Wedding Photography Podcast | How To Become A Successful, Full-time Wedding Photographer | Wedding Photography Tips

It’s easy to talk about the dreams and aspirations you have for your wedding photography business. But without a solid plan in place, these goals are often just wishes that are never achieved. In this podcast episode, I’ll chat about the importance of creating realistic goals and a plan for your wedding photography business if you want to succeed in today’s highly competitive market. Whether it’s booking more weddings, seeing more visitors to your website or making more money, we’ll discuss why you need to have clear and identifiable goals. Establish a game plan and something tangible such as a “to do” list or detail certain goals that you want to achieve in the next month and how you’re going to go about achieving them. Having a plan for your wedding photography business means researching and clearly outlining what it is you want to achieve and exactly how you’re going to go about doing it. In this day and age, with so many distractions and other things competing for your time, if you don’t have a game plan,

All too often I hear that wedding photographers are struggling to get their business up and running because there are so many wedding photographers out there. The market they’re working in is completely saturated and just too competitive, with lots of talented wedding photographers that have many years of experience at their advantage. But it doesn’t mean you can’t become a wedding photographer (and a successful one). So in this podcast episode, I wanted to offer some hope to photographers out there who might be feeling disheartened by their situation. Getting a foothold in competitive markets is all about knowing the right marketing strategies to get your name out there. It might require a lot of hard work and effort but the rewards will be worth in. And what successful career doesn’t require time, energy, and patience? Whether it’s years of study (and the expenses that go along with that) or doing internships at a reduced salary, we all have to pay our dues before we reap the rewards. It’s the same case whe

No matter how long you’ve been working as a wedding photographer, there are going to be times when you wonder whether you can keep doing it and might be thinking you want to quit wedding photography. To offer some hope and inspiration to photographers in this situation, I’m going to share with you five times I had doubts and questioned whether I still wanted to be in this industry. We’ll go all the way back to 2007 in the lead up to shooting my first wedding. I was both excited but also incredibly nervous and seriously questioned whether I wanted to actually be a wedding photographer at all. Many years down the track, I again considered quitting wedding photography due to a number of personal things I was dealing with. In the end, it was starting this wedding photography podcast that really saved my business and I like to think that 137 episodes later, it was definitely worth it. But I understand there can often be doubts or difficult situations that make you consider quitting. Maybe it was a bad experience w

It might sound obvious, but the need to practice photography before becoming a wedding photographer is not something that we all do. Many decide that they want to take the plunge and will directly start second shooting or photographing budget weddings for friends, then wonder why they’re not getting follow-up leads and bookings. Rather than getting discouraged (or even giving up), you might want to take a step back and spend some time practicing your skills, both with and away from the camera. Most wedding photographers who go on to become successful have taken the time to learn their craft and practiced for months (if not years) before deciding to become a professional in the field. In this podcast episode, I’ll share with you my own journey to becoming a wedding photographer, which included two years photographing NBA basketball games and doing model portraiture shoots. Practicing photography before you become a wedding photographer gives you time to learn about shooting in manual mode, how to use the flash

Have you ever been in a meeting with prospective clients and felt that they want to ask you something but don’t want to appear rude or offend you? Couples are investing a lot of money and trust in you as a wedding photographer and there are undoubtedly tons of questions they want to ask but may not always feel is appropriate. In this podcast episode, I’m going to chat about some of the questions prospective clients want to ask you but probably won’t and why I like to put these things on the table and dispel any concerns they might have. In addition to sharing with you questions from my personal experience, I’ll also let you know how I go about answering them to ease the minds of prospective clients. From questions regarding why I don’t have a studio as a professional photographer to a lack of experience in shooting weddings of a particular style, cultural or faith, we’ll discuss the importance of addressing them head-on. Perhaps the couple has done some online research and discovered you don’t work as a weddi

When it comes to achieving success in wedding photography, there’s a certain mindset you need to have and a way of approaching your business that takes into consideration a number of different elements. I like to refer to these as the “6 Critical Cs” and it’s essential that these things come together if you want to achieve your overall vision. In this podcast episode, I’ll break down what each of these “6 Critical Cs” is and how they relate to achieving success in wedding photography. We’ll begin with the commitment that’s required from you for the long-term future to make your business a priority, as well as the clarity you need to have to stay focused on the tasks at hand that will help you meet your goals. We’ll also chat about the importance of being consistent with the quality of photographs you produce and the customer service you provide, as well as eventually establishing consistency in your brand as a whole. I’ll also share with you my thoughts on collaboration with other photographers and vendors an

After a decade in the industry and shooting more than 400 weddings, I’ve had my fair share of good and bad experiences. So in this podcast episode, I wanted to share with you 11 of my pet peeves as a wedding photographer, many of which I’m sure you’ll identify with if you’re in the industry yourself. Not only will I chat about things that happen on the wedding day itself, such as guests with cameras getting in my way and not being fed, but also my pet peeves in the behind-the-scenes of running a wedding photography business. Having your contact information available to everyone on the internet puts you at the mercy of countless telemarketers and those soliciting through email spam and social media comments, which are invariably just a big waste of my time. I like to work efficiently, so wedding day schedules running behind due to delays in hair and makeup is another of my pet peeves as a wedding photographer, as it usually results in photography time getting cut or rushed. Prospective clients not having the c

