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02/26/2014 07:51:44 PM · #1 |
Hi all, thought i'd give a bit of an update on how my wedding photography business is going. I know it's very helpful to compare notes and get tips etc
It's going really well so far. Got a lot of wedding bookings this year so far and it all seems to be coming together better than planned really. I wanted to share with you the last of engagement shoots i've done as i quite like them..
Engagement Shoot One
Engagement Shoot Two
I'm lucky to live in a great environment now, even if it is pretty dire weather wise. I'm starting to let my own style creep into my wedding photography a lot more now. I find people are quite keen on a bit of experimentation, really, so if i want to go all blurry and out of focus i can! That's great. It means that i am starting to not worry so much and let that slip in a bit more.
The wedding stuff is really taking off now quite well and i think being a bit different is helping loads. I can't remember when i last updated on this on DPC but i moved from a very highly populated city environment in South Wales up to a very rural area in Mid/North Wales in Oct 2012. This was a bit of a worry. I was going from an area where, on Google, there was around 300 wedding photographers with a 20 mile radius to a place where a 20 mile radius revealed about 10 wedding photographers. I was a bit worried that there just wasn't many weddings as there were so few people. Luckily i've seemed to have tapped into a bit of a Big Fish Small Pond thing. Whilst i don't seem to be taking the weddings of local people getting married i seem to have tapped into the weddings of people who are coming into this part of Wales to get married. Quite often they are people who grew up in rural Wales, moved away to University (as many of us do to get away!) and are keen to come back to their roots to tie the knot. I'm getting a lot of doctors and media people etc. People who now live in London and are coming back to get married. It's also a lot cheaper to come back to rural Wales and hire a castle or a huge country house than it is to get married in London or Cardiff or other big city. I think these people care also looking for something a bit more 'arty' or 'different' and 'natural' than the more traditional photographers offer.
So, it's going well with that for bookings. I made a 5 year plan when i started and i'm more than keeping up with that. In 2013 my target was to get 15 weddings booked. I went into the year with 7 bookings and ended the year with 20. My 2014 target is 25 bookings and i went into the year with 13 and, after a flurry of bookings in January, i'm already up to 20. I think i'll probably hit my target of 25 easy. My target for 2015 is 30, and for 2016 - 35. But, to be honest, i think i'd be happy if it levelled out on the 30 mark and i can maintain it year after year.
Anyway, what i'm trying to say is that it's all going really well for me with it. I'm earning a living through photography now with the weddings and other bits and pieces (some stock agency and the odd property photography job.) I've got a few other plans to bump that up but the weddings are going well. So i wanted to share where i was now and share some tips of what i've found to have worked, and not worked.
Advertising - This is such a minefield. I think i spent a large amount of money in the last couple of year on this and i'm not sure any of it has been any good. Online wedding directories with portfolios etc. Adverts in magazines. I'm not sure it works. Last year i worked on a wedding with some well established videographers and they said they got a third of their bookings from internet searches, a third from wedding fairs and the rest from referrals. I think that is probably right. Luckily i'm at the top spot for 'Mid Wales Wedding Photography' which is a huge area and i get most of my booking from that. Referrals is another big thing. Each wedding you do tends to have lots of bridesmaids and groomsmen and friends all of the same age. Do a good job and you'll be passed around. I've got a few bookings from that. From one wedding alone i've got three follow on weddings and a christening. Wedding fairs i haven't tried yet but i will at some point i'm sure.
Status - I'm not sure if that is a thing or not but happily i was accepted into the Wedding Photojournalist Association last year. There are a lot of societies and such but i liked the WPJA because they are very picky. It's quite hard to get in as they expect a certain photographic and professional standard. They do contests a few times each year. I haven't entered many but i came 11th in one category so that's enough to allow me to put 'International Award Winning' on some marketing stuff. I don't think its a massive thing but it's nice to see the other photographers around the world (it's very international) and get some inspiration and make a deal of it on your website.
Enjoy it and do your own thing - I didn't think i would be the sort of person who photographed weddings a couple of years ago. I don't think anyone who saw my photos on DPC three years ago would think so either! But i really do love it. It's great fun and i am able to indulge my passion for documentary photography at some amazing social gatherings. I'm still new to it really but i i'm starting to settle into a style. It's nothing massively original, of course, but where i'm living at the moment it does seem to stand out. I think my own approach to photography will gather speed with it and that will come into it more. There is a fear that bookings will die out if i follow my own eye too much, and get a bit *too* arty, but it's an increasing balancing act really. I'm in no way an accomplished 'technical' photographer. Wouldn't have a clue in a studio or with a handful of speed lights. But i seem to get by and am always trying new things (a bit of lighting at some point as well i think.)
