Saturday 13 June 2009

Tips On How To Become A Wedding Photographer

By Rubert Wong

You are creating something that people will keep for years to come. You are capturing a very special moment in people's lives. 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. With the money comes the risk which you must manage well.

If this is going to be your first wedding shoot you will want to make sure your contract is written up properly and a disclaimer included in it. If you don't have a disclaimer you could be sued afterwards. For example, you should include that you are not responsible for pictures that might get lost after you send the film away to get developed, or pictures that do not come out clear due to equipment failure. Otherwise you could get sued for breach of contract.

Now with that said you should also include how many pictures are to be taken and how long you will be photographing for and what hourly rate will be. Something else you should include would be the fees for developing and the fee of the album. Make sure you discuss with your clients what their requirements are. There could be a particular family member that they want photographed separately, or a certain group of people they do not get to see very often.

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. Discuss with the clients about which shots they want and who's going to be in the pictures. Pay attention to what your clients are saying because each one will be different.

A deposit should be made after you book your clients in. At least 50% deposit should be paid prior to the wedding. You should set a date when the remainding amount will be paid because you do not want to be bothering the bride and groom during the reception for payment! They would think you were unprofessional and wish they had hired someone else.

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 uplaoded all their pictures onto a password protected part of your website so that they and their friends can login and view.

In the end doing wedding photography can be lucrative and fun as long as you build on your people skills.

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