 Maria A. Hopstetter |
Advice from other wedding photographers I wanted to ask some experienced photographers about the start of their business however many years ago that may be. Here are a few questions: 1. When you first started (with in a few months time) were you booked already for a year in advanced? (meaning one to two weddings per month with the except of one or two months) 2. What marketing strategies did you do? 3. How did you price your services in terms of what is too cheap and what is too expensive. I ask the above because I have been shooting weddings for about six months now and have already shot twelve weddings. I am booked for 13 more weddings ranging from this weekend till July of 2009. So I kind of wanted a comparison with some experienced wedding photographers. I want to make sure I am doing everything correct in terms of securing my new business.
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W. |
Hi Maria< @ 1) @ 2) @ 3) Have fun!
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Jerry Frazier |
1. No 2. mostly online. 3. I bet you are too cheap. to only be 6 months in and shooting that much is crazy talk. you should raise your prices to where only about half book you. if people are walking in and booking on the spot, you are too cheap. you can start to raise your prices. One thing I did was every 5 bookings, I increased $100. I did this for a while until I got to a place where the bookings slowed a bit, but I was making way more money. some advice, word of mouth is the absolute best advertising you can have. don't forget to charge for all your time AND all your overhead costs (taxes, insurance, COGS, etc.). Many newbies forget to charge for their time and overhead and wind up in the crapper in a year or two because they can't afford it all. back up gear: make sure you have it because every piece of equipment you have now will eventually fail. insurance: buy it. join ppa and learn how to make money in photography. you'll be shocked at how much you leave on the table right now. go to some meetings and meet multi-million dollar studio owners and just shut up and listen to what they tell you. you will think they are old-school and lame, but listen. and don't forget, that they run multi-million dollar studios. so, they are good resources. do research on what people in your area charge by doing goole searches. look at their work and prices and look at yours and see where you think you stand. lastly, look inside for inspriation. the way you carve out a niche in the wedding market is by being different. the more different you are, the more you can charge because they can only get that from you. most of all, have fun.
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Maria A. Hopstetter |
Thank you so much. A couple of weeks ago I took the plunge and did the following: 1. Joined PPA and WPPI As you can tell, I have that personality where when I know what I want...I go full force for it. Thanks Jerry about the pricing thing. The first two weddings I did were FREE! I read that this was the best way to get people to let you shoot their wedding. The next couple were $125 for Six hours of work...and then after that my rate was $100 per hour with a free photo disc. All of my weddings booked for next year though are at a rate of $150 per hour to $175 per hour. I feel like I am at a stand still though right now...so maybe Jerry you are right about knowing when you have reached the price you should be at because out of every three interested leads I get a response from, I book about one. Thank you very much for the responses and the advice..it means alot.
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Maria A. Hopstetter |
I forgot to add: My current rate is $250 per hour...that is the rate I am talking about when I say I am booking 1 out of 3 leads. :)
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Oliver Anderson |
I hope you're charging them your hourly for the post production work.... If not you're ripping yourself off. I wasn't going to get into weddings since I'm shooting a lot of Fashion/Agency stuff but have been asked to shoot 4 weddings in the last 2 weeks and quoted them $7500...2 said Yes on the spot. Don't be afraid to be bold Maria.
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Jerry Frazier |
You'd be very surprised how much people will pay. I think you should create packages. Hourly rates are a huge turn off for brides. Even if it's the exact same thing. Saying 7 hours is $1,750 is a totally different ball game than saying, I charge $250 per hour. I'll tell you why real quick. Because they equate your hourly rate with their crappy job hourly rate and think you are a totaly rip off. If you just say 7 hour cost $1,750 and includes a disc (NOT A FREE DISC, NOTHING IS EVER FREE OR THROWN IN, EVER, even if it is, it isn't). Anyway packages will help alot, I think.
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Maria A. Hopstetter |
Thank you Oliver. And thanks Jerry...I have packages set and am not really getting people to buy those packages. Could you take a look and tell me what I am missing here... www.maria-angela.com THanks
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Oliver Anderson |
First, something about the music and the wedding photos kinda doesn't jive for me. 2nd you don't have any post production prices so if you want I'm happy to do stuff at $149 an hour or you can have a before after section since I'm sure you must do some of the that. 3rd I always think anyone can have a great site if they've shot enough of something...I see some of my brothers point-n-shoot shots and some are amazing...1 outta 100 but can you shoot an entire wedding that is amazing...if so post an entire wedding in the gallery for people to look at. It will be the Bride...don't know many men that wanna look through that stuff but the women sure do. 4th the front page just has M on it instead you your full name????
