As a wedding photographer, it is necessary to constantly perfect your craft. The wedding day shoot can be hectic, and there are various images you need to capture to complete the overall story. When you advance your photography skills, you can more easily capture the photos your clients really want. In our 127 Shots Guide, we share the best images to take for your clients, and ones to share with a publisher. How can you advance your skills, and document every important moment from the wedding day?
Wedding photographers, Amy and Jordan Demos have 5 secrets they are going to share with you to help you get started. These secrets can help you strengthen your skills so you can become a better wedding photographer, and always deliver the best images to your clients.
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We shot our first wedding together in 2011, and only shot two weddings that year. Is it because we didn’t want to shoot more than two weddings? No! It was because that was all we had! If we hadn’t taken other kinds of work like family sessions and senior portraits, we would’ve clocked in a grand total of 18 hours on the job that entire year. We built our wedding photography business by taking lots and lots of portraits. And it was one of the best things we could have done. Here is why:
1. We Created Connections
On a wedding day, we aren’t just interacting with our couple. We are part of the family for the day, which means we’re interacting with and photographing people of all ages. We are photographing ring bearers barely old enough to walk, junior bridesmaids who barely have a driver’s license and grandparents who can barely believe their babies’ babies are getting married. Our years of shooting portraits for clients of all different ages helped give us the experience we needed to serve everyone well, and be able to do it quickly, effectively and on the fly.
Image Compliments of Amy and Jordan Demos
2. We Honed Our Posing Skills
Every time we photographed a couple during a portrait session, whether they were engaged or had been married for thirty years, we viewed it as an opportunity to hone in on our posing. Wedding days are fast-paced and unpredictable, but portrait sessions allow more time to think without all the pressure. We had time and safety to try new things there, which made us stronger photographers when the extra pressure of a wedding day arrived.
Related: Learn the fundamentals of posing to drastically improve your wedding images!
3. We Increased Our Income
Before we got married, we read Dave Ramsey’s Total Money Makeover, and committed to living our lives debt-free. That was (is, and always will be) one of the greatest blessings of our marriage. We knew we wanted that principle to carry over into our business too, which meant we had to save up money to buy one lens at a time. We taught elementary school full-time and Jordan coached youth soccer at our church to earn extra money that we could put towards gear. Then, we used everything we made shooting portraits to purchase the lenses and flashes we needed to shoot a wedding well.
4. We Learned to Find Light
When you say yes to all kinds of jobs, you get put in all kinds of situations. Shooting portraits consistently helped train our eyes to find the best light anywhere we go. We’re so thankful for all the experience and confidence that was built during portrait sessions.[ninja-inline id=14011]
Related: Are you comfortable lighting and posing during the wedding day?
5. We Expanded Our Reach
Shooting portraits introduced us to so many people we had never met before and expanded our network. Our portrait clients have been some of our best referral sources, and we’ve even had some portrait work evolve into future weddings! One of the most special moments for us this year was getting to photograph the wedding of one of our very first graduating senior portrait clients. It is official. We’re getting old!
So, if you’re out there today and you’ve been feeling discouraged about the type of work that’s coming your way, we hope this is just what you needed to hear! Keep shooting portraits proudly. Love and serve your clients well. The rest will take care of itself.
Want more awesome stuff like this? Get Amy and Jordan’s FREE video with their five photography life hacks here!
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Shooting portraits can really help you capture the images your clients will love. Take what you learn from shooting portraits and implement it into your upcoming shoots. After you receive your photos back from a post production photography company, you can deliver them to your clients (and have them published!).
During wedding shoots, what moments should you focus on capturing for your clients, and for publishers? Our free Guide, 127 Essential Wedding Images You Must Capture, shares a photography playbook of the best photos to take throughout the day!
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