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

EPISODE #99: ARE WE SETTING REALISTIC GOALS FOR OURSELVES IN OUR BUSINESS? Summary: Throughout my experience mentoring other wedding photographers and chatting with people in the community, I’ve found that sometimes we create unrealistic goals that are just setting us up for disappointment. Goal setting is a really important aspect of growing your business and finding personal satisfaction in your career, but it’s vital that you focus on attainable goals within a realistic time frame. In this episode, I want to talk about the importance of setting realistic goals and taking into consideration your own experience levels, photographic skills and the network around you. Thriving as a wedding photographer can takes years of marketing your brand and honing your craft both during weddings and outside of hours, so it’s important to set incremental goals that reflect this. You should also consider what your current lifestyle can support when it comes to available time to spend shooting and marketing and the funds you

EPISODE #98: NEVER GET TOO HIGH OR TWO LOW IN YOUR BUSINESS - STAY THE COURSE Summary: Having ups and downs is all part of running your own business. There are times when you’ll be thriving, booking lots of clients and earning a lot, then you might go through a few slow months, have equipment breakdown or receive some negative feedback from a client. These are all things I’ve experienced in my ten years as a wedding photographer and if there’s one thing I’ve learnt, it’s that no matter the situation, you need to stay the course and maintain a level of equilibrium. In this episode, we’ll chat about how you can stay positive when things aren’t going as you had planned. It might be that you shot a really stressful wedding or had an altercation that has left you feeling emotional and wanting to hide away. We’ll also talk about the importance of staying humble when you’re on “Cloud 9” and turning this energy into planning and investing for the future. Running your own wedding photography business can be a roller c

EPISODE #97: WHY I CREATED A WEDDING PLANNING PODCAST FOR BRIDES AND GROOMS Summary: A short while back I started a wedding planning podcast for brides and grooms to help them execute their dream wedding. It features interviews with some of the vendors that I’ve worked with throughout the years and have a great respect for, as well as tips and inspiration for getting the most out of photography on your special day. While it might sound like this is solely for the benefit of couples, it was also inspired by a desire to raise the level of wedding photography and help the wider community value what we do. In this episode, we’ll chat about some of the reasons why I started this wedding planning podcast and how it offers an alternative means for engaged couples to start thinking about their wedding. There are so many great resources out there, from magazine articles to blogs and video tutorials. But I wanted to offer a more passive means of information consumption that couples could listen to while working out or

EPISODE #96: TOO BUSY TO WORK ON YOUR BUSINESS BUT NOT BUSINESS ENOUGH TO SHOOT WEDDINGS Summary: It’s too often I hear wedding photographers complaining that they’re not shooting enough weddings or getting enough inquiries. But when you ask those same photographers how much time they spend working behind-the-scenes on their businesses, they answer is more often than not that they’re “too busy”. One of the keys to a successful wedding photography business is working diligently on days you’re not shooting weddings to practice your craft, hone your post-processing skills, and market your business. So in this episode we’re going to chat about some of the things you should be doing, ESPECIALLY if you're not busy shooting weddings. Have you updated your portfolio recently or been regularly posting on social media? When was the last time you reached out to other wedding vendors to connect and see how you can be of help to them? Do you actually go out and practice different shooting techniques and skills when you’re

EPISODE #95: GETTING THE MOST EXPERIENCE OUT OF EVERY WEDDING YOU PHOTOGRAPH Summary: While you can use the images you capture at each and every wedding to help market your business, you can also use the experiences to improve your wedding photography in the long term. Many of us are just keen to share the photos with our clients and on our social media channels and move on, but it’s important to reflect on what you did well (and what you could have improved on) after every wedding you shoot. Perhaps you could have managed your time better or communicated more effectively with family members during the family formals. Maybe you had issues using flash in the reception venue or balancing the ambient light. As photographers, there’s usually some technical aspect or issues that we can work on. While as humans, there are always opportunities to improve on our communication with others. But make sure you also reflect on what you did well. Perhaps there was something you did during the day that you feel really proud