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Maria A. Hopstetter |
Hi Oliver, I was trying something new with the galleries...I Saw a few photographers dividing up the images like that and I have to agree with you...it makes me look like I can not photograph a whole wedding...I will change that. The M is my logo (splash page) on the home page I should have my name under the M logo...I thought I had it up..I might need to check on that. The music I wanted to be modern and upbeat and this is the ONLY song I was able to upload to the site...I am starting to think about using another host site so I have a little more creativity. Thanks Oliver...very much appreciated!
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W. |
Music is a very personal thing. I'll bet you 100 bucks that your music choice is not that of your prospects who peruse your website. So that website better not have a music soundtrack at all. In 99 out of a 100 cases a soundtrack will work against you.
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Maria A. Hopstetter |
Thanks W.S, it is a personal choice of mine...I took a song from a DJ that orginally did my wedding song (techno version of course) and I chopped it up and uploaded it to my site. I wanted something a little more exotic, however I with the more exotic (italian or french) themed music...I was not getting the effect that I was going for....staying in the background. I did not want the music to dominate the site...I felt that I am a photographer not a musician.
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W. |
"[The music] is a personal choice of mine". So? Play your wedding song around the house, at 90dB, for YOUR enjoyment, but lose it from the website.
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Maria A. Hopstetter |
I understand where you come from..I do...but when I look at other photographer's sites and there is no music...as a consumer...it is boring to me. Then there are photographers who have music in the back ground...not blaring...just subtle...it makes it a much more enjoyable experience to view the photos...you almost get into it. I think this all is of course opinion based which is much appreciated but I rarely see wedding photographers with silent websites. Thank you for the advice though. :)
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Jerry Frazier |
music on the website or not. raw vs jpeg canon vs nikon pc vs mac it doesn't matter. if you like the music, you will attract others who also like the music. this is a good thing. I don't cast a net to catch tuna, and wind up with dolphins and swordfish and all the other things in the sea. I want a very specific client. so, I fish for only those ones. so, I firmly believe that the MORE personality and the MORE unlike others you can be, the better off you are. but, that's just my opinion. others disagree because they like to fish with large nets. i've always been more of a fresh water bass fisherman myself. it's enough to make a living from, I eat, i'm healthy and happy, and so are my clients. no problem.
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W. |
"the MORE unlike others you can be, the better off you are" Precisely!
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BetterPhoto Member |
LLC , good insurance, word of mouth, rub elbows with the big shots. I hang out with people like Mike Colon, {b}ecker and Jessica Clair(his girlfriend) to name a few. They are good teachers. They charge an average of $10,000 a wedding and that is where I want to be some day. I couldn't afford their classes so I volunteered to assist them at the workshops and listened in on the good stuff.
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Maria A. Hopstetter |
That is exactly what I do Jerry, and with doing what I do...every bride and groom I have shot for have been laid back..."lets have fun" contemporary types. I have to agree with you 100%, now I know I am not the only one that does it. :)
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Maria A. Hopstetter |
Hi John, I am far from charging $10,000...however I can agree that would be a nice income. :) You are def. blessed to be able to live near some great photogs such as them. Here in my area...no photographer wants to even go within fifty feet of you (another wedding photog) let alone rub elbows. I feel like I am the only "down to earth" photographer here...maybe it is the inexperience, who knows....I just know that these forums are very helpful and I am grateful for all the advice: good or bad.
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Jerry Frazier |
w., why do you have to argue every point? not all photographers have music. some freaking hate it and get into these battles about what is right or wrong. having music or not having music isn't being different. you were telling her to appeal to people. what I am saying is that people that like it will call her. people who don't, it could be a turn off. and that is OK. the more you can target a specific client, the better. you are saying to turn off the music because YOU don't like it. but, that's not a reason. you might not be her type of client.
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W. |
"why do you have to argue every point?" Not that one! LOL!
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W. |
"you are saying to turn off the music because YOU don't like it." Funny... I can't recall I said that.
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Jerry Frazier |
round and round we go...
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Maria A. Hopstetter |
:)
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BetterPhoto Member |
Well I rub elbows with them in a different way than most would do. I got to know them as people first and didn't utter one word of photography. We also had similar likes. Mike loves the ocean and I would go spear fishing with him every chance he had (very few, but enough to hit it off). Funniest thing was when we would see a fish under water and motion to me "can we eat that" and then spear it. {b}ecker and Jess love to play poker and I knew nothing about it. So I learned and started going to tournaments with them. How did we meet initially, through a wedding forum. I told them, as I tell all photographerS above the $5000 if they ever need an assistant "for free" to carry their gear, give them rides etc... not to hesistate. I never mention second shooter, I leave that up to them. I would have to say that 2 to 3 times a year the chance rolls around. The biggest bonus rolls around when they have these awesome workshops.
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