Sometimes it can seem like everywhere you turn there’s someone calling themselves a “wedding photographer” and when all it really takes to get started is a decent camera, some shooting experience, and a website…why not!? But there’s a big difference between dabbling in wedding photography and maybe shooting a few weddings a year and being a full-time wedding photographer who makes a living solely off their craft. In this day and age, competition in the wedding photography industry is at an all-time high and the market is completely saturated. So it takes much more than just labeling yourself as a wedding photographer to secure the bookings that you need to not only make a living but establish a successful career for the long-term future. In this podcast episode, I’ll chat about what it really takes to forge a successful career as a wedding photographer and the knowledge required to be able to market your business and treat it like a full-time profession. How can you make your wedding photography stand out fro

If you’re just starting out as a wedding photographer, the challenge might not be in getting your own inquiries and bookings but having the opportunity to assist and second shoot at weddings at all. Before you can start attracting your own clients, you need to build a solid portfolio and reputation, which can only come from experience in photographing weddings and learning on the job. But it can be tricky to get these opportunities, with many established wedding photographers already having a network of go-to second shooters and assistants or maybe being wary about trusting new photographers. So what’s the best way of approaching an established wedding photographer to secure these opportunities to assist and second shoot at their weddings? In this podcast episode, I’ll share with you some of my tips and advice on how to get opportunities to assist and second shoot at weddings, as well as how NOT to go about it. We’ll chat about the importance of getting to know the main photographer and their style of photogr

As wedding photographers, we often struggle with questions surrounding how much we should be charging. Is our pricing too high for the market we’re in (and therefore preventing prospective clients from booking us) or maybe we could be charging a little more than we are? In this podcast episode, I’ll share with you my idea that you’re worth exactly what you charge as a wedding photographer. Whether a couple decides to hire you doesn’t just come down to pricing, buy your work as a wedding photographer, your reputation, and your overall brand. The market helps to dictate the supply of wedding photographers and the demand from prospective clients and over time, you’re going to find out if what you are charging fits within that model. If you start charging more, perhaps you’ll end up with fewer bookings and earnings over the course of a year. While at the same time, if you dropped your prices, maybe you would end up attracting more clients. So as a wedding photographer, you have to determine whether the work and s

Following on from last week’s podcast episode about what makes you stand out and different from other wedding photographers, I wanted to chat about how you can use that to be a marketable and high-demand wedding photographer, providing a lot of value, that clients, venues and vendors want to work with. Creating a successful wedding photography business is all about “leverage” and establishing yourself so that you have the upper hand in your negotiations and relationships with clients, venues, and vendors. You want to establish a reputation that makes clients want to hire you and are willing to pay the prices you charge while other wedding vendors want to refer you because of your work ethic and ability to promote their services. In this episode, we’ll chat about the different levels of the food chain when it comes to wedding vendors. Coordinators and planners are generally the first to be hired so they have the most leverage and influence when it comes to referring other vendors. But as wedding photographers,

It’s a simple question but an important one - what makes you different and better than other wedding photographers? In today’s world, the wedding photography market is completely saturated and we’re up against so much competition. So what is it about you that makes you stand out from other wedding photographers and not only make prospective clients want to hire you but also be willing to pay the prices you charge? Chances are we’re quite biased about our own photography. We see our work all the time and probably love the style and quality of images. Additionally, we probably think the prices we are charging are justified (or that we should be charging even more). But that doesn’t mean others see our wedding photography or brand in the same light. In this episode, I’ll chat about the four main aspects that prospective clients consider when booking a wedding photographer and how we can stand out (in their eyes) in all of them. Firstly, does our pricing fit within their budget and justify the quality of photogra

When this podcast episode airs, it’s going to be exactly five years to the day since I married my wife, Charlene. So I wanted to take some time out to share with my listeners just how much she means to me and has impacted my life, both personally and as a small business owner. As wedding photographers, our families’ lives often revolve around our businesses, so it’s important to reflect on the role our significant others play in helping us do what we do and show them some appreciation. I’ll chat about some of the incredible experiences we’ve had together over the last five years, from traveling around the world to backpacking in the great outdoors and starting a family together. But I’ll also talk about the role she’s played in helping to build my wedding photography business, including second shooting more than 100 weddings with me, both locally and out of town. Whenever I’ve had creative inspiration or business propositions, my wife has been there to bounce ideas off and has always provided an ear to listen

While the focus of my wedding photography educational material has largely been on helping you go full-time, in this podcast episode I’m going to talk about how to successfully balance a conventional job while trying to do wedding photography part-time. A large percentage of my listeners are working full-time jobs while trying to get their part-time wedding photography business up and running. Perhaps you want the security of a conventional job to pay the bills and save for the future but like the idea of being able to shoot 5, 10 or 15 weddings throughout the year with the bonus of that added income. I’ll share with you some of my tips for balancing a conventional job and a wedding photography business, including being efficient in the way you work to ensure you’re as productive as possible. With so much on your plate, you might have to adjust your expectations and be extra conscientious of how you are spending your time outside of work or make sacrifices in other areas of your life. Some marketing strategie

Times are changing and what used to work being competitive as a wedding photographer ten years ago won’t necessarily cut it today. Not only has the market become completely saturated in many places, with a lot more wedding photographers to compete with, but developments in technology and the way we market our businesses have also changed. In this podcast episode, I’ll chat about some of the things that I’ve been doing in the last decade that are still relevant now, including collecting reviews from your clients, building relationships with other vendors and ensuring your website is SEO optimized. But we’ll also talk about some of the marketing strategies and mindsets that just won’t work in 2018 versus 10 years ago. If you’re thinking you just want to take your time and go with the flow when it comes to building your business, then get ready to be left behind. There are so many ambitious and committed photographers out there who are willing to really take their business by the horns and will easily pass you b

If you've ever wondered what goes on in a typical working week for me, then this is the episode for you. I'm going to share with you the day-to-day events that take place as I juggle trying to be efficient and productive as a wedding photographer, online educator, and father to a new-born baby girl. I'll break down what I do in the mornings, afternoons, and evenings throughout the week to ensure I get as much done as possible on the business side of being a wedding photographer, as well as shooting weddings on weekends and engagement sessions. Add to that finding time to work out a few times a week, running errands and spending time with my family. We'll talk about how that changes between the peak wedding season (from April to October) and the off-season (November to March) and why it's important to establish a consistent schedule if you want to be efficient and productive I'll also share with you some of my productivity tips and the apps I use to help me keep track of what I need to get done and when. From

After being a full-time wedding photographer for around a decade now, I’ve made my fair share of bad decisions. Not only have I wasted time doing things that are not profitable for my career but I’ve also wasted money in my wedding photography business without seeing any rewards. In this podcast episode, I want to share with you where I’ve wasted the most money in my business and hopefully, through my lessons learned, you won’t make the same mistakes. I’ll chat about some of the photography equipment and gear I bought that wasn’t necessary and ended up never getting used (or just thrown away), as well as some of the places I tried advertising that didn’t lead to a return on my investment. I’ll share with you the financial mistakes I made during a period where I was still trying to establish my individual brand, from leasing an expensive BMW to buying superficial brand-name clothes and advertising in high-end magazines to attract a certain kind of clientele. In addition, I’ll also chat about spending money to

Part of being a successful wedding photographer is being able to make a full-time living and for me, that means meeting three financial criteria: being able to pay your bills and monthly expenses. Having enough to save and invest in your future, and having something left over to do the other things you enjoy in life. Keeping those financial criteria in mind, in this episode I want to talk about why I have to gross at least $150,000 each year in my wedding photography business. I’m going to break down my expenses on a month-to-month basis (not just business expenses but also personal ones) so you can see how the numbers add up. Living in Southern California is not cheap, so when it comes to paying off our mortgage, taking into account property tax and utilities, there’s a certain amount we need to make every given month to cover ourselves. Add to that car repayments and student loans and our monthly expenses and savings come in at around $15,000 per month. When it comes to business expenses, I’m paying around

One thing I’ve noticed over my decade-long career as a wedding photographer is that there are some things we just don’t talk about. Whether it’s in online forums, Facebook groups or at networking events, the conversation usually centers around gear and presets. There’s a misconception that becoming a successful wedding photographer is just about investing in a great camera, setting up a website and the bookings will roll in. In this wedding photography podcast episode, I want to expose the truth of being a wedding photographer that nobody really talks about and some of the harsh realities that we face. We’ll chat about the amount of work you really have to do to get established as a wedding photographer in today’s competitive markets and the need to be able to sustain that throughout your career. It’s not just a matter of believing in yourself or following in the footsteps of other wedding photographers who’ve already “made it”. Each one of us has a unique situation, whether it be our lifestyle, brand or styl

Becoming a full-time wedding photographer is not as easy as it seems and even once you achieve financial success, there’s no guarantee that it’s going to continue year after year. In this podcast episode, I’ll share with you my criteria of what it means to become a full-time wedding photographer and why I strove to achieve that. We’ll chat about some of the perks of being your own boss and making a living as a wedding photographer, as well as some of the challenges and realities of doing this full-time. Yes, it offers a flexible schedule and time to enjoy other things in life but it can also be high pressure due to the income uncertainty we often face. Do you have a roadmap set out of how you are going to go full-time and have you set attainable goals to help you achieve that? Are you willing to make sacrifices for the time spent with family and friends to build your business and how do you envision your life once you go full-time? I’ll be asking you a number of important questions to help you reflect on this