shawn_starr

<p>• 2004 started with a canon 20d and background in graphic design.<br />• 2004-2006 Worked for a local photog company to learn the ropes.<br />• 2006 Went solo and lowballed everyone with $1000 for 8hrs + free engagement + all high res files on disc.<br />- at this point i wasn't just undercutting, but listening CLOSELY to what "my target" brides wanted.<br />• 2006 Booked 80 weddings absolutely no advertising...all love came from theKnot.com forums...not ads.<br />• 2007-2011 raised prices gradually to average $2500 for 6hrs and disc of images. Averaged over $100k each year...no album or print sales...no advertising.<br>

• 2010 This is when things started to slip...I was too busy...too stressed...my quality slipped, scores of competitors popped up overnight, i stopped updating the blogs. The knot turned into a ghost-town and I only got booked through vendor referrals which i'm grateful for...be warned though...there is a HUGE difference in the relationship you have with brides who "seek you out", compared to the ones who pick you off a vendor list.<br />• 2011 the photography boom hit full swing and everyone & their momma were in business...they took a workshop, rented gear, bought a website template, and COPIED COPIED COPIED anything new. If any photog tries something new today it is IMMEDIATELY copied by dozens of "blog scavenging photogs". <br />• 2012-2013 I only shot about 60 weddings total. The industry is completely saturated with newcomers who are more in tune with todays hyper-tech brides than I am...totally burned out.<br />• 2014 taking a full year off from work to enjoy life...maybe I'll come back in 2015 but I doubt it will be easy or worth while. Likely will go back to school for a new skill/trade.<br /><br /><br>

If you're thinking about starting up a wedding photography biz...my advice is :<br />• DON'T put all your eggs in this basket...you're about 4 years late to the party and all the best food is gone. <br />• Its still more lucrative than a dayjob...hell even if you only shoot 1 a month, it equals about 160hrs of regular wages...but don't quit your dayjob cause you're not the only one who realizes this is easy money.<br />• Team up with a videography crew...these guys are using the same gear and coming out in "squads" of 3-5 shooters...its almost impossible to work with that many other shooters around, so you may as well join them and create a fusion of both photo/video.<br />• A $3000-$10,000 bride today is most likely 1) Asian 2) Looking for a fusion photo & video package.<br />• Listen closely to what the brides want...NOT older photogs advice. Find a way to give the brides what they want. Don't just listen to the old timers b!itch about giving away cds, digital, or not selling prints, bla bla bla...focus only on "your target" clients wants & needs...today's brides have different needs/expectations than the old times clients had.<br />• STOP reading photo blogs and copying every else...get inspiration from movies or other places...if you shoot like everyone else, you will get lost in the ever swelling sea of competitors.<br />• Don't go out and buy camera bodies...I have $30,000 worth of outdated camera bodies/flashes. The lens are a good investment but don't buy camera bodies...you can rent them super cheap and always have the newest features that way. Plus it sucks beating up your own gear and maintaining it.<br />• If you only shoot weddings & portraits, your not earning the title of "photographer"...call yourself a "camera operator"...or say you "take photos at weddings".<br />• Check your greedy little pig at the door...be "FAIR" priced and you will never need to pay for advertising, because your clients will be your Brand Evangelist...think about it..every woman likes to share info about the new best deal they found.<br /><br /><br>

<strong>Lets do a quick price/reality check on how much it cost to shoot a single wedding:</strong><br />$500 - rental gear (look for packages : http://www.hawaiicamera.com/rent/canon-1d-c-4k-package--1/oahu)<br />$200 - assistant (find one that has gear so you don't have to rent more)<br />$300 - outsource your editing (so you don't have to spend 40hrs behind the computer for each event)<br />$100 - shipping (i'm being generous here assuming your not just mailing cds but giving harddrives instead)<br />$50 - fuel/parking (tax deductible)<br />$100 - computer (you should own this already but lets say an imac costs $1500 / 15 accounts)<br />$20 - utility (you have to power up the computer and pay the phone bill right?)<br />$10 - archives (2tb wester digital is about $150 / 15 accounts)<br />$0 - studio space (work from home+get a 1/4 rent tax deduction...nobody gets married in a studio anyway)<br />$120 - vehicle maintenance (generous again...you shouldn't ever bill for this you bean counter)<br />---------------------------------------<br /><strong>$1400 Total account expense.</strong><br />Now, is it "fair" to charge people $3000? <br />Well maybe it is fair. You would earn about $1500 for your "artistic talent"..cough..cough...<br />Taxes would take almost 50% so that leaves about $750 profit. Or $100 pr hour for an 8hr event.<br />Do you really deserve to make $100pr hr for your expertise in today's saturated market of "experts"? <br />Anesthesiologist make $100hr, Mechanics do too, Tattoo artists, Programmers, and Underwater Welders do.</p><div></div>

Thanks for the feedback and love gang!!! Glad you liked the images so far. The selective blurs were shot with a tilt shift lens (Canon 90mm)

Tilt shifts are a throwback to the old school medium format stuff. I needed to mix it up a little bit cause i've been getting bored with my regular shooting style and figured i would experiment. Its not a look that everyone goes for, and its really a tough lens to use cause its manual focus and there really isn't any accurate exposure readings...but not too many wedding photogs are using the lens...except the boutwells who always rock and of course pfister photography as well.

The light leaks were on accident, but i like that too cause if every image is always exposed properly i'll get bored looking through them...plus i'm too lazy to adjust the camera settings when shooting on the fly;) HAHAH

Thanks for looking and taking the time to write,

Shawn Starr

Just wrapped up a few of the beach portraits, now gotta go back and do the

others...not sure if this is the correct place to post images either...i think

the site has changed since i last came here.

lets see if this image link works:

http://www.shawnstarr.com/samples/cpteaser.jpg

The bride has good taste, its a very nice style of processing...I'd like to see

more from that wedding!

Thanks Ales, at the time these were taken, the only equipment I had was a

20D, 50mm 1.8, and the kit lens that came with the camera. I used the kit lens

and took two photos and stitched them together in photoshop to make the

really tall vertical image of her on the rocks;)

Thanks for looking!

thanks for all the positive feedback gang. I'm really glad you seem to like the

images.

This was a small wedding in Oahu...only 4 people! Lots of time with the

couple, but no special lighting...not even a flash at the time these were

taken....just lots of Photoshop to enhance the mood of the sunset^^

Good luck with your Maui Wedding! I'm certain it will be beautiful.