In your wedding photography business, do you find that social media is a constant struggle? From deciding what to share, managing a consistent schedule, and posting on multiple platforms, it can become a time-consuming process. Trust us, we know how busy it can get handling all of your responsibilities as a business owner on top of connecting with ideal clients on social media.
But, without maintaining a presence on Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, and Pinterest, you risk missing out on clients who are perfect for you. Not to worry, we’ve gathered 28 actionable tips from professional wedding photographers who are crushing it on social media!
On your Instagram business account, what type of photos do your followers really love? Have you noticed that one image has been more successful than the rest? All it takes it one photo to go viral for you to reach ideal clients and continue to provide them with beautiful images, resources, and personal posts. So you can take a look back at your images on Instagram and decide what your clients enjoy, we have 3 wedding photographers who are revealing their most successful post to date.
The images they share here are not necessary measured on success by the number of likes they received. The success could have been because of what it lead to, or maybe a personal success the photographer achieved. Keep in mind likes are not the only way to measure success for your Instagram posts. When you learn why your photos are so popular, you begin to understand your audience better. Then, you can continue to provide your clients with similar images on your account for them to enjoy.
When you are working with your clients to secure post-event sales for their wedding day, how are you making the experience unique? When your clients have a memorable time with you, they are more likely to refer you to others they know. Referrals are one of the best ways for you to continue to attract ideal clients to your business and grow to the next level. After the wedding day is over and their images are color corrected by a post wedding photography company, how are you delivering products in a way that your clients will remember for years to come?
There are many options for you to spice up your deliverables to clients, such as packaging, wrapping, and branded items. Whether you do it yourself or purchase creative options for your products, doing so can help you stand out from the rest in the industry. Here are 6 tricks to create unique products for your clients after the wedding day is over.
1. Send a Branded Flash Drive
Once you have encouraged your clients and their families to purchase prints from your online gallery, how do you approach sending digital files? Sure, your clients could download the digital files from your gallery, but to customize the experience, you can send the images to them on a flash drive.
Here at ShootDotEdit, we know shooting the wedding day can include challenging situations, from shooting in unflattering locations to unfavorable lighting situations. Even though there may not always be the best lighting, you are responsible for capturing gorgeous photos for your clients. Today, Amy and Jordan Demos are sharing tips for how to photograph wedding reception uplighting to tell a better color story for your clients.
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Uplighting is the additional lighting that’s brought in to the reception (typically by a band or DJ) to illuminate the walls and give them color, dimension, and texture, so they’re not black holes where light goes to die. Brides love uplighting because it’s prettier than black and continues the color story of their wedding. If, for example, their colors are blush and navy, pink or purple is a beautiful accent to compliment their choice, rather than orange, a more standard uplighting color. Uplighting is usually only a few hundred dollars more as an add-on with a bride’s band or DJ package, and, as far as photos are concerned, as least in our opinion, it’s one of the best values because it adds an extra pop to all of the reception images!
As a photographer, when you find yourself in a room with uplighting, especially if it’s a flattering color your client is excited about and you know you want to include as much of as possible in your reception photos, here are three quick tips to help you get the maximize every frame.
The history of photography shapes the way a photographer uses cameras and shooting styles in today’s advanced industry. Before digital, photographers used film to capture moments from couples and special events. Because many cameras did not have advanced features, there were some limitations and inevitable results from film. One example of this is when shooting in film, certain cameras created a vignette on the edges of the image. Most of the time, this was an unintentional addition on the photos, but could enhance images if done correctly.
A vignette occurs when the outside of an image is faded or darker than the center of the image. Vignetting can be beneficial, because it allows the eye to focus directly on the center of the image, helping the center become the most important aspect of the image. There are several ways to include a vignette in your photos, and here are 3 tips to help you master the art of vignetting.
1. Understand the Types
There are various ways for you to create vignettes on your photos, even while you are shooting. Two of the types of vignetting you can work with are mechanical and natural. You may not always want to add a vignette to your photos, but understanding the differences between each of the types of vignettes can help you easily create the desired effect for your photos.
Mechanical vignetting occurs due to extreme angles that light is entering your lens. An example of this is on a wide angle lens, such as a 16-35mm lens. Because it is so wide, it can sometimes add a slight vignette, especially when shooting at 16mm. And then, if you add a lens hood and filters on top of the lens, you have a chance to get even more of a vignette on your images.
Natural vignetting is more gradual (and less noticeable) than mechanical, even though it can also be caused by wide angle lenses. When the light reaches your camera sensor at certain angles, it can cause a subtle vignette around your images.
When you know the differences between the types of vignetting, you can make the decision during your shoot to avoid certain looks (or to intentionally shoot that way).
With the advancements of technology, many digital cameras do not automatically create vignetting as some of the older film cameras did. If you still desire to include vignetting on your images, you can make this part of your Signature Style! To maintain a fast workflow, incorporate vignetting into your favorite presets that you use in combination with a wedding post production company for your images.
Both Lightroom and Photoshop allow you to add vignetting to your desired photos. Depending on which program is best for you to add your Signature Style to images, you can quickly adjust the darkness of a vignette to match the vision you had for the photo.[ninja-inline id=14011]
For example, in Lightroom, access the Develop module and look for the section labeled “Lens Correction.” From there, you can control how dark you desire the vignette and even where you want the center of the vignette to be. Remember, unless you desire a dramatic look for your photos, vignetting can be very subtle and almost nonexistent to the untrained eye.
