How do you get wedding clients when noone emails or calls?

<p>Maybe I'm doing something wrong but I seem to be stuck at 0. I have advertised, joined a few wedding websites, put my website up and still nothing, I have had my website running since the beggining of this year and only booked 2 weddings for pennies...I'm beggining to think maybe photography is just not my thing and maybe people don't really want my style of photos....I just don't know, it is definetely very discouraging when I have spent so much time learning about photography and business handling along with google SEO, can anybody give me some critiques and good advice please. My portfolio website is<br>

http://www.ramos-studio.com/</p>

<p>What are you doing to physically meet and interact with potential customers and those that might refer them to you (venue management, caterers, bridal shops, DJs/bands, limo services, and all the rest)? How is your networking with the other professionals in your area? All of them know they need to have other people to whom they can refer work, or on whom they can lean for backup in an emergency. <br /><br />As for your web site ... most people won't understand what "Portrait photography HTML" is, or why it's a dead link from your home page. Google certainly will penalize your ranking and visibility for having a dead-end link like that featured so prominently. The text on that home page is need of some re-organization and better presentation. The odd use of the '::' and "**" markings along with the run-together light gray text (none of which includes links to the products/services or destinations/regions mentioned) further confuses things. And then there's this small "Kids Portraits" link, in the same color, that's hanging off by itself on the side, next to the wedding bouquet shot. You get the idea ... try to look at your web site from the perspective of someone who's never been there before, and who doesn't know you or what you do. <br /><br />You might also want to revisit the grammar and language use shown there. You switch back and forth between "I" and "we" several times in one paragraph, and in places comman-splice things that would serve better as discreet sentences. Google <em>does</em> actually include writing and grammar in its scoring, so it always pays to put in that extra five minutes of proof-reading. Oh, and I'd avoid, in the "info pricing" linked-to page, a mention of services that you don't yet provide, but will in the future. That's not helping with the confidence-building.<br /><br />Lastly: how are you analyzing the traffic that you're getting to your web site? Do you know what web sites and search engines are referring the traffic? Do you know how many people are visiting, and what pages they're hitting? There are all sorts of tools available, for free, to aid in this. Google Analytics would be an obvious choice. You might find that you're getting lots of traffic, but that everyone's stopping at the home page. Or maybe they're never even <em>seeing</em> the home page. You won't know until you see the stats.</p>

<p>Don't underestimate the traditional wedding shows, newspaper advertising, and word of mouth. Not everyone just googles around when deciding on a wedding photographer. Putting up a website and expecting clients to roll in is likely to lead to disappointment.</p>

<p>Also, keep in mind that the actual photography is, at best, 50% of the wedding photography business. People skills are a huge part of it.</p>

<p>Like others have said, it is all about marketing your company. You need to get out and find ways to reach the buyers. Creating a web site is just the beginning. It is needed but that alone will not drive customers to you.</p>

<p>I've read somewhere that running a photography business is 90% about marketing and the business side, and 10% about taking great pictures.</p>

 

<p>Ok Thanks Matt, as much as it hurts you were right about the entry page, so I improved it a little, I actually just posted all this cluttery stuff on it yesterday because I was reading that putting a bunch of links on the front page helps with google ranking, otherwise I would have kept this page very clean with less text. As far as networking I have not gone out and interacted with other vendors, truthfully I wouldn't know where to start and who to recommend since there are so many. I have tried the newspaper before but only got two calls and they were looking for someone who also does video, my past client's weddings were done for very little money since I didn't have a wedding portfolio, I had only done several portraits up until then. I know that after reading so much about photography and after seeing so many great wedding photos that my next wedding I shoot will be far greater than my initial ones, the problem is I have no future bookings, it just seems to me that the only people that email me, which I can count in one hand, only want to pay from$300-$400 for my service. I would rather do it for free and keep my dignity since I do value my work, but I would like to get some critiques on my photos as well.</p>

<p>Daniel:</p>

<p>I have a fast internet connection.</p>

<p>From clicking on the wedding and portrait links, it took 20 seconds apiece before I saw the first picture. I'm not sure why you're wasting time loading your logo on a blank background, but I would lose that. I'm not patient enough to wait around for sites that take forever to load.</p>

<p>I had quite a few inquiries before I booked my first wedding. After that, they started coming more often. Don't lose hope. :)</p>

<p>Eric</p>

<p>Your website takes forever to load and I almost clicked off it before anything came up. I wouldn't expect a bride-to-be to stay on the page waiting for it to load when she hasn't even seen any photographs to entice her to stay longer. The navigation is not intuitive - I personally hate having to click more than once to get to a gallery, and I'm positive I'm not the only one who feels that way. Especially after having navigated hundreds on other photographer sites recently.<br>

<br />Your images are solid, pretty sharp, and well exposed. They are also unremarkable, if I can be so honest. My $.02 is just to develop more of an identity, a signature look, something that says "I can give you different photographs than everyone else can, because my vision is different." You'll find a niche for whatever vision you settle on, I can guarantee you that. Whether you can make salary on it is another story. When you're passionate about something and put all of yourself into it, it'll show, and eventually you'll start pulling in money. You are already on your way since you obviously have a good understanding of the technical side of the craft.</p>

