I’m quite proud to say that the best aspect of wedding photography where I excel at is setting the expectations of a couple about the results of my work as a photographer.
After the wedding ceremony and reception are over, the only thing that will be left of the couple to remember their big day by are the wedding pictures. This is exactly the reason why wedding photographers are carrying a huge responsibility on their shoulders. The engaged couple are entrusting us to capture on film the events as they unfold during one of the most important days of their lives, so we might as well do a darned good job out of it, right?
And this is where your skills at setting the couple’s expectations should come in. You will not be chosen as the wedding photographer if either the bride or the groom does not like the style of work that you have. Since they already have a preview of the wedding photos that you did before them, the couple might give you feedback on which particular shots it is that they fell in love with.
You may want to recreate a similar shot during their wedding, or take an entirely different shot that the couple previously agreed on. Yet another important aspect of setting the couple’s expectations is asking them to create a list of the must-have weddings shots to be taken on their wedding day.
This way, the couple will get to see the pictures that they expect to see – and more. If you want your reputation as a wedding photographer to improve, word of mouth is still the best way to go. And when you exceed the expectations of a couple about the output of the wedding album that they will receive, word is bound to get around and you will get more clients in the future.
More importantly, make sure that the couple is aware of the terms and conditions of your covering their wedding event. After showing them your style of work, make sure to ask the couple about the number of shots that they want, the moments during the wedding that they want photographed for posterity, the prints that they will receive, the price of the wedding photography charges and the possible additional charges that they may incur, if any.
