Wednesday, January 27, 2010

Tips On How To Become A Wedding Photographer

By Jo Wong

A wedding is the kind of occasion that people want to display pictures of for years to come. Your clients - the bride and groom to be - will want the best and will want the quality guaranteed. 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. If you don't have a disclaimer you could be sued afterwards. 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. Otherwise you could get sued for breach of contract.

The hourly rate and how many pictures are to be taken should also be included in the contract. Include how much the cost of development is and the cost of the album. Make sure you discuss with your clients what their requirements are. They might want a certain person or family they would like pictures of since they don't get to see them often, so that should be discussed as well if it is an issue.

Your clients will probably request certain photographs so make sure you make a list. 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. Pay attention to what your clients are saying because each one will be different.

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 bridal 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.

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