... on stand 2 put a large format print / collage of the model in the gown... with the following statement (or something similar) very clearly on display...

"In 10, 20, 30 years... how will you remember your wedding gown?"
" ditto... how will you show your daughters how you looked?"
" ditto... how are you going to relive that day?"

... oh, and tying into that last one... you could instead get an older lady to put the gown on... while standing next to the oh so excellent photos you took. Kinda comically playing on the idea that having great photos is sooo much better than putting the gown back on.

I think the recurring theme for these (minus the glamor shots by Tracy comment)... is that the photo / print is something they are getting now... but is for the future. Which can be tied into discussions about quality / service / and why they want to fork over some serious dough now so that those memories are preserved in a way that a gown in cardboard box could never do.

If you try it and it works, I gladly accept donations through cash, check or credit card.

; )

[Lexie]

Lots of good ideas. I've had similar thoughts about using my daughters wedding dress to practice shooting. It's in my closet in the cardboard storage box. Gonna think more about un-boxing it!

[Breezy]

yall have some great ideas :D

[gaea106]

I just had an idea. Get a dress maker's manikin (just curves no head) and take pictures of the dress with the jewelry, maybe with a mirror or vanity in the background. That would be a neat idea for a picture of the bride getting dressed. No bride just the stuff. Very artsy.

http://www.alldressforms.com/mannequ...kvelvet19.html < dress maker manikin sample