olaf_siebert___zagreb__cro

Well, I was / am in a similar situation. Wonderful rangefinders and a MF-system... I am still using a lot of money to market myself. Still using film, PP is fully digital. The money I have I spend on marketing. What is the use of lots of expensive gear without work?

 

I will go digital, but only then when I have one year fully booked so the cost of film equals the cost (read not investment) of digital gear...

It took me two years to find a lab with satisfies me... it is a small one, but then the owner is printing and now's my style and work... happily this lab is in town so for me no reason to go anywhere else in the world...

Forget about the email... plain phone or a real letter...

Well, at the moment (still starting up, will take me three year to brand myself) I invest all my earnings into marketing and showalbums. You do have a backup, you can still work with what you have.

 

What is the use to have nice stuff if you do not have clients?

Please add me:

 

Zagreb, Croatia

Well, if you have CS2 then you can use the webgallery... try flash 1 or 2... simple nice and quick.

Chris, although I do not live in Milan but in Zagreb (Croatia) which is quite nearby, I might be able to help...

 

A colleque of mine (one of the best WP's in town) is from Milan and still working there as well as here. It might be that he would be able to assist and guide around for a reasonable fee (since our prices and cost of living are much lower).

 

If you are interested, contact me. Olaf

Stacey, I also came to a new town, though not a small one, and was not working the first months. I used this time to establish contacts with local vendors to make myself known.

 

If you are new in town, nobody knows you, so why shall the book you? Get your name out there, go to the florist, make some photos of her flowers and give them for free, same with the restaurants, etc. etc.

 

As long you don't work, you will have plenty of time. As soon as you find a job, it will be hard to do...

 

Good luck, Olaf

If a bride wants me to do a preparationsession as I call it she pays extra for it, so than it is normal that I am present while she is dressing. However, whenever she starts to change the lingerie I'll move out and ask the bridesmaid to call me when the place is 'safe' again.

 

Those brides who don't want me to be present, won't take this extra session...

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and #2 for me as well ...

Like in every business you have to build and maintain contacts. Wining and dining might be one thing, paying another (depends on the country and culture). You can also give a small weddingalbum with your name and pictures...

 

However, keep in mind that it takes time to build up contacts...

As Lauren said, you should be paid for shooting the wedding. This is what I did as well. In the beginning I did not bother to sell even reprints, too much work and everybody knows that you can buy prints for 0,19$.

 

But this year I started a small experiment, I'd lower my reprint prices (the sellingprice is now 3x the price I pay) and from my last wedding I sold for 15% of the total weddingvalue on extra prints... so by keeping the price low, I sold much more...

 

Sometimes things are surprising...

But what if, if the B&G has f.e. a budget for $1750... with $2,000 you are out of range, with the 10% discount your might be in range and therefore in question...

 

Pricing is a difficult thing...

I usually ask in a prior meeting the emailadresses or mobilephones from the witnesses. When the slideshow is online I notify the B&G as well as witnesses by mail and SMS and this works very well for me...

 

[in average, a slideshow generate around 500 hits the first month]

Also here winter is low season and in january I was fully booked because I indeed offered some discount (about 20%, to be more concrete, I offered my 2005 prices instead of 2006 prices).

 

I rather book a wedding for a bit lower than that I do not book anything, however, this is only for the last minute bookings...

@ Susan: and that's how we are slowly learning... as soon as things are not clear people will abuse it in their advantage...

NC is ofcourse cooler, especially when you start to rate it @100...

 

After years of VC i switched to UC cause it made my brides more happier...

It will be a long hot summer... I personally do enjoy the dresses

this year... just wanted to show you our fashion...<div></div>

I really do not understand some people here... We all request a retainer but as soon as there is a cancellation, we have to earn goodwill and give the money back... This is the biggest BS I heard. no wonder that most WP's are strucling to survive.

 

Don't give the money back! atleast untill you rebooked that date!

 

And the goodwill? well, you did not break the contract, didn't you?

From this year on I started to sell cd-rom's which contains the images in the size as they are in the book. This means that the client can print small print where ever they want, but for bigger prints they still need me.

 

Price of cd-rom is somewhere at 10% of total weddingfee. Keep in mind that overhere (Croatia) it is quite common to give neg's / hi-res files for free.

BigFolio is ok! They are quick in answering (although due to the fact I am overseas there is some differences in timezone) and professional.

 

There sites looks good and if you want your own look, you can get it designed as well.

 

WE are WP and should use our time for WP, they are designers and design. Why waste my time on a site when someone else can do it so much better?

Indeed the title is funny...

 

But if you have a large white card, why don't you use this as a reflector? Results will be more predictable.

 

Me myself do this and then use my flash about 1,5 stop lower for a tiny fill in ...

Shooting on film I assume I can show a photo made with 21mm, right?<div></div>