<p>Get your stuff out in the open. Put it on facebook. When you get a wedding, make sure you treat the b&g like stellar high-dollar clients, give them fast and quality service and access to web-sized photos so THEY can upload them to facebook. I personally believe it's all about networking, which is a project in itself. If your clients are blown away by how friggin' awesome you are, how cool you were with them, how fast you were, how amazing their photographs were, they will sing about you when anyone asks. That personal recommendation to their friends is worth more than any $700 Bride's handbook ad, in my personal opinion.</p>

<p>Just keep going. Everyone struggles to get a business off its feet. Those who don't struggle are few and far between - most of us just don't talk about it. Guess we just prefer to look more successful than we feel we really are.</p>

 

<blockquote>

<p>I personally believe it's all about networking,</p>

 

</blockquote>

<p><strong>INDEED!</strong></p>

<p>Daniel,</p>

<p>I'm not sure what more I can add except to reinforce what's been said. Perhaps if you read it more than once, it will sink in.</p>

<p>Networking=WORD of MOUTH in any one of many broadcast mediums; from YOU talking to people face to face to the internet to email campaigns.</p>

<p>One problem I see with so many is that they feel a great website, awesome photography will win the day. Sorry to burst your bubble, but it rarely if ever does. Have a look at many of the sample portfolios here on PN. You will find some absolutely stunning work and some less than good work.</p>

<p>One compared to the other has little to do with earning money.</p>

<p>Now if some of what you see on PN is far and above your quality of shooting, then multiply what you see here by at least 100,000 and you will begin to see what you are up against in the grand scheme of things.<br>

Great photography is not monopolized by a few.</p>

<p>Have a look <a href="http://www.danheller.com/bizfaq.html">HERE</a> for some further reading that may help. I find the advice given here bang on if not brutally honest concerning the business of photography.</p>

<p>Your photography; if I may be blunt, is average to below average standing on it's technical and compositional merits alone. Now if that offends you; I say you are in the wrong business.</p>

<p>I heard a quote once that went something like this,<em> "The business of photography is a way to ruin a perfectly lovely hobby."</em> I see quite a bit of truth in that.</p>

<p>So... if it's not your website; not your photography, it must be something else; right?</p>

<p>It's <strong>(The Business of Photography)</strong>..and it's not easy!<br>

Anyone can learn to expose a scene properly or choose a f/sop conducive to a certain feel or atmosphere.<br>

Anyone can learn photo shop..manipulate images, clean up skin blemishes.<br>

While all are needed and important skills, they fall far short in what YOU need.<br>

________________________________________________________________________</p>

<p>With that now outta' the way,</p>

<p>I am not famous, not even (Google-able), well; maybe my real name is ;)....but the point is that I operate in a vacuum where I breath well and make a living shooting about 80% editorial stock and 20% low level commercial (jewelry stores, sports stores, product shoots for new companies etc..)</p>

<p>The shooting is the fun part which encompasses about 20% of my time.<br>

Care to venture where the other 80% is spent? Business! Seeking new accounts, servicing and keeping old accts, prospecting current accounts, billing, archiving if promised, talking with PE's, AD's trying to find out what's coming up, reading my crystal ball and then shooting on spec (might win, might not)..negotiating fees etc..etc.</p>

<p>The business aspect I do not like; but I like to eat, so w/o the 80% of time I spend on the business aspect, I would not eat.</p>

<p>I earn money because of (Perceived Value.) That perception is NOT given to me by anyone, I created it. You can too. Perception is reality. It does not matter what the masses think or feel about my work. What matters is how the people who pay me feel about what I do.</p>

<p>Perception IS reality. If you think and portray you're great; you just might be.</p>

<p>One of my so called marketing secrets I will share with you.</p>

<p>I write and illustrate various subjects in two of the local newspapers here about 50 time a year.<br>

Last week it was a festival we have every year. My little article and photos appear in a section called "Features" I get a byline and photo credit. I also do it for next to nothing as far as pay is concerned.</p>

<p>Guess what this accomplishes?</p>

<p>Thousands of people see my name 50 times a year in the newspaper..."Photography by Yada,Yada.Yada"</p>

<p>"Oh ya, I know who this is".."hey, do you do weddings?" LOL<br>

I rarely shoot weddings anymore. The ones I do come from this sort of exposure. The people who see my name over and over (PERCEIVE) I must be a great photographer. That perception and delivering what I promise is what pays my bills.</p>

<p>Perception is not deception.</p>

<p>This was a long way for me to say,</p>

<p>get out there...Be seen AND heard.</p>

<p>Daniel,</p>

<p>Don't give up hope yet. I would say, keep at it until at least the end of the year... BUT, you need to change tact in your strategy and approach somehow because the existing one clearly is not working well enough for you.</p>

<p>When I go to your website, what I immediately see is that your wedding thumbnail is markedly less in quality compared to the little child and the model. Will a bride/groom click further into your wedding portfolio?... Probably not (I did not).</p>