Anyway, i've babbled a bit, but DPC has been amazingly important to me photographically, with all my favourite people here. But it's also been great for business help through people like  Skip and others who have helped loads. So it's good to keep up to date and pass on tips to others.
Anyway, apart from the engagement shoots up above you can see all the recent weddings Here…..
Message edited by author 2014-02-27 14:34:05. |
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02/26/2014 07:56:36 PM · #2 |
| You can tell i've had a drink tonight can't you. Excuse the typos. I've been meaning to type up a 'progress repost' for a bit and maybe got a bit carried away! |
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02/26/2014 08:07:26 PM · #3 |
| Oh, and the other point i wanted to make was people's expectations. I've made a point on my website of putting a lot of the more representational photographs of what i do and also some of the more 'way out' ones. No one is going to look at my site and come away thinking i will photograph their wedding in a very traditional style. People are not going to expect very posed, well lit formal photographs because it isn't what i do. I think, do your own thing, and if people like it then they will (hopefully) come. |
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02/26/2014 08:15:31 PM · #4 |
| Congrats. How exciting to be meeting your goals and finding success after a big move. Pretty location you have to work at, that's for sure. |
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02/27/2014 10:53:01 AM · #5 |
That's so good to hear Clive! Always happy to see other photographers make it, as I know how hard it is. Love the locations for all your engagements/weddings, must go to Wales one day ;)
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02/27/2014 01:35:24 PM · #6 |
| Thanks guys. Yes, the location really makes it. One of the reasons i try and do engagement shoots is to use the landscape. My plan is for hopefully couples like that and would like to try something similar on their wedding day even if it means a bit more time. I've got a few weddings on the coast this year and up in the mountains so hopefully they'll go well. |
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02/27/2014 02:16:09 PM · #7 |
| Thanks for the post, man, it's really good (and inspiring!) to know how it's going... can't wait to start on the same path myself! :) |
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02/27/2014 02:53:13 PM · #8 |
| Thrilled for your success. Especially that you have found a market for your wonderful style |
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02/27/2014 04:26:05 PM · #9 |
| Thanks for the post. It is great to see you are progressing in business and in style and enjoying it. The pictures are great -- it's not hard to believe you are getting popular in the field. |
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02/27/2014 04:45:54 PM · #10 |
| Clive, congratulations! It really sounds like your enjoying your work and environment. The two engagement shoots you posted are terrific and being accepted into WPJA will surely draw more attention to your craft. Enjoy the ride! |
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03/03/2014 12:29:30 PM · #11 |
| rock on, clive, rock on! nothing beats patience and perseverance when it comes to building a business (well, unless somebody has a nice trust fund behind them). |
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03/03/2014 01:30:35 PM · #12 |
| Terrific news and terrific work all around! |
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03/03/2014 06:31:32 PM · #13 |
| Thanks for the kind words and encouragement guys! |
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03/03/2014 08:07:07 PM · #14 |
| I love your stuff Man, it's awesome. Like I said before I go to your site often for inspiration! |
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03/03/2014 08:17:03 PM · #15 |
Goodonya! (Aussie talk) LOL
Your shots r wonderful! I love you've got such a variety of "style" in your work! I bet you have a bunch of Happy Folk over there!!! It's so boring to see the same stuff on wedding n engagement shots, sometimes I feel a person could just change heads with some one else and never have to pose another bride again! Your work made me FEEL in the moment with the couples! BTY what was Buddy the dog carting around in his mouth? |
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03/03/2014 08:45:55 PM · #16 |
| Excellent work. Love both shoots. I'm sure they are very very happy with the images. |
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03/04/2014 12:43:59 AM · #17 |
your perspectives, framing, subject choices are very fresh. Fantastic!
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03/04/2014 12:59:27 AM · #18 |
| I really enjoyed the engagement shoots, and the weddings are such a delight to wander through! You have a knack for finding the smiles - the real ones, not the manufactured ones - amidst the activities of the day. I also quite enjoy your gentle processing - it's very much your style. Glad this is all working so well for you - it truly is nice to see you succeed, both for you and your clients! |
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