Wedding Photography Buzz - Digital Wedding Secrets

There are two types of wedding photography assistants who you can hire: ones who have great potential to branch out on their own as a wedding photographer – and ones who have their hearts set on being a good one but have not acquired the necessary skills yet.

I tend to look for that delicate balance between the two. So essentially, what I personally need in a wedding photography assistant or a second shooter is someone who can almost read my mind. When covering weddings, it is my camera as the main photographer who the couple and their families will look at – so the second photographer should be willing to take a backseat in this department. One who likes to hog the limelight, I would not be able to work with harmoniously.

More importantly, a wedding photography assistant and a second shooter should like be an extension of my own arm. He or she should anticipate which items I would need and where we need to be next. Not getting to distracted by the events, being able to control a crowd during group pictures and being the ultimate professional – these are the qualities that you also need to look for in a second shooter if you want to succeed in the business.

Here’s the thing. When you are in the wedding photography business, there are 1,001 tiny details that you need to attend to. But two of the most important factors that you should not forget if you want your business to take off the ground are your websites and wedding photography portfolio. Let’s deal with it one at a time.

First, you do need to have a website constructed so that your existing and potential customers will have a way to gain access to samples of your work, or simply get more information about your wedding photography business.

Second, you do need to have a portfolio which showcases a collection of your best work. Make sure that it’s a concise collection, about 15 to 20 of your best photos will do.

Now, here’s a collection of some links that will help you out when building a portfolio and a website.

- GoDaddy.com and 1and1.com are a couple of cheap yet reliable web hosting providers – which is the first thing that you need to look for when building a website.

- When purchasing a pre-made portfolio, check out BluDomain.com which is known for their higher-end portfolios.

- CarbonMade.com is a site similar to BluDomain.com where you can buy pre-made portfolios – it’s a slightly cheaper but less flashy alternative.

- SimpleViewer and AutoViewer are flash galleries which are easy to use and customizable.

- Also, check out this report created by Photoshelter which indicates the factors that image buyers look for in a photographer’s website.

As a final note, make sure that the domain name that you will choose matches your business name – then you’re all set!

When I was first starting out in the wedding photography business and I had zero clients, I remember trying to give away my services practically for free – just so that I can gain enough experience covering wedding events. But later on, I realized that I did need to put a tag price on my services if I want to be considered as a professional wedding photographer.

Basically, you need to create that delicate balance between a pricing that will you’re your wedding photography efforts financially worth it – while avoiding driving away clients because your prices are too high.

Here’s a great formula that you can use if you want to come up with a reasonable pricing for the wedding photography packages that you offer:

Price = Rate *(Expenses for Planning + Shooting + Editing + Travel) *(10% Incidentals)

To learn more about how you can properly create a price list for the wedding packages that you offer, visit FotoQuote which provides price quotations for various types of photography.

When creating a price list for the wedding packages that you plan to offer, make sure to include details like what is included with the package – and the rates for any additional services that they may require.

If there’s one aspect of running a wedding photography business that is bound to turn it into a resounding success, that is none other than networking. If you’re still in the startup process, go all out with your networking efforts. Use social networking sites like MySpace, Facebook, Flickr and even Twitter to get your work out there.

Have your closest family, friends and colleagues spread the word about the wedding photography business that you have. Create a network of everyone who is connected in the wedding industry and make sure that they know what your business is all about. Word of mouth is still the best form of advertising.

If you know that you cannot handle a particular wedding event by yourself, refer them to other wedding photographers who can. The ‘competition’ will follow suit and start referring clients that they cannot handle to you. By harnessing the power of networking, your wedding photography business