Wednesday, January 27, 2010

Tips For The Would-Be Bridal Photographer

By Ron Wong

You are creating something that people will keep for years to come. You are capturing a very special moment in people's lives. Every bride and groom wants someone who is well trained and who will guarantee quality. If you choose to be a wedding photographer you can make a lot of money by doing so. With the money comes the risk which you must manage well.

If this is going to be your first wedding shoot you will want to make sure your contract is written up properly and a disclaimer included in it. If you don't have a disclaimer you could be sued afterwards. There are a few reason you should not be held accountable for and they are failure of equipment, miss placed pictures after they were sent away, and photos that do not develop properly. Otherwise you could get sued for breach of contract.

The hourly rate and how many pictures are to be taken should also be included in the contract. Include how much the cost of development is and the cost of the album. Your client's requirements are important so make sure you talk it over with them. They might want a certain person or family they would like pictures of since they don't get to see them often, so that should be discussed as well if it is an issue.

Your clients will probably request certain photographs so make sure you make a list. Here are a few common ones, pre-ceremony, wedding ceremony, post-ceremony and reception. Who will be in certain photographs should be discussed with the client as well. Pay attention to what your clients are saying because each one will be different.

A deposit should be made after you book your clients in. Fifty percent is reasonable to ask for an up front booking fee. This will make sure you are covered in the event of a cancellation. So you don't end up bothering the bride and groom during the reception, arrangements should be made for when the remainder will be paid. They would think you were unprofessional and wish they had hired someone else.

If you are developing your client's pictures yourself, Photoshop is an excellent photo editing program. You can enhance the photos with all sorts of techniques such as flaw removal, montage, changing the color to black and which or sepia, as well as other unique features.

Look for ways to add extra value that you have not told them about. This will always generate good feelings. A special surprise will keep everyone talking and generating more business for you in the future. Think different. Imagine for example if you uploaded all their pictures onto a password protected part of your website so that they and their friends can login and view.

In the end doing wedding photography can be lucrative and fun as long as you build on your people skills.

About the Author:

No comments:

Post a Comment