Becoming Professional With Your Wedding
You are creating something that people will keep for years to come. You are capturing a very special moment in people’s lives. Your clients will be looking for a quality track record because it is such a special moment they want capturing. If you choose to be a wedding photographer you can make a lot of money by doing so. As well as the money though there is the risk that 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. For example, you should include that you are not responsible for pictures that might get lost after you send the film away to get developed, or pictures that do not come out clear due to equipment failure. Otherwise you could get sued for breach of contract.
Now with that said you should also include how many pictures are to be taken and how long you will be photographing for and what hourly rate will be. 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. Most people will pay you 50% prior to the wedding and the remaining afterwards. 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. It would look very unprofessional if you did.
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.