EPISODE #94: ARE YOU TRULY GETTING THE ABSOLUTE MOST OUT OF EVERY WEDDING YOU PHOTOGRAPH? Summary: The main focus of being a wedding photographer is capturing beautiful images for your clients, but that’s not where their exposure should end. In this wedding photography podcast episode, we’re going to chat about how to get the most mileage out of your images from each and every wedding you shoot. First and foremost, you should be sharing photos from your weddings for your clients, their family and friends through online galleries and print albums. But you should also be using these photos to showcase your business and market your wedding photography to potential clients for the long-term future. Are you uploading photos regularly to Facebook and Instagram or other social media sites? Or do you create blog articles to help tell the story of the wedding and highlight your favorite images? Perhaps you create wedding albums for the vendors you worked with to help market your business through their channels. All of

EPISODE #93: WHAT IS YOUR UNFAIR ADVANTAGE AS A WEDDING PHOTOGRAPHER? Summary: In many ways, wedding photographers share a lot in common. We are all dedicated to capturing the love and emotion of a couple’s special day and probably have a website that showcases our images and style. We might use similar equipment and run our businesses according to a standard model, and we might even charge very similar prices. But what sets you apart from others and is crucial to finding your wedding photography niche is what is referred to as your “unfair advantage”. It might be your personality that draws couples in or the services you offer that are exceptional when compared to other wedding photographers. Finding your “unfair advantage” is important in helping you stand out form the crowd and establishing your unique brand. In this episode, we'll talk about what I feel is my “unfair advantage” and how I’ve used it to create a successful niche wedding photography business. We’ll also talk about how you can find yours and

EPISODE #92: THERE'S ONLY ONE WEDDING PHOTOGRAPHER YOU SHOULD COMPARE YOURSELF TO Summary: No matter what industry you work in, chances are at one point or another you’ve compared yourself with your colleagues and the work they do. While this can be healthy and a great way to find inspiration and guidance for setting your own goals, it can also lead to unhappiness and feelings that “I’m not good enough” if you take it too far. As a wedding photographer, you’ve probably scrawled through the websites of other photographers in your area to see their images and undoubtedly you’ve probably made comparisons to yours. If you’ve met them at networking functions or heard about them through friends or clients, you’ve probably tried to find out what they are charging and if they are booking more or less weddings than yourself. In this episode, we’ll chat about why comparing other wedding photographers to yourself can be useful when you’re just starting out to see what you should be striving for. But it’s really importan

EPISODE #91: SOME OF THE LOWEST POINTS OF MY WEDDING PHOTOGRAPHY BUSINESS  Summary: July 15 this year marks exactly ten years since I shot my first wedding, so I thought I’d record an episode to celebrate! But rather than focus on my successes and what I’ve done well to get to where I am today, I thought I’d share some of the lowest points of my wedding photography career. I truly believe we can learn a lot from our mistakes, failures and most challenging moments in life, and sharing them can go a long way to helping others. We’ll chat about how I dealt with having my camera equipment stolen and anxiety about not booking enough weddings or being able to find people to work with. There were times I felt like my wedding photography brand wasn’t attracting the right clientele and doubted whether future clients would get in contact if I raised my fees. I’ll also speak about perhaps what was the lowest point of my career when I had what I can only describe as an identity crisis and considered throwing wedding phot

EPISODE #90: IT'S NOT TOO EARLY TO START THINKING ABOUT SAVINGS AND RETIREMENT Summary: We can’t work forever and like most professions, it’s important as wedding photographers that we plan for our financial security in retirement. If you’re in your later years, then this might be something you’re thinking about already. While for those of us who are still quite young, retirement savings can often seem like a distant priority and something we can deal with at a later date. But it’s never too early to start thinking about your savings and retirement so that you can live comfortably and be able to do the things you want to do. In this episode, we’ll chat about how to approach this as wedding photographers and small business owners, and how much of our monthly earnings we should be putting away. From having a dedicated retirement savings account to investing money intelligently, I’ll share with you some of my personal experiences and lessons learned in the last few years. Even if you’re not financially savvy, th

