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3 Mistakes Photographers Make When Selling Wedding Albums

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If you photograph weddings, you probably have a package or two in which you offer an album. And in many cases, your package probably looks something like this:

  • Up to 5 hours of photography
  • Over 200 images on copyright-free CD
  • 20 page bridal album
  • 11×14 Portrait Print
  • Online gallery of your wedding photos to share with friends and family worldwide

The bride knows she will receive a CD full of images, and be able to view the images online, and share them with her family and friends from around the world.

She also knows she can take weeks or even months to select a few of her favorites, and have them put into a bridal album.

But it doesn’t matter what photos she selects, how they fit together, or how the will look side by side. She simply selects her favorites, and you as the photographer will force them into some type of order, and create an album from the final selection.

I’ve seen books like this.

An image of the bride walking down the aisle is set next to a formal of the bride outside at the reception. The first dance is placed along side of the couple kissing by the limo.

In other words, there is no rhyme or reason to the way the album is put together; it’s simply a hodgepodge of images thrown together to form a book of pictures.

Wedding albums aren’t meant to be a book of pictures. They are meant to be the story of the wedding day.

First Mistake: The Photographer Lets The Bride Make The Selection

If you allow a bride to choose her favorite images, she thinks from an individual level, not from a cumulative factor. She can’t see an album because it hasn’t happened yet. She doesn’t imagine how they will look together side by side; she simply chooses based on her best expressions, and her favorite moments.

When she receives the album, it will simply go on the shelf because it’s a book of pictures. It has no meaning – its just 20+ large images from her event.

As a photographer, you should be photographing a wedding to tell the story of the day. With wedding photography, photos work together in order to bring you back to the memories of the event itself. A formal out in the gardens is great, but it’s “just” a photo of the bride and groom. But when you have a series of images of the bride and groom walking through the gardens, talking with their flower girl, sneaking kisses along the way, it becomes a story – and a memory.

As a photographer, you need to think in story format. You need to take one photograph, and then another, and another – all to work together and provide an intimate look into the event itself. Its up to you to tell the story, and present the images in such a way that the bride and groom relive the wedding again and again. [Read more…]

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10 Tips For Creating A Trash The Dress Package

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The funny thing about buying a wedding dress is you wear it once, and it hangs in the closet forever more. I know – that’s where mine is at the moment.

Mine got a bit more use than most, as I pulled it out on more than one occasion when we were first getting started to practice and build up our portfolio doing the crazy things we dreamt up. But for most brides, it goes into the closet, and rarely is seen again.

Which is why Trash The Dress sessions have become so popular, and can enhance the images a bride and groom have from their special day. The day of the event, the bride would never risk getting her gown dirty or wet. But the day after – all bets are off. For many, Trash The Dress is part of the fun of the entire wedding process.

Not only is it fun for the bride and groom, its also a great way to enhance your portfolio, and let all of your crazy ideas come to light. What have you always wanted to do? What photograph would you love to have in your portfolio? Dream away, and pitch it to your next bride to be.

If you’ve always wanted to add a Trash The Dress package to your services, now is the time. Use these 10 tips to help build your own package, and start selling it today.

1. Don’t Include Trash The Dress Sessions in Your Packages

Wedding packages should be just that, photography the day of the wedding. You shouldn’t include engagement images in your wedding packages. And you shouldn’t include Trash The Dress sessions in your packages. Trash The Dress sessions are extra – above and beyond the norm. Not everyone wants it, and if you include it in your packages, you’ll start the bargaining process with certain clientele.

Dig Deeper: 8 Keys To A Great Engagement Portrait

2. Start With A Small Plan And Grow From There

If you are new to the Trash The Dress concept, don’t start out by having your bride do something completely over the top. Start small and build your portfolio from there. Your creativity will grow as you see the potential. [Read more…]

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8 Lessons I Learned By Working A Wedding Fair

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If you are a wedding photographer, there are two logical places to start out marketing your business: the local wedding guides, and the local wedding fairs.

So when we made the transition to full time wedding photographers, we went “logical” and tried out both.

We quickly learned that wedding fairs have a lot of benefits … and just as many things that can make them a total waste of your time. Here are my strategies for getting all you can out of your next wedding show.

Lesson #1: Get Into The Right Fair

There are two types of wedding fairs: the razzle-dazzle show, and the intimate affair. The razzle-dazzle show is the wedding showcase that is put out to attract Cinderella’s of all types. Their goal is to get thousands through the door, a huge fashion show on stage, and give out fantastic prizes to get the brides coming back year after year.

The intimate affair is a small showcase of local vendors, and is usually limited to a select amount in each field. It’s usually put together at a local venue that is trying to increase its own bookings, and showcases many of the vendors it works with on a regular basis.