Because the various types of vignetting cause you to fade the periphery of the image, ensure you position your subjects away from the edges. If your subjects are placed near the edges of the photo, you risk part of them becoming a different shade. Or, if the vignette you create is darker, you risk covering your subjects by the vignette.
Part of knowing how to combat this issue is to decide what moments during the wedding day shoot you would prefer to have vignetting, such as the bridal or couple portraits. As you shoot your subjects, you can have an idea of what photos you would like to create a vignette in-camera (if your camera has the settings), and which you may add vignetting to with your artistic edits. Though subtle, vignetting places focus on the center of the frame where you should place your subjects to gain the most impact.
Creating images that represent you and your style as a photographer is important to standing out fromothers in the industry. Having the knowledge behind photography techniques, such as vignetting, can help you grow as a photographer. When used correctly, vignetting is a stylistic choice you can make to enhance your photos and contribute to telling a story of the wedding day. Learn more about creating stunning photos every time with our Pro Photographer Lighting and Posing Guide!
In your wedding photography business, booking clients is one of the most important tasks you have. Without couples to work with, how can you improve your skills and continue to grow? Using social media in your marketing plan is key to reaching larger audiences of potential clients. Instagram, in particular, is a great platform to share your stunning photos and reach out to ideal clients who may not know about you yet.
When you share images from your past events on Instagram, it showcases your style, which helps ideal clients decide if they want to work with you. In addition to posting your work, you can encourage followers to access your website and other social platforms to learn more about you. As clients view your website and more of your work, the chances increase of them reaching out to work with you. Here are 4 tips to help you successfully book clients on Instagram to get you started today.
1. Use Custom Hashtags
As you post on Instagram, using hashtags is key to sharing your work with a larger audience. Placing hashtags on your photos allows clients, who are searching, to more easily find your work. Custom hashtags are ones which represent you and your brand. They allow you to be creative and set yourself apart from other photographers on Instagram. Custom hashtags can include your name or business name (#mjphotography), or can be something which describes the wedding you are sharing (#mauiwedding). These types of hashtags help make your brand more recognizable and allow you to share your work with family and friends who may be looking for a photographer.
When you think about your photography branding, are you sending the right message to clients? If your brand message is confusing or misleading, you may miss out on booking clients who are ideal for your business. Because you are so busy, and there are various aspects of your business to focus on, it could be possible there are branding mistakes you are making and you do not know it. [···]
As someone who connects with people on a regular occasion, there are many times you will encounter negative feedback or an angry client. Whether these individuals are interested in helping you fix parts of your business, or are only commenting to upset you, it can be crucial to your success to maintain composure with any criticism. Today, Virginia wedding photographer, Katelyn James is sharing her tips to handling criticism in her business.
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People warned me…“Katelyn, growth doesn’t come without a price.” One in particular once told me that if you’re not being criticized, it could be a sign you’re not taking enough risks. We have hit a place in our business where we can post the most well-meaning content and somehow…despite all efforts to cover our bases and state disclaimers… people will still find a way to be offended.
That’s just the world we live in! The more you grow, the more people you reach, the more likely you are to offend someone. Since I’m the “feeler”of my family and always have been, this poses an interesting scenario for me. When I get a pretty harsh blog comment that judges my character, my natural reaction would be to 1. Tell Michael 2. Have a little pity party for myself and then 3. Over analyze everything I’ve ever written, shared, or taught.
Constantly scrutinizing the prices you set for your business is a must for your success. In the competitive and ever-changing photography industry, setting the proper pricing for your products and services can help increase your overall profit and continue to grow your business. A common problem with wedding photographers is not charging the correct amount to make a profit at the end of the year. Is this something you have experienced? Even if you have pricing your clients love, you have to make sure you are profiting at the end of the day. If you are not paying yourself properly, how can you continue growing your business?
One of the first things you must do is look at your business and the goals you desire to meet by the end of the year. Even after you write out your financial goals for the year, how do you know if you are still charging too little? We have a few questions you should ask yourself to discover whether you chose the best prices for your photography business.
Are you including your time?
As you sat down to write out all of your current expenses, did you factor in your time? Knowing the prices of your products and services is very important to your pricing model, but your time is valuable and should be accounted for.There are many parts of your job, including prep, drive, and wait time that take up much of your workflow and need to be included in your prices. If you do not include your time into your prices, you are not paying yourself for the work you do. Think of yourself as an employee who needs to have a paycheck to continue being profitable. If you were in a different occupation, and you were clocking in and out, your time would be tracked fully.
Here at ShootDotEdit, we know post-wedding sales are one of the most important areas where you need to focus. From selling prints to selling albums, clients should have a physical reminder of their wedding day to cherish for years to come. Although albums are meaningful to you, how do you know your clients are interested in them? Most of the time, clients do not realize the value of an album from their wedding day. To help you clearly communicate the importance to your clients, wedding photographer Melissa Jill is sharing 4 tips for adding value to wedding albums.
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How many of you wish you could sell more albums? Do you find it difficult to find clients who see the value of an album and are willing to pay the additional cost to include one in their package?
This has been a dilemma I’ve dealt with as a wedding photographer as well. What I’ve found is that if I don’t value albums and prioritize them for my clients, they typically won’t value them either. If you want to sell albums, you have to prioritize them. Here are a four tips for how to do so:
