jessica_caradona

<p>Not giving the disks will likely result in very little business. I fought for a long time not to give the cd (for the same reasons you have stated). Bookings were very hard and I am certain I was marked of the list of possibilities many times as soon as I told brides they wouldn't get the cd. Once I started offering the cds, this changed.</p>

<p>Determine the minimum amount of money you realistically expect to make off of reprints and then add that amount into the photography coverage. Also use an online posting service to market the photos to guests. You will still get print sales as the bride and groom are highly unlikely to want the job of taking print orders and making and shipping free prints for everyone at the wedding. In fact that is how I market the online posting to my brides: "You don't have to worry about family and friends hounding you for pictures - they can order whatever they want easily online!"</p>

<p>You should research what your competition is doing in your area. If everyone is using a certain form of advertising, it's probably because it works/gives them good exposure. Sure, you'll be one amongst many, but at least you know you're being seen.</p>

<p>On the networking note, a great idea is to send pictures (with your logo or website tastefully included) to <em>reputable</em> vendors you've worked with for their portfolios (both web and print). This will help build up your visibility in the vendors' eyes and their clients'. Be generous and don't ask outright for them to refer you...you need to build up credibility with them and giving them photos and referring <em>their</em> businesses will be the best way to do this.</p>

<p>I can't tell you how many times I meet a brand new vendor who straight out the box starts asking for referrals. Some have gone as far as sending me huge stacks of their brochures to give to my clients, and have the nerve to ask for the referrals without even offering to reciprocate. I don't know anything about them or what to expect. I am certainly not willing to stake my reputation on referring them, because when I refer someone, I am lending them my credibility (which I have worked very hard to build). If they do a bad job, have poor ethics, etc, that reflects on me since I endorsed them. It's something I'm not willing to risk until I know what they're about. Those unsolicited brochures go straight in the trash.</p>

<p>Check out this article on The VCP Process of Relationship Networking. I use these principles daily in building relationships and have very rewarding referral relationships as a result. http://www.ecademy.com/node.php?id=101572</p>

<p>I personally list all my pricing on my website, but I do things <em>a la carte</em> so it's not too complicated (I think).</p>

<p>I have found that posting my prices weeds out the clients that absolutely cannot afford me (usually). I look at it from the point of view that if my prices are so far out of their budget, even if I did book them through a consultation that they will end up having buyer's remorse, will not feel comfortable and then we're not in a good place.</p>

<p>On this same note, if you post your pricing and packages, brides who are maybe just slightly out of your price range will be able to compare and contrast and see the "Ok, this photographer is $300 more than my budget and I don't get all the extra prints that this other photographer gives me for the same price, but their work is so amazing." It's all about allowing the bride to sell-herself that you are a better value/quality before she even calls.</p>

<p>Personally, I don't want a bride to hire me unless she's 100% comfortable and enthusiastic doing so. This goes for both style of photography and price.</p>

<p> </p>

<p>It doesn't sound like the bride is unhappy with the photography...just her fiance'. There is probably no making her happy with the results because the groom may not cooperate even if you did reshoot. He may act goofy in photos to subconsciously mess them up because he is really insecure about how he looks in photos and being silly and having bad pictures is easier for him to process than really trying and having someone tell him he looks bad.</p>

<p>I would not stress over it. Just go with the flow on the wedding day and tell him you'll keep the posing to a minimum and otherwise you he can pretend you don't exist and just enjoy himself. There is only so much you can do if someone is uncomfortable in front of the camera - making a big deal about it won't help him relax/let his guard down.</p>

<p>Craig,</p>

<p>I completely understand your sentiment. Perhaps to keep the peace, when you get a call for a church that you don't like shooting in, you can just tell the potential client "I'm not available that day." They don't need to know why!</p>

<p>David and John are right about why the rules get enforced in the first place though. I have seen a lot of churches that were once photography-friendly become almost impossible to shoot in because of a few very unprofessional "pros." My favorite illustration happened at a church that suddenly started a VERY restrictive photography policy. Since we had worked there a few times, we politely asked what prompted the new rules. The "church lady" proceeded to tell us about the bride who hired a Sports magazine photographer who apparently thought a wedding should be covered like a football game. This photographer actually dove over the banisters on the altar creating a huge scene during the wedding so he could get pictures of the vows! Needless to say, the priest decided that photographers weren't allowed within 100 feet of the altar after that experience.</p>

<p> </p>

<p>Bob, I have tried many work flow systems and this one works great for me.<br>

1) synchronize all cameras that will be shooting at the wedding so that images can be sorted by time stamp and need not be hand sorted.<br>

2) I shoot only RAW, not RAW plus jpeg since I really only need the RAW files. For my editing style, RAW is a must. I just cannot get the results I like without it. If I get the opportunity to go through photos at the wedding (during a break, between ceremony and reception, or god-forbid, if the reception is really boring), I will delete whatever is obviously not going to make the final cut to make the editing/backup process easier.<br>

3) I import all the photos shot by myself and any assistants into iView MediaPro/Expression Media and then select all the files and sort by Capture Date. This puts the whole wedding in chronological order in a matter of moments.<br>

4) I then begin the initial cut. iView allows you to mark photos using simple keystrokes. You can compare multiple photos at one time, select the best and mark the rest for "deletion." I mark with a "1" all the photos that are being cut.<br>

5) Once done you can select only the photos that are not marked for deletion with one simple press of a button and can then batch rename the remaining photos so that they stay in order when editing.<br>

6) Once files are renamed, I transfer all the "heroes" to a new folder - again, a very simple process with iView and then import only those photos into Lightroom for editing.<br>

7) In Lightroom, I do all my basic editing and make any final cuts necessary on the remaining pictures and export the files as hi-res jpegs to an Edit folder.<br>

8) I upload all my photos to Pictage, so I reimport the final jpegs to iView again and use the sorting functions (mark all photos separately from each segment of the wedding and then transfer those pics to individual subfolders) to create a more organized way for my clients to view their photos.</p>

<p>For 700-1500 pictures, you should be able to edit the entire wedding very cleanly in a matter of a few hours once you get used to the system. I hope this helps!</p>

<p>Chad,<br>

For the most part, photographers now focus more on photojournalistic and candid style shooting and refrain from doing a lot of posed shots like table photos. I live in the South and I rarely ever have a Southern bride that asks for table photos because our weddings our mostly buffet style. Table photos also take a lot of time and most receptions where I am last only 3 hours, so it's would be impractical to do and still be able to get all the candid moments that are going on. On occasion an out of town bride will ask about it and we do our best to accommodate. It is something that they have to ask for though...not something I take automatically.</p>

<p>Regarding leaving early, personally I am contracted for a certain number of hours and I discuss with the bride in advance when I'll be leaving (if the contracted hours are not enough to cover the entire reception) and that I'll check with her before I do to see if she wants to extend the coverage or has any last minute photo requests before I go. I am not sure what arrangements you had with your photographer, but it sounds as if Lee is right - you may have had different expectations. You should check your contract and see if it specifies a certain number of hours or a specific time frame that the photographer would be there. The contract should clear up any misunderstandings quickly.</p>

<p>Letting them pay after the wedding...maybe. If you feel comfortable with it and have a sizeable deposit paid and can handle the loss if they fail to pay. Letting them pay after they see the pictures...no way! This is a great way to never get paid.<br>

While most people are honorable and pay their bills, some do not or overspend and cannot. I knew a photographer once who shot a wedding and had the proofs made (this was back in film days) before getting paid in full. The bride had every intention of paying, but just never could come up with the money. The last I remember of it, more than a year had passed and she still hadn't come to get her pictures or pay the balance. Yes, the photographer still had her images "hostage" but it didn't do him any good because he did the work, paid for film and processing and wasn't compensated for his time. He could have shot another wedding that day and got paid. A total loss on his part.</p>

<p>Kay,</p>

<p>You're going to find a million opinions about what photos and colors you should use. I worked under a publisher who had a tremendous knack for picking images for covers/ads/etc that were wildly successful and sold incredibly well, but that most photographers would have never included in the final cut much less an ad. I remember arguing about an image that she wanted to use on a cover that I absolutely hated because it wasn't technically perfect. She won the argument and that cover ended up being one of the best selling covers we had all year. After that I started trying to see what she saw and how she saw it. That's when I realized that she wasn't looking for technically perfect, she was choosing based on emotional response.</p>