Don’t discount either event. The intimate event may or may not help you book a bride, but the exposure to the other vendors may be priceless. Likewise, the razzle-dazzle event may be completely overwhelming to most brides in attendance, but a great lead can bring you in your top client for the season.

Lesson #2: Get your booth into the right location

Once you decide on displaying your photography at a bridal expo, make sure you book early. Take a close look at the floor plan, and choose a booth that will give you optimum exposure. You never want to be stuck in the far back corner. Instead, look for doorways, natural flows of traffic, and places where people may gather. Also look at what vendors will be around you. A high traffic vendor can be extra traffic for you too. [Read more…]

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Wedding Photography – There Are No Second Chances

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The wedding season is just gearing up here in the states, so I’ve been seeing a lot of commentary about wedding photographers. One being this video put out by PPA.

In the video was this quote:

“An amateur photographer may get the shot right sometimes. A professional photographer is paid to get it right every time.” Mark Campbell, Professional Photographer

How true. As a wedding photographer myself, I’ve written about the importance of using a professional wedding photographer again and again.

You get one shot at getting it right. The guests will only be together one day. The formalities and details will only be available one time. Get it wrong and its disaster.

If you are a wedding photographer, two things should be at the top of the list of priorities.

1. Being the best wedding photographer you can be.

2. Marketing your wedding services to your prospects, and educating them on what is truly important.

Being The Best

The first task is the easiest. You have to educate yourself not just on photography, but also on every aspect of wedding photography. There is a big difference. Learning how to shoot is straightforward. If you’re standing in front of a waterfall, you can keep adjusting until you get it right – the waterfall isn’t going anywhere.

But that changes with a wedding. You have dozens of subjects moving and changing every second. You have a variety of shooting experiences – bright sunlight for formal images, and dark reception halls with mere candlelight as your light source.

Study with other photographers. Be an assistant to some of the top names in your community. Take their classes and week long training courses. By their books and posing guides. Do everything you can to become a little better every day.

Marketing and Educating

The second task is a lifelong challenge. Once you’ve achieved a professional status with your wedding photography, you have to prove it to the world.

This video is a great help. Why not incorporate videos like this into your own marketing – YouTube embed feature means you can easily put it onto your blog. And if you’ve joined organizations like PPA, you can also use that as a motivator that you are taking the next step to prove your experience and commitment to the photographic industry.

Not everyone will “get it”. Some people only care about price. And if that’s the case, let them go to another photographer, and take the chance of not getting the best results.

But in many cases it only takes a little education. Don’t stop with one liners and showcasing your gallery of images.

Tell people what they need to look for, and watch out for. Most people have never thought about the dangers of hiring a friend until its too late. Fear works in marketing – if you hear a horror story, you’re more likely going to try and avoid the same situation.

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How To Take An Engagement Portrait They Will Love To Buy

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A while back I gave a few tips on how to take great engagement portrait sessions, and concentrated more on how to use them within your studio for larger sales.

An engagement session isn’t like a typical family portrait. An engagement session is actually designed to be so much more. It’s designed to introduce the couple to your services. And it’s also designed to get the bride and groom excited about being together, and sharing their love with the world.

I remember when Andrew and I had our engagement photographs taken. It was a standard session in studio, smiling at the camera, without much glamour and romance.

So when we moved into wedding photography, we set aside the traditional portraiture, and created a new way to view engagements. In fact we didn’t even call it engagement portraits. We called it Love Portraiture, and it was designed to celebrate the love a couple felt about each other.

What Do They Love?

Every couple has a unique aspect to their love. And they are always happy and excited to tell it to you. Ask them a few questions. [Read more…]

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How To Turn Boring Wedding Photographs Into WOW Images

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I was looking through a well known magazine this week, and they had a special section on weddings. Being in the industry for so long, I flipped immediately to the section to see what was new in the world of weddings. And right there, front and center on a two page spread, was an unbelievable photograph. And I don’t mean “unbelievable” in a good way.

As wedding photographers for some of the most high end weddings around, we quickly learned what worked – and what didn’t. There is a definite art to wedding photography, and the better you get at it, the better clients you can attract.

What this magazine was showcasing as a great image (they must have thought it was great, why else was it so large?) I considered to be very not so great. So I started thinking about what makes wedding photography great; and not so great. And I came up with a few things that will take your images from “yawn” to “WOW”.

Firing Squad

You have 6 bridesmaids, 6 groomsmen, and a bride and groom. What do you do? Line them up of course, guys on one side, girls on the other. That’s what many do; I guess it seems the natural thing to do. That’s how they stand during the ceremony, right? Yet this gives you no perspective, and creates what we term “a firing squad” image with everyone standing straight in a line.

Do something different. Instead of grouping guys on the right, girls on the left, ask them to partner up with whom they walk down the aisle with. Mix if up a bit. Use stairs, a bridge, a path or a chair. Stack people, place people on the floor, kneel down, or join in a group hug. If you do something fun, they’ll look like they are having fun. You’ll mix the color, and it won’t be a “boring” shot.

Fig Leaf

I bet you knew exactly what I was talking about when you read the title. Guys automatically pose with their hands together in front. Its what we always refer to as the fig leaf shot.

The easiest way to get guys NOT to do the fig leaf shot is to tell them about it and give them options. You can place your hands in your pockets, down by your side – anything but the fig leaf shot. They will laugh; and you won’t have another fig leaf shot the rest of the day.

Look For Angles

It’s easy to have a bride and groom stand together at the alter, and shoot a boring image of them in a typical pose. That’s what is expected. But if you start looking around the wedding and reception area, things come to life. How can you incorporate more into each photograph? Why did they choose this location? How can you make it a part of their day?

Look For Action – Reaction

These are the images I really love. How can you look at things from many perspectives? Sure you can grab one shot of cutting the cake, and one shot of feeding cake to each other. But how about focusing in on the hands? Or the cake with one piece cut out of it? Or the mom crying behind you, filled with emotion? If you have two photographers, you can capture even more angles. But even if you have one, don’t stop shooting during important times. Position yourself in a great position. Get what you need – the cake cutting – then start turning around, capturing everything around you. You’ll be surprised at the reactions you get.

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How Do I Become An Event Photographer

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This post is Day 20 of 30 Ways In 30 Days To Redesign Your Life With Photography. This series seeks to provide you with practical steps to get you from wherever you are today, to exactly where you want to be – this year! If your goal has always been to take your photography to a whole new level, hang on and start enjoying a new lifestyle you’ve always dreamed of.

What makes event photography different than other types of photography? What does it mean to be an event photographer?

It simply means you specialize in capturing images at special occasions. It can mean:

  • Weddings
  • Corporate functions
  • Bar/bat mitzvahs
  • Quinceaneras
  • Birthday parties
  • Sporting events
  • Anniversaries
  • Horse shows
  • And everything in between

Even within the few items I’ve mentioned above, you can start seeing a ton of possibilities. Hopefully you’re also seeing a wide variety of different types of clientele; which means even in event photography, you can specialize.

Over the past few days, we’ve been covering the idea of specializing, and why it’s so important to really focus on what you want to do. This post is in my 30 Ways series because when people mentioned event photography, it was usually associated with one thing.

One reader mentioned she’s done a few Quinceaneras and would love to do more of them within her family portrait business. One reader mentioned her love of horses and her desire to spend more time within that community. Still another talked about his love for weddings, and his desire to take it to an entirely different level.

While you may love working events, there is a huge difference between working with horse shows, and photographing weddings. Different clientele. Different vendor sources. So specializing is just as important here as it is overall.

Find The Resources

Like every niche, it’s important to pinpoint the right resources for you.

If you want to focus on horse shows, what shows are in your area? What stores cater to horse ranchers? What schools are training tomorrow’s stars?

In today’s world, you have one invaluable research tool at your disposal – the Internet. Spend a half day researching all you can within your community and within your specialty. Then start visiting your resources.

If there is a local magazine that is delivered to ranchers, get a copy. If there is a horse show coming up, visit. And if there is a school nearby, request a meeting with one of the directors. Learn all you can and store your information for future use.

Also realize that even with one type of event photography area, there can be many options.

For example, if you have a desire to photograph weddings, do you prefer the David’s Bridal mentality, or the Vera Wang? I talk about this in detail in a recent post Ways To Control The Wedding – A Photographers Guide To Becoming A Wedding Planner. Different ends of the spectrum, and you need to approach each in an entirely different way.

Target Your Marketing


After you learn all you can, then its time to create your marketing, and focus in on your exact clientele.

Keep in mind that some communities are very tight knit, and they rely strictly on referrals. It may take time to get in “the circle”, but once you do you have a wealth of opportunity. Don’t give up easily. It took us years to break into certain groups. But if you’ll be doing this for the next 10 to 15 years, what is a couple of years to get in with the right group?

We found that to be true with the high end wedding market, and with the bar/bat mitzvah market. Because of their personal needs and desires, both groups rarely went looking for the right vendor. Instead, they relied on one main source – the planner – to make the right choices for them. So the goal became to get in with the right planners, and leave the rest to fall in line.

While it’s important to have a dynamic web presence, it’s also important to have other collateral as well. However I can’t tell you how many boxes of business cards and brochures we’ve thrown away as our ideas change with time.

After several years of throwing away boxes, I found a simple solution.

