Becoming Professional With Your Bridal
A wedding is the kind of occasion that people want to display pictures of for years to come. Your clients will be looking for a quality track record because it is such a special moment they want capturing. If you are a photographer you might want to consider photographing weddings because there is a lot of money to be made by doing them. With the money comes the risk which you must manage well.
A disclaimer should be included in a well written up first time contract. A disclaimer is something that can prevent you from being sued later on. 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. You do not want to be sued for breaching your contract.
The hourly rate and how many pictures are to be taken should also be included in the contract. Something else you should include would be the fees for developing and the fee of the album. Make sure you discuss with your clients what their requirements are. There could be a particular family member that they want photographed separately, or a certain group of people they do not get to see very often.
Make a list of all the pictures that your client’s requested. 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. Not every client will be the same so pay attention to what they are saying.
It is smart to always ask for a booking fee. Without this you could be caught out if something goes wrong. If they have paid nothing then they are less likely to try to solve any problems that may occur. 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. You should set a date when the remaining amount will be paid because you do not want to be bothering the bride and groom during the reception for payment! 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.
At the end of the day doing wedding photography can be a lot of fun and you can make good money at it. You may have to take your people skills to the next level but the financial returns will be worth it.