EPISODE #89: NOT ALL WEDDINGS ARE THE SAME; STOP TREATING THEM AS IF THEY WERE. Summary: Most weddings follow a certain flow - a getting ready session followed by the ceremony, then portraits and a reception. But that’s where the similarities end. No two weddings are the same and we shouldn’t treat them as such for our own convenience or the simplicity of photographing them. It’s really important that we acknowledge this to create a successful wedding photography business and our own career satisfaction. From the location/setting of the wedding (and its different components) to the preferred style of the couple and the cultural/spiritual elements they have incorporated into their special day, each and every piece of the puzzle creates a unique event. If we don’t recognize these as wedding photographers and fail to distinguish what is important to our clients, we’re limiting our own potential and our appeal to a diversity of couples in the future. It’s easy to fall into the trap of just turning up and treating

EPISODE #88: WE ALL HAVE TO START WITH ZERO WEDDINGS FOR THE NEXT YEAR Summary: No matter how your wedding photography business has performed in the past 12 months (lots of inquiries and bookings or less than you had hoped), it’s important to remember that we are all starting out on a level playing field in the coming year. This episode is a reminder not to get disheartened if you haven’t achieved the success you had hoped for, but also to not get complacent or too confident if you had a great year. We are all hitting reset on our wedding photography business as we head into the new financial year and there are no guarantees about what lies ahead. It’s really important to continue striving to improve your photographic, social and management skills to ensure your future success and not let past mistakes or disappointments define you. So however you rank your success during the past twelve months, it’s time to get into the mindset for the coming year as you hit reset on your wedding photography business. Subsc

EPISODE #87: DOES ANYTHING ELSE REALLY MATTER IF YOU AREN'T GETTING THE INQUIRIES? Summary: As wedding photographers we’re wearing a lot of different hats - we’re business owners, marketers, branders, accountants, and social media managers (sometimes all at the same time). But it’s critical to maintain perspective on what is most important and if what you’re doing in one area is having a positive impact elsewhere. Getting inquiries in your wedding photography business is fundamental to its success. So even if you’re working tirelessly in other areas, if prospective clients aren’t calling or emailing, then your business is going to have a short-term future. This episode is a wake up call for wedding photographers to ensure that the time and energy you are putting into the marketing and branding of your wedding photography business (as well as networking with other vendors) is paying off at the end of the day. Are you getting enough inquiries to make your business sustainable or do you need to reassess your str

EPISODE #86: BEING UNCOMFORTABLE IN YOUR BUSINESS IS ONE OF THE BEST THINGS EVER It may sound counter-intuitive, but being uncomfortable in your wedding photography business can be one of the best things for its success. Being uncomfortable means you are putting yourself in challenging situations - either artistically or personally - and this is what we’re talking about in today’s wedding photography podcast episode. It may mean capturing a wedding in a style you have never photographed before or in a cultural setting you have never encountered. Or it may be challenging your social skills, forcing you to get out of your comfort zone and communicate better with clients. It may also mean facing up to criticism you’ve received and looking at it constructively to improve your work. Being uncomfortable in your wedding photography business is about pushing the boundaries and venturing into new and unknown areas. It will test your limits, enabling you to discover skills or capabilities you never knew you had. If you

EPISODE #85: WHAT DOES A CAREER IN WEDDING PHOTOGRAPHY MEAN TO YOU? Summary: May of this year marks ten years since I started my career in wedding photography and it got me thinking about exactly what it all means to me. I thought I’d share some of the reasons I was drawn to the profession in the first place...and not just as a hobby or part-time endeavor, but as a full-time career as my own boss. First and foremost, we’ll chat about the passion I have for wedding photography (and I hope you do too), with the drive and motivation to wake up each day and excel at what we do. I love the opportunity to make a positive impact in the lives of my clients, as well as their family and friends, creating beautiful memories of their special day to last a lifetime. But we’ll also talk about the financial incentives of a career in wedding photography and the desire to not only be able to make ends meet in the industry, but have disposable income to travel and save for a rainy day. This wedding photography podcast is an op

