Tuesday Tips #257 : Breaking into Weddings

Photographers we meet seem to be on two sides of the fence, photographers who absolutely adore shooting weddings and photographers who shudder at the thought. What keeps some of even the boldest photographers from trying thier hand out at wedding photography is the unnerving feeling that they just aren’t prepared to do so. We get it — there are no “re-dos” when it comes to a couple’s one and only wedding day but your passion can draw out the experience you’re craving. This month, we’re going to pass out some helful tips to get you started thinking about where to begin if you’ve always wanted to jump into the industry.

When you’re starting out, having no wedding images of your own to show potential clients is no major selling point and it looks downright unprofessional. In order to build up your book, offer up a special rate to wedding photogrpahers in your area that you respect as a trade off to keep the images you shot to show in client interactions only. Most photographers will not allow you to blog them or display them online, but some will allow either/or and it may be worth asking. Once you have an album worth of images, print out a few copies to show at client and vendor meetings and to wedding planners. Once you have a book, networking your book and having plenty of business cards on hand will get you a foot in the doors. It may sound old fashioned, but sometimes the simple act of networking on person instead of relying on your online presence can give you just the edge up you need.

“You largest fear carries your greatest growth.”
-Unknown