<p>It can be very hard to add quality stock to your wedding portfolio when you are not getting the weddings. :) But, all pro wedding photographers started where you are... there are ways.</p>

<p>One of them is to canvas your area for other established wedding photographers (or just photographers who are somehow getting the gigs!) and approach them with honesty about your situation. Many of them will not even return your 'call'... but you might just get the one or two decent souls out there who are happy to take you under their wing and to provide you with second/third shooter roles... you never know until you ask.</p>

<p>And I wholeheartdly agree with Robert's post: you need to find your passion, your drive, your instinct to create imagery that resonates with you, your vision.... then, you have a 'brand'. Then, as Robert says, you are able to 'sell yourself' by: "I can give you different photographs than everyone else can, because my vision is different."</p>

<p>Too often do we as photographers, 'lose our way' and start to produce 'cookie cutter' imagery... the kind of imagery that is 'nice' and 'standard'... find your passion and go with it...</p>

<p>Another way I have personally found as a positive word of mouth by product is to be involved in community groups and charities etc that interest you. You join these communities not as a photographer, but as a fellow human being... however, inevitably, the question of what you do for a living comes up and if you have already built up friendships or networks, there is a likelihood you will be contacted next time one of the members requires the services of a photographer. At the very least, you will be shortlisted and considered.</p>

<p>How you then set your rates and how professional you are with dealing with potential clients etc is not for me to say... :)</p>

<p>Re-evaluate your approach and strategy. Find your passion and what vision you want to realise through your photography. Spread your wings around the local communities that interests you outside of photography. Canvas your local area for mentoring / wedding accomplice opportunities.</p>

<p>Fantastic all round advice from previous posters, by the way... :)</p>

<p>Daniel... any further thoughts?...</p>

<p>Ok thanks guys, some of the stuff said here is great advice and others hurt my ego a little but I gotta face the facts. I understand that my wedding portfolio is not "remarkable" but you have to understand that these were my first weddings, it's not an excuse but it's fair to say that I was being "safe". If you take a look at my portrait portfolio you'll see that my work is a lot stronger and noone can deny me that.<br>

I see portraits on a different level than just telling someone to pose and smile. I see it more like transforming my subjects into an ideal Them! I don't just like to create images, I like to mold them. I'm not talking blabbery, people used to commission artworks from me and would pay me good money to create portraits painted and drawn by hand (I can actually do oil paintings of people) . I won several local awards but I had to face the facts that there are "starving artists"and I wasn't gonna be one of them.<br>

Photography is something I picked up later, not as a necessity but as a hobby. A friend of mine, saw that I had a "good eye" and bought me my first semi professional camera. In fact a lot of my equipment that I have I did not buy (cameras, lights, strobes)..They were given to me by photographers who thought that I should purse this further because "I have a good eye for Photography". People started noticing my portrait work and somehow word got around and I started being contacted to do portraits of people. Now I can honestly say that weddings for me is something new.<br>

So far I have done what I've seen on other wedding photographer's websites and tried to imitate it somehow while adding a small portion of my portrait style. As time has passed I have learned a lot and I would like to come out of my shell more and produce truly great wedding photography. I don't really care for the cookie cutter, standard photography I see on so many websites. My vision is bigger than that, someday I hope, I will be able to produce what I imagine. I want to take the bride and truly transform them into some etheral creature( at least for bridal sessions) My influence is fashion, I love styled images, and by styled I don't mean the overly used sepia, skin blurring and vignettes I see everywhere, I mean High end retouching where the bride will look like she stepped out of a Loreal campaign.<br>

I have high hopes for my next wedding, but I will just have to wait for what the future brings.</p>

 

<p>Daniel,<br>

Your website takes too long to load. The music is not bad, and the overall flow of the website is okay once you finally can access it.<br>

The images themselves were pretty good. The quality is there. You just need to market yourself in person. This means going to wedding shows, fairs, etc. Also, facebook is a good way to connect with people and network by word of mouth.<br>

The thumbnail for the wedding section isn't terrible, it just doesn't have the pizzaz you need to capture someone. Just put one of your more energized wedding images in its place, that's all.<br>

You obviously are a good photographer. Now you just need to learn to run a business. That will come in time. Network, put your feet to the pavement, and hang in there.</p>

<p>I wholeheartedly concur with the comments about networking. I know that groups of my friends all use the same photographers, not only because of the photos (personally, one in particular I find completely ordinary) but moreso because they were excellent at building that relationship. They were accomodating and friendly and the couples were not only happy with their wedding album, but also happy with their photographer. I think that's a key thing to remember - relationships build businesses. The more avenues where you can build those relationships the better.</p>

<p>Also, agree with the idea to set up a profile for your company on facebook. I'm not sure of your relationships with the weddings you've shot previously, but perhaps you can ask past clients to join and recommend their friends to join your page also in support of your new business? </p>

<p>Wedding vendors also tend to work together, so second that suggestion. Particularly any venues that employ events/wedding coordinators (hotels, etc) who may be in a position to pass on your details to their clients.</p>

<p>Good luck!</p>