mike simons Posted January 13, 2007 Share Posted January 13, 2007 As the New Year gets underway, I offer up a conversation-starter to the forum... In my full-time job as a high school teacher, I often use sentence- starters to get my kids thinking and focused for the day's topic. Here's one for the forum, pertaining to wedding photography specifically: "The one thing I wish (someone had told me/I had known) as I was getting started is _____________________________________." Be it serious, funny, technical skills-based, interpersonal dealings, or something else altogether, what say you? Enjoy Saturday. -MCS Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
timcorridan Posted January 13, 2007 Share Posted January 13, 2007 do some squat excersises Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ben_rubinstein___mancheste1664880652 Posted January 13, 2007 Share Posted January 13, 2007 Take out a loan and get the best equipment money can buy. I learnt the hard way that buying cheap means you have to spend twice! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ni_gentry Posted January 13, 2007 Share Posted January 13, 2007 "The one thing I wish someone had told me as I was getting started is...."<p> "Why are you blowing all that money on the best equipment? You don't need it. You already have nice gear. Focus on your people skills, marketing, and business plan." Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ni_gentry Posted January 13, 2007 Share Posted January 13, 2007 and... "Don't quit your day job." Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kim long- cincinnati, ohio Posted January 13, 2007 Share Posted January 13, 2007 Tim took mine! I swear I was going to post the exact same thing and then I read the responses. :-P My quadriceps are absolutely aflame the day after a wedding. On the flip side, they are also toning up rather nicely and short skirts are my friend again. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
conraderb Posted January 13, 2007 Share Posted January 13, 2007 "The one thing I wish (someone had told me/I had known) as I was getting started is _____________________________________." on photography, generally speaking: The one thing I wish (someone had told me/I had known) as I was getting started is that most photographers pretend to be limited by their gear (ie. low light autofocus, frames per second, etc.), but this is not the case. Most photographers are limited by their ability to vision and imagine in creative ways. on wedding photography: Learning how to master flash will make things a lot easier for you. on event photography: photographers have a reputation for being cranky and having a bad attitude. Don't be one of them. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
steve_levine Posted January 13, 2007 Share Posted January 13, 2007 "The one thing I wish (someone had told me/I had known) as I was getting started is ear plugs". Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
robbie_caswell Posted January 13, 2007 Share Posted January 13, 2007 To quote Marc williams... you will get all the freeloaders you can handle. God! How that is true. CAP (my new term for Cheap A$$ People) ie... concert promoter, for example, that can't stop at getting his bands published in the newspaper. Heaven forbid Freelancing photographer (empahsis on free) try to make a few $$ selling images to band members. Blackmails you saying he will badmouth you to the Society if you don't provide images... blah blah blah! Do nothing for free once you have built your potfolio! Repeat it and post it somewhere you can see it every day. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
William Michael Posted January 13, 2007 Share Posted January 13, 2007 give a gift: but never give a discount or discount my product (ie lower the price or quote). Took me two years building a business to learn that one. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nicola inglis Posted January 13, 2007 Share Posted January 13, 2007 ...save for your taxes! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vmphoto Posted January 13, 2007 Share Posted January 13, 2007 The best advice I did receive was not to stress over my work starting out (since I started out as a 2nd shooter) - my senior photographer always told me that he made every mistake in the book, so live and learn, but don't make the same mistake twice, and the experience will get you where you need to go. He was right! 32 weddings later the same year and I've got my own package options and am truly a pro. It's an honor, really! And I can only go up from here. :-) I agree with you who said about not working for free and/or giving gifts but not discounts! It's hard, even for friends, to figure out what's a small favor and what's business. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
William Michael Posted January 14, 2007 Share Posted January 14, 2007 Hello Valerie: 32 is a good number: I went about 50 as an assistant, and did those in about a year too. If I can have another crack at the question, but with a different spin (yeah yeah yeah heard it a lot on this forum): I wish I could tell everyone who is getting started in the Professional Wedding Photography business: do between 32 and 50 as an assistant first. Happy New Year. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
david_eicher Posted January 14, 2007 Share Posted January 14, 2007 ...don't quit your day job. Agree, you will be able to retire sooner. Or atleast semi-retire early, as I did. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HuskyMason1 Posted January 14, 2007 Share Posted January 14, 2007 "...shooting weddings and social events is HARD WORK! " Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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