During the wedding day shoot, not only do you take photos from every part of the day, you document the emotions of the bride and groom, as well as their family and friends. Through each part of the day, your photos represent the vision the bride and groom have; from the venue, flowers, cake, and various decorations.
When the shoot is over and your images are color corrected by a wedding photography post-processing company, where do you share them first? You may start by posting your photos on your blog and social media platforms so the bride and groom bride and groom, as well as potential couples, can see them.
In addition to posting them on your networks, have you ever considered publishing your images to a wedding blog or magazine? When you share your images on a larger platform like these, your work is placed in front of a larger audience of potential clients. Since your time is limited, we’ve put together 4 simple tricks to get your images published.
1. Focus on Your Best Work
Just as you should only share your “Wow” images on your website and blog, the photos you submit to a publication should be of your best work. These images represent who you are as a photographer, and give potential clients an idea of how you will shoot their wedding day.
Make sure the photos you submit represent your brand, as you still want to attract only ideal clients. If you submit photos because you think the publication will prefer them, but they do not match your brand, clients will reach out to you who are not the best fit for your business.
Tip: Keep an eye out during the shoot for what photos you know would be perfect to submit. If while you are shooting the getting ready photos, you take a stunning photo of the bride’s dress and shoes, write down the image number somewhere which will remind you to go back and quickly find that photo to use for publishing.
2. Feature Multiple Detail Shots
From the getting ready details to the ceremony and reception details, your images showcase the style of the wedding. The details are what make your couple’s day unique from other weddings, and should be a focus for the images you submit to a publication. Also, detail shots help other couples who are looking for ideas find inspiration. This means you should be taking stunning photos of the cake, the bride and bridesmaid’s dress, and the intricate details of the venue, and submit those with a few dynamic photos of the bride and groom to showcase your skills in lighting, posing, and interacting with your couples.
Tip: Capturing detail photos can be a challenging task, especially when the lighting is not ideal and there are clients in the way. Take a look at this post from Amy and Jordan Demos to learn how to shoot killer ceremony details through any lighting condition.
3. Follow Publications for Specifics
When you desire to have your images published by a certain wedding blog or magazine, it can be helpful for you to follow them on social media or sign up for their newsletter. If you are informed of what images the publication uses regularly, your chances of having your photos published increase. Knowing exactly what photos you should submit can save you time and energy sorting through thousands of wedding images.
Following publications can also be useful to understand their submission rules. When a publication only accepts a certain amount or size of images, you want to make sure you follow their specifications so your work can be considered. Plus, you should always be on the lookout to save more time in your workflow. If you know exactly what the publication desires, you can spend less time searching for photos that you think will be a perfect fit.
Related: How quickly do you share photos with other vendors from the wedding day?
4. Submit Weddings Regularly
Depending on how many weddings you shoot per year, you may have many opportunities to have your work published. Submitting your photos regularly can increase your chances of having your weddings published. All you have to do is add this process to your workflow and you can easily submit your work from every wedding.
Tip: Try to only submit one wedding at a time. Because editors can be so busy, it could happen that they see too many jobs from you and move on. Also, if you send your wedding shoot to multiple publications, make sure not to commit to more than one if you receive an offer.
Even if getting published is not at the top of your list, it can help you expand your reach to an audience who may not know you as a photographer. When your work is displayed in front of new audiences, you increase the chances of meeting clients who are perfect for you and your business. So you can continue to create stunning photos your clients will love, download our Pro Photographer Lighting and Posing Guide!