I began building folders for my portfolio and marketing kit, and personalizing them for each client.

I started by selecting my favorite images showcasing a variety of ideas, and created a series of professional postcards. By creating postcards, you can use them for many things, including marketing kit material, and as greeting and thank you cards.

Then I would print off price lists, client referrals, service and package materials right before I met with a client, and weave them into the folder. With a variety of postcards to choose from, I could select the most relevant to the incoming client, and include that in their package.

This worked great as we built up our portfolio. A bride would love it if she saw a beautiful image located in the same reception site she was considering. It gave her ideas, and motivated her to want to use us as her wedding photographers.

People love experience, and they love suggestions. If they know you are the expert, and you’ve handled situations just like they are considering, you slide quickly to the top of their list.

Ask For Referrals

Even though people love experience, they also realize you have to start somewhere. If you are new to event photography, passion will help you create your business.

Start with your first resource, and ask them to give you a chance. Instead of doing a large, expensive event, is there something you can do that’s lower key to prove your expertise?

While a once a year rodeo that makes a million dollars for charity may not be a viable first choice, chances are there is a smaller horse event for young children at your local ranch. If you’ve met with the owners/managers, will they give you a try?

Create flyers for the parents, and advertise as much as possible. Then go above and beyond, building for your portfolio.

Don’t forget to thank the owners – provide them with a selection of images either mounted and framed or in an album.

Instead of focusing in on the end purchaser – a mom that buys a few images at her child’s event – focus on your referral source. A child may move on from a horse show to soccer to dance over a few year period. But the horse trainer or riding school will be in business long term, gaining new client after new client.

They are the one’s that will help keep your calendar filled.

And they are the one’s that can help you bring in thousands of dollars, especially over months or even years.

So that’s where you put your time and energy.

Keep your clients happy, and your referral sources ecstatic. And your business will thrive.

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Ways To Control The Wedding – A Photographers Guide To Becoming A Wedding Planner

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Over the years, we’ve photographed hundreds of weddings. And when it comes to planning the wedding, there are two kinds of brides.

Cinderella – the type who takes control over every detail, planning day and night until the big event.

The Queen – She’s busy and relies on others to plan for her. She puts in her requests and lets a planner narrow down the choices. Then she makes final decisions.

Cinderella

Because Cinderella brides don’t rely on a planner, they go into their wedding day with high expectations and little direction. Because they’ve never put on a wedding before, they don’t have any idea how long an event should last, or how to structure the individual pieces of the day to make it run smoothly. In essence, they are lost the entire day, letting people control them as they move along.

With a Cinderella bride, you have to step in immediately, or risk being at the event many hours that day.

The easiest way to control a Cinderella bride is to gently make suggestions. Explain that you have photographed dozens or hundreds of brides, and know how to keep guests happy. Never put it back on her – tell her you know how to keep the party moving and exciting for each of her guests. She’ll quickly rely on you as the planner.

Then make suggestions.

[Read more…]

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Wedding Add On – Create your Own Magazine

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Imagine a four color magazine with your client as the feature. From beginning to end, you use your images to create the story of their day, showcasing your portraits in a storybook fashion. No printing the magazine on speculation – you place it online, allow people to preview it, and make money when they order it.

And if there are 50 guests that place an order, at $20 a magazine, that’s an extra $1000. [NOTE: you can charge any fee you like, and you do have expenses related to the service, so your total sales will vary]

Sound good? Then take a look at MagCloud, a company that allows you to create and publish four-color magazines on glossy paper, any size you choose as long as it’s in increments of four.
[Read more…]

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Weddings By The Percentages

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The average wedding today here in the US is right around $20,000. While everyone has their own tastes and preference, averages show a couple will spend their money in the following way:

  • 51 percent on Reception, including reception hall, catering, cake and alcohol
  • 10 percent on Photography
  • 8 percent on Videography
  • 9 percent on Ceremony
  • 7 percent on Attire
  • 6 percent on Rings
  • 4 percent on Flowers
  • 3 percent on Music
  • 2 percent on Limo and transportation

So if a bride is planning a $20,000 event, she’s expecting to pay around $2,000 for her photographer at the average point. Some will like photography more, and be willing to bump that figure up, and others will obviously bring that down, going more for the show than the memories.

The important thing to remember here is if you only charge $250 or $500 for your photography, a bride expecting $2000 will wonder “what’s wrong with this photographer?”

And if you are a photographer and a bride comes in wanting to spend $250, she may just need a little education into why photography costs what it does. It isn’t about how much it costs to print up a few pictures – that can be done at your big box store. What costs is knowledge of the camera, knowledge of lighting, how to handle bridal stress, the cost of running a business, being properly insured, etc. Educate your clients on the costs of photography, and you will quickly be able to raise your prices.

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