Best way to get into Wedding Photography?
- Thread starter vone
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raincool2005
Senior Member
i forsee great competition and lower prices to come in this area...
:think:
:think:
blurrblurr
Senior Member
I forsee lower price photographers will not suvive for long.
perspectives-act
New Member
:bsmilie: :bsmilie: :bsmilie: "Let there be light"
there will always be couples looking for lower price photographers no matter what their pocket or budget situations.
there will always be lower price photographers moving into the next price bracket and there will always be new recruits replacing them. it's a vicious cycle whether we like it or not.
blurrblurr
Senior Member
Ya that's why I forsee low paid photographers will be more demoralise and quit.
Hey Vone, if you're doing wedding photography to make a whole lot more money, I think you would find it easier to make more from shooting commercial work. Based on past experience, I find it much easier to make money from commercial work but I don't do very much of it because I find it a little too pre planned.
As for starting out, well once you go into weddings, it's more like business to consumer rather than business to business. Unless you want to shoot for very low rates, ie less than 1K and rely on friends and family to pass you business, you will need a fairly clear vision/marketing strategy to hit your target clientele.
Think being a B to C trnasaction also means that the purchasing decisions tend to be more emotional, as well as the response to the images when the clients receive it. I would have contingency plans even before you sell your first wedding package.
That's my advice.
Agree with that. One of the commercial work that I did for half a day is equivalent to 2 weddings, plus, the post-processing work is less, you don't have to look through a thousand images, do rigorous touch-ups, cost is alot lower because you need not provide prints /albums.
For myself, wedding photography is the creative avenue for me, the structure is a lot more fluid and you don't have to chase your clients for money (all payment should be fully settled before you start the shoot). Frankly, I'm getting a bit tired chasing corporate clients for payment (ironically, the top banks are the worst, takes 2-3 months to get payment).
What's more important the money is whether you like what you're doing and the group of people you are dealing with. Doing wedding photography is a calling and if you are going to start comparing, you'll be very disappointed.
:heart:
... I am waiting for Salvation -- the days when i could choose my clients ! hahahah ..
If you run your wedding jobs like that you are going to hit the coffin soon ...:bsmilie:
The risk-reward ratio is "not worth it" ...
The truth is that Commercial works is a better paying jobs, than weddings.
The economy and the business climate may have improved in the last 5 years, and presumed that the commercial jobs and maket has improved, and wonder why should a commecial photog willing to do weddings for a fraction of what they normally get from commerical works ?
Why not used those times for marketing and networking instead ?
ConnorMcLeod
New Member
very very well said!! can i use your quote as refernce.. hopes it is not copyrighted
btw i am in the video industry and i share the same sentiment as u!!:thumbsup: :thumbsup:
True for all industries I can think of. Compete in price unless u wanna make ur products commodity and mass produce. That means, work harder to earn the same amount. Why should u do that?
Hello,
I have seen your portfolio on flicker. You have a good eye and the shots are good. If you are thinking of doing it on a weekend basis, I have no doubt that you will get at least 1 to 2 weekends booked every month in about 6 to 12 months time if you rely on the word of mouth method, meaning that your bride+groom will tell their friends, etc. That is currently the best form of advertising because if the couple like your stuff, they will happily advertise for you.
If you are thinking of advertising, portals like Singaporebrides.com is pretty good and will generate queries but as Canturn has mentioned, the clients are usually price sensitive. That said, the really well known photogs (Chris Ling, etc) are on the same portal and they command a huge premium over the rest because they started out producing really cutting edge work back in the 90s and they built their brand up really well.
Now, the question is whether you'll be happy with what you are going to get paid. Your work is good but the problem is that there are other photogs who can shoot in the style you are shooting (nothing personal, i am being totally objective about your images). This means that you can't push your price up because market forces won't allow you to. It's very highly likely you'll be dissatisfied with your fee really quickly after approx 6 weddings when the novelty wears off. So if you are happy with the fee then no worries. But if you want to produce beautiful and timeless images (and increase your fee), be sure to remember the words of the wedding pros on the forum. Their advice were learned through blood, sweat and tears, would be wise to remember them.
Best regards
Wes
Most folks who undercuts don't last very long, but new breeds of them are popping up, everyday. To add on to Wesley's post, which are really great advice if you're planning to charge professional rates (from SGD$1800 onwards). You'll have to be able to really sit down and think through what sets you apart from the rest of the part-timers who are charging way lower than you.
Also, the kind of photos you show in your portfolio wil attract different clientele group. Are you going to do the same kind of cheezy photos that everyone else is doing? (One classic example is selective colouring of the flowers, bride, 'Xi' character while everything is in B&W).
On top of that, you need to create your own signature style and look that's unique, in other words, people can't start copying your angle and all. Everything can be copied, that includes coffee table books designs, look at the wedding portfolio section, it's really obvious
This was one advice given by Wes in one of my conversations with him, you have to produce something that people can't copy, even if they can, it's wayyyy too much work
Also, the kind of photos you show in your portfolio wil attract different clientele group. Are you going to do the same kind of cheezy photos that everyone else is doing? (One classic example is selective colouring of the flowers, bride, 'Xi' character while everything is in B&W).
On top of that, you need to create your own signature style and look that's unique, in other words, people can't start copying your angle and all. Everything can be copied, that includes coffee table books designs, look at the wedding portfolio section, it's really obvious
This was one advice given by Wes in one of my conversations with him, you have to produce something that people can't copy, even if they can, it's wayyyy too much work
ConnorMcLeod
New Member
Was he trying to clear his annual leaves all at once ? :bsmilie:
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