<p>The problem here is that photographers think like photographers and not like brides. It took me a while to learn how to stop thinking like a photographer (ruling out images because of minor technical imperfections) and look for emotional response when choosing images. Once I finally did, it changed everything - bookings became easier because brides were responding emotionally to the images. The moral here is the technically correct answer is not always the one that will sell best. It's advertising. You're not selling a logo or a color or even a picture. You're selling an emotion - a reaction. It doesn't matter how technically perfect the picture is, how well the colors blend, etc if the ad lacks emotional appeal.</p>

<p>Yes, pasting up your preferred design in the publication in question may give you an idea of what it will look like, but it is highly unlikely that you'll be placed next to the same ads or that the ads will even look the same. Your ad needs to stand on it's own and command it's own presence. The images you choose are by far the most important part of the ad and the background you choose should enhance and not compete with those images. Period.</p>

<p>So, your best bet is to show these potential ads to your target market. Pick several ads, print them out and show them to as many 20-something girls you can find. Ask your past clients, young women at your church, etc to tell you their favorite and what they like about it. Keep a tally. Listen to what they're telling you and go from there.</p>

<p>Just be sure that you're hitting the right age range and try to keep it within your market area. If potential brides like something then you're probably good. If their grandmothers don't like it, don't stress. It wasn't that long ago that posing every single image within an inch of it's life was the norm and what was considered good photography. Trying to sell the majority of today's bride on perfectly posed photos won't fly. Most brides want fun, candid, emotion-filled photos that tell their story. Their grandmothers may love posed photos, their moms may too, but the person you're selling to is the bride.</p>

<p>Think about it this way:<br>

If a potential client is paging through the magazine and wants to contact you right then and there, do you really want to make them take the time to pull up your website (if they have access to the internet at that moment) and have to hunt down your phone number? It's just adding a barrier to contacting you by not having your number listed.</p>

<p> Many brides do make first contact via the internet and email, however, there are just as many who prefer phone. When I'm shopping for a product or service, I email when I'm price shopping and I call when I'm serious about doing business.</p>

<p> You also should look at this from a credibility standpoint. I'm assuming that up until now you've been getting business through word of mouth referrals. These are great because you've already got some credibility built in. The person who referred you loaned their credibility to you. They may not be as concerned about not having a contact phone number for you since their friend/co-worker/relative had a great experience.</p>

<p> Since this is your first ad you are trying to get your name out there and get as much business as possible from this ad, it doesn't do you any good to look so new that you don't even have a phone number. Brides today have too many choices to take a risk on someone they're not 100% sure about. The people who will see this ad have no idea who you are or what you're about. They have no expectation of credibility on your part other than what you show them. Only being able to contact you through the internet may make them uneasy. Jessica Claire and Jasmine Star have their reputations already established (though I would still question why they don't include a phone number). Potential Clients know who they are and what to expect about them. Unless you have this kind of nationally-acclaimed reputation already built, I wouldn't recommend modeling your advertisements after them in this respect. You are still building up to where they are and the cost of having the ad not be as successful is probably much greater for you.</p>

<p> This all being said, if you still don't want to put your phone number in the ad, don't. It will most probably hurt your response rate, but only experimenting both ways in your particular market will tell. If the magazine only runs for a few months and you can afford to make the gamble, try without the phone number and see what response you get. If you're happy, great! If not, try again with the phone number added and chart the difference.</p>

<p> Either way, not having a phone number at least on your website is a really bad idea, specifically for the credibility reasons noted above.</p>

<p>I am a magazine publisher and would like to offer my two cents. The ad colors that I would go with are the black background and pink and white lettering. This is very bold and will stand out on the page among other ads.We've used a similar color scheme to promote some of our own events and the response has been remarkable. These colors are hot right now.<br>

Keep your text short and sweet. Be as brief as possible. The middle section can be cut way down, maybe to just:<br>

"Wedding and Lifestyle Photography - serving NY, NJ & PA"</p>

<p>Go with the advice to change to "as seen in" instead of "published in" and make this line smaller.</p>

<p>I would suggest keep the web address and lose the email, but make sure that it is very easy to find your contact info on your website. Adding a phone number would be wise. It adds credibility. Don't worry if it's a cell phone...most photographers are on the move and brides understand that they can't be tied to a landline.<br>

For your company name, the non-script font is easier to read.<br>

The photos are beautiful and work very well together.</p>