Wedding Photography Ideas

When you think about growing your business, what do you know you need to focus on to become the best photographer and business owner possible? Creating a Signature Style is one of the best ways for you to grab the attention of ideal clients and increase your overall income. Although developing your own style seems simple, there are important steps you must take to achieve success. Taking the time to develop a style which is recognizable to clients requires time and patience, but can allow you to quickly grow your business and your skills as a photographer.

In webinar, Doubling your Income with a Signature Style, Scott Robert Lim shared how to quickly create a unique style of your own to increase your profit drastically. To give you a sneak peek into our upcoming webinar, and to help you move closer to your goals, here are the top 5 tips for doubling your income.

“Passion gives us hope when the rewards of our efforts are disappointing.” – Scott Robert Lim

1. Master the Fundamentals

During a wedding shoot, there are various elements for you to attend to at once. Because there are so many technical aspects you need to utilize, mastering the fundamentals can help develop your Signature Style and double your income over time. The fundamentals include composition, lighting, and posing. In many of your shoots, you have to use all three at once. If you are unable to properly execute any of the fundamentals, your shoots could suffer and your creativity may be stunted. Scott breaks down the necessities of the fundamentals:

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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.

Related: Feeling uninspired in your business? Click here to change that!

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.

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As a business owner, it can be necessary for you to constantly make adjustments to stay relevant in the photography industry. There are various ways to discover new methods to maintain your business, such as webinars, guides, classes, and workshops. Magazines are also helpful for you to lean on so you can absorb current information in the business world. Also, since magazines are both in print and online, you have the choice of how you desire to read them.

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1. Handling Weather Concerns

Bride’s question: What happens if it rains for our engagement session?

While I cannot control the weather, I have a great response for this one that sets my clients at ease. Everyone’s schedules can be difficult, so it is important to help them feel comfortable with the potential for a reschedule or less-than-ideal conditions for their shoot.

This is an email template I use:

“Not to worry! If it rains for your session, we have two options:

1) Reschedule. We can find another date in the near future that would work for both of us. This is a good idea if you’re looking for a certain vibe and the weather is just not cooperating.

2) Shoot at a couple of places I like that work with the rain. These places are more indoors and have a bit of a “city” feel to them.

Of course, we don’t really know what the weather will look like until close to the date of the session, so we will stay in touch as the date nears if the weather looks variable.

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When a typical wedding shoot is over, how many images do you usually upload onto your computer? Chances are, you shot thousands of photos for the event; some from the getting ready, the ceremony, the reception, and the exit. After you send your images to a photo editing company, like ShootDotEdit, you receive back color corrected photos which you can then add your artistic style to.

Depending on your style, you may consider converting some of your images to black and white. Choosing which images should be black and white can be an easy process, as long as you know what to look for. So you can quickly work on your images during your post-wedding photos, here are 6 simple ways to select the best black and white images.

1. Shoot for Black and White

As you shoot the wedding day, pay attention to the moments and photos you are capturing. Just as you should shoot for the story of the wedding day, shoot for images which would look best black and white. After you snap a few photos, take a look at your camera to see what they look like. Training your eye to know what moments would translate properly into black and white can help you immensely during your post-wedding workflow.

Image by David West Photography

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Take a moment and think back to when you first decided you wanted to become a photographer. What was the first thing that made you decide to do this for a living? One of the biggest reasons may be the passion you have for capturing stunning photos of your couple’s special day. Even if you also love the business owner portion of your job, running a photography business is not always the easiest task. So you can continue to grow and improve your business, even when you feel discouraged, we reached out to a few industry pros to find out what inspires them to create the best photography business possible.

Discover Your Value

With the multiple tasks constantly on your plate, how do you maintain your happiness and take care of the tasks which will contribute to your overall goals? Rachel Rossetti, Pittsburgh wedding and portrait photographer, finds inspiration through understanding what is valuable in her life.

“Real inspiration to grow my photography business did not happen until I realized that my time is valuable. My personal relationships are valuable. My health is valuable.  I am valuable. Real inspiration was discovering what I loved about photography, and separating that from the menial tasks that stood in the way of me getting better at those parts.” – Rachel Rossetti

When you are interested in bettering yourself as a wedding photographer, what do you do to find inspiration? Following your fellow photographers on social media and checking out their websites is great to discover ways to shoot and create dynamic photos. Although there are many wedding photographers who are talented and produce beautiful images, there are other photographers outside of the wedding industry who have creative shooting styles you can use to gain additional inspiration. So you can continue improving and making changes to the way you shoot, pose, and light your photos, here’s 8 (non-wedding) photographers you need to start following today for inspiration.

1. Drew Hopper

Fine art, travel, and landscape photographer Drew Hopper, showcases gorgeous photos from around the world on his website. His images are creative and tell stories of exactly what he is shooting at the moment. Use Drew’s images to inspire you to take chances when you choose locations and backgrounds to shoot your couples and their wedding party. Even in the most challenging situations, your shooting skills should help you create the photos your clients will love.

Have you ever noticed it seems that every professional photographer’s career is marked by one moment when they are faced with a life changing decision? This is a moment when the culmination of all the hard work is compressed into a single tick of the clock. While only a single passing of the second hand, a deep breath, a click of the shutter, a step forward, it is at the same time the culmination of an arduous affair of life’s work compacted into that quick blink of an eye.

Photographer Sarah Zimmer recently experienced this slowing of the earth when she stepped onto the media riser—under the gaze of a sea of eyes—to shoot the first wedding of 2016 in Times Square, on New Year’s Eve. “How exactly had I arrived at this moment?” She confessed asking herself. “And, had my 8 years of experience as a wedding photographer been enough preparation for me to survive it?” Here is the journey Sarah took to place herself at the first wedding of the year in New York City.

Landing the Opportunity

A few months earlier, during a quick trip up to San Francisco for a wedding, Sarah stopped by for a cup of coffee with her father—famed entrepreneur and spokesperson, George Zimmer. In the midst of heated discussions about the evolving SF Niner’s season and the amazing homemade matzah ball soup for dinner, her dad commented about a little “wedding thing” his new company—Generation Tux—was hosting in New York over the holidays. Intrigued, Sarah pushed for details. A contest? For newly engaged couples? To get married in New York City? In times Square? On New Year’s Eve? UNDER THE BALL DROP?!

“Dad! Sounds like you need a wedding photographer!” Sarah smiled across the kitchen table.

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