EPISODE #84: MOST COMMON CHALLENGES FOR NEW WEDDING PHOTOGRAPHERS Summary: Starting out in any industry can be challenging and wedding photography is no different. Establishing a reputation and generating leads is far easier said than done and some will make it in the game, while others won’t. In this podcast, we’re going to chat about some of the most common challenges for new wedding photographers and how we can overcome them. It might be that you don’t have a professional-looking website or your portfolio is lacking, or perhaps you’re not getting nough experience as a second-shooter to improve your skills. A lot of the time it comes down to money - maybe you don’t have the funds available to invest in high-quality equipment or spend money advertising your business. Or maybe it’s that you’re trying to juggle a full-time career in another field while getting your foot in the door with wedding photography. In some cases, the challenge may be where you live, with not enough demand for wedding photographers in

EPISODE #83: IMPORTANCE OF BEING TRANSPARENT TO YOUR CLIENTS AND ACTUALLY MEETING DEADLINES Summary: One of the great things about running a wedding photography business is being your own boss. But that also means that when it comes to meeting deadlines and client expectations, you need to have the dedication, organization, honesty, and drive to make it happen…as nobody else is going to! We all want to market our wedding photography businesses in a manner which attracts clients, but it’s also really important that you are honest about what you can deliver and when, as well as the quality of service you are offering. In this episode, we’ll talk about the importance of being transparent with your wedding photography clients. It might be the timeframe you lay down for getting images back to them after the wedding or the experience level of your second shooter. Or perhaps it’s being honest about exactly what time you are going to turn up to capture their getting ready session. As a wedding photographer, you need

EPISODE #82: WHAT I LEARNED AT WEDDINGWIRE WORLD LA 2017 Summary: Having just returned from the WeddingWire World conference in Orange County, I wanted to share a little of my experience over these two inspiring days. For those that don’t know, WeddingWire is one of the world’s leading online resources for all things wedding planning for engaged couples. I’ve been a member of WeddingWire since I started out in wedding photography almost a decade ago and was privileged to be a guest speaker on one of their panels this year. It was a means for me to get more involved in the organization and give something back after they’ve contributed so much to making my business what it is today. In this episode, I’ll give you a recap of some of the events which took place over the two days I spent at the WeddingWire World conference, including discussions on current trends and technological innovations taking place in the industry. I’ll also let you know some of the take home messages from my personal experience and practic

EPISODE #81: TOP 10 TIPS ON AN EFFICIENT WORKFLOW - PART 2 Summary: This is the second episode in a two-part series about creating an efficient workflow for a successful wedding photography business. While Part 1 looked at more general tips and how I’ve personally applied them to my business, Part 2 focuses on the lead up to a wedding day and how you can reduce the amount of work you have to do. We’ll look at things like having informative content on your website, such as FAQs, wedding day tips, and reviews which will answer many of the queries prospective clients may have (without you having to write long email responses). This can also be addressed by having email templates which you can send again and again, as well as signature templates for contracts so this can all be done on the laptop (without printing and scanning). We’ll also chat about creating workflow spreadsheets to track enquiries, bookings, sales and expenses and the wedding photography questionnaire which I send to each and every couple to he

EPISODE #80: TOP 10 TIPS ON AN EFFICIENT WORKFLOW - PART 1 Summary: As wedding photographers we wear multiple hats and there’s far more to running a successful wedding photography business than just taking photos. It includes meeting with clients, managing our finances, updating social media sites, and ongoing education to keep up to date with the latest technology and trends. With so much going on, it’s important that we work in an efficient and effective manner and have a workflow that reflects that. In part one of this two-part episode I talk about some of my top tips for creating an efficient workflow and how I’ve applied them to my wedding photography business. From having a quiet workspace free of distractions to being able to multitask when required and prioritize the jobs that need to get done, we’ll discuss some of the ways you can make your business more efficient and productive. This in turn will leave you more personal time to enjoy with family and friends. Subscribe and leave a rating and review