How to be a Successful Wedding Photographer

[auddii]

It interesting to see the progress you've made and the insight that you have gained. Congrats on your business, and thanks for sharing!

[Epic Weddings]

Man, just when I think I'm cool I spend my evening reading a thread that humbles me back to to when I first started shooting. Thanks to all you generous souls who have shared their experience and thoughts on this matter.

I first read this thread about a year and a half ago and I remember thinking that Stacy was extremely arrogant and "nutty" herself. I am reading this thread after the last year and a half of shooting at higher levels I think her comments are spot on. She is definitely fighting the good fight and trying to educate everyone on what it costs to keep yourself afloat. Her work is world class and it's obvious so is her passion for what she does. Whoever said that shooting weddings just for the money is the worst reason ever couldn't be more correct.

This might be a tad controversial and not everyone will agree with me, but if you're not passionate about shooting weddings, don't book them. If you shoot something you don't care about people will notice. This the most special moment of most peoples lives and the bride and groom deserve someone who truly cares about their special day. The photographer is a huge part of someone's wedding and it's a good idea to sell your people skills when trying to book a client. Explain to the bride and groom that their wedding photographer is the most important part of their wedding and it's worthy of a larger budget. You are providing historical evidence and your pictures will be the most previous heirloom from their event. This kinda sounds cheesy, but anyone who really cares about their wedding work lives and dies on the satisfaction of their client: It's not about the money. If you are passionate about weddings, you should let your client know. Why should they hire you? Because you fricking LOVE shooting weddings. There are people who are passionate about shooting weddings and it's not always about the money which is why there are many wedding photogs who are awesome but don't charge what they are truly worth.

To go back to the original post:

- 8 hours of coverage
- 2 photographers
- Wedding Album
- 2 Parent Albums
- Engagement Portrait Session
- Hi-Res disc of negatives of Wedding Day images and Engagement Portrait session images with permission to make prints for personal use
-$2500 or less

At first glance this is indeed "nutty" and I would never stress about saying no to a bride that wanted all this. The main reason why is because if this client knew enough about photography services to have a specific list such as this, she KNOWS she's "lowballing." If she knows enough to ask for a "parent album" she knows what quality people charge for it. That being said, in situations like this there is an opportunity to make a sale and hopefully use this event to bring more business in.

I would be definitely cautious of shooting for a bride who was purely shopping on price. I'd rather shoot for a bride who wants YOUR photos, not just "photos." But I don't want to let me ego (which is huge) get in the way either so you have to consider first and foremost the budget of your bride and the availability of your days. It seems like there are more of us in the middle who have done quite a few weddings, but still haven't "made it" yet and don't have every weekend booked for the next year.

It is awesome that there are brides spending 5-10k on photography and this forum is a blessing to be a part of especially since that revenue is going to some of the folks here.....BUT....those weddings are the exception I believe, not the rule. In Dallas/Fort Worth, I believe there are more brides willing to sign at 2k than 8k and business is business when you've been investing in quality equipment. What it comes down to I think is being able to talk to your clients about budget. If they only considered spending a $1000 on a photographer, consider what you're willing to do for that $1000 bucks. This is all dependent on your equipment, too. If you shoot with a nice amateur camera then you shouldn't be charging 6k for weddings.

For instance, this is a good deal to me and I would take this deal all year for 2012 (I shoot with a d700 (sb-900), 24-70mm and 70-200mm D lens)

- 8 hours of coverage
- 1 photographer
- Engagement Portrait Session
- Hi-Res disc of negatives of Wedding Day images and Engagement Portrait session images with permission to make prints for personal use
-$2500 or less

If the bride wants to spend $2500, then give her $2500 worth of services. In this particular instance I would explain to her that with her disc she'll be given the high resolution files that will allow her to make an awesome album without having to pay the markup to the photographer to make it. Most brides get in a mindset that they have to save money at every turn when planning, but after a wedding most couples get money as a gift and theyll have the money in their budget to make all those albums later.

As far as competing with the "two photographer" request, I dealt with that issue last week and the bride called me today to tell me she wants to book me...

"The other photographer that I
am looking into will provide 2 persons taking photos during the wedding
which is attractive to me. He's about the same price as you, $2000. What
are your thoughts about having two?"

my reply...

I love working with other photogs! The only issue is that I will only
work with photogs who have my level of equipment or better and they
charge me $100 per hour minimum. They will have world class equipment,
strong work ethic, and will treat your family and friends as special
guests. I can't compete with two photographers at $2000 because the
people who own the camera I use would never shoot a wedding for $1000.
(I get killed from my peers for shooting at $2000, but since you are
friends with Kristen I have no problem going that low). Take a look at
the other photogs indoor stuff and photos that require flash. You will
notice in my pictures the background is rich and colorful and vibrant
because I use a full frame camera and the absolute top lens on the
market ($2300 for the lens alone.) This is a big deal because the
background and foreground are in good balance and the subject looks
well lit.

Photogs who don't use a full frame camera will have lots of photos in
their portfolio with tons of effects(sepia, black and white). If your
wedding is going to be entirely outdoors during the day, you will be
just fine and quite satisfied with a photographer who doesn't use a
full frame camera. Since most weddings are indoors and require lots of
flash photography, make sure whoever you use is using one of the
following cameras.: Nikon D700, Nikon D3, Canon 5D Mark II, Canon 1D.
I use the D700.

The other thing is you're going to have more than one photographer at
your wedding already. You will have lots of friends and family taking
their photos all throughout your day. Having another photographer is a
great thing when there's money in the budget to hire a great one with
world class equipment, but at the price levels you're talking about it
seems like whatever camera they are using is probably a nice amateur
camera which someone at your wedding will already have. I am really
good at working with the venue knowing where to be when I need to be
there and having another photographer moving around might make the
wedding seem hurried and rushed and will be distracting to your
guests. The less people walking around while your going through your
ceremony is better for everyone.

The bottom line is determine what you're willing to shoot for. If you're booked a year out, there's no need to book for less. If you're slowly building your business but haven't made it yet, determine what your bride is willing to spend and figure out what you're willing to do for that. The more you are able to say no, the more the bride will respect you as a legit photographer.

I'm a nobody in the business, but I'm drinking milk.

[stacyreeves]

Originally Posted by ttruelove

Stacy, I know I'm late to the party, but I have to say that I appreciate all the generous advice you've given us. I'd like to get your take on a few situations if you have a moment.

My wife (Christina) and I have been shooting weddings for about 3 years and we have struggled getting inquiries. When we do get inquiries, Christina is able to book almost every one. We've done many bridal shows, advertised on The Knot, Wedding Wire, Perfect Wedding Guide, etc. but the interest is extremely low. I have to say that we both work full-time jobs so it may be a blessing we're not busier with weddings, but it can be discouraging.
Question 1: If we take the charging price out of the equation, what can be done to increase client interest? Perhaps we're shooting too 'safe' and not taking enough risks or we're taking great wedding shots, but not showing the right ones on our website. I'm sure it's something we're doing, it's just narrowing down the field of view.
Question 2: What has been your best tool for getting your name out to your target clients?

I'd love to hear anyone's take on this. Thanks for reading.

I just got a notice about this thread in my inbox today, and I realized I never answered these questions! I'm so sorry! Here are some belated answers:


Question 1: If we take the charging price out of the equation, what can be done to increase client interest? Perhaps we're shooting too 'safe' and not taking enough risks or we're taking great wedding shots, but not showing the right ones on our website. I'm sure it's something we're doing, it's just narrowing down the field of view.

A good place to start is to work on your Google rankings. A lot of brides find their vendors via Google, so if you're not on the first page or two, you're missing out on probably the single best source of inquiries there is. Another good place to go is coordinators and venues, which are the few vendors that gets booked before photographers. If you don't have a working relationship with at least 10-15 different coordinators (and I mean GOOD coordinators) and 20-30 different venues, then you're slacking. You also need to work the network that you have, meaning that you need to take the clients you've worked with and exploit them as much as possible. You should be using Facebook to put those clients' images in front of their friends, asking those brides to blog about you or leave positive reviews, giving them rewards every time they send over an inquiry, etc. You also should have a network of photographers that are regularly referring jobs they can't shoot to you (and you back to them). A good way to do this is to make friends with photographers and create a solid relationships and friendships with them BEFORE asking them to refer you, but the best way to do this is to start referring clients to them. The worst way to do this is to cold call/email every photographer you can find trying to setup a referral scheme.

I can tell you this: I have never turned a positive ROI from any kind of paid advertising. No magazine ad, no bridal show, no online ad, nada. They have all ended up costing me more than I made, or else they broke even. I've always said the best forms of advertising are free, and that has proven itself over and over and over again.


Question 2: What has been your best tool for getting your name out to your target clients?


See above.

[stacyreeves]

Also, Stevan, I'm glad to hear I'm not as arrogant and nutty as you thought ;)

[Epic Weddings]

Originally Posted by stacyreeves

Also, Stevan, I'm glad to hear I'm not as arrogant and nutty as you thought ;)

Well, give it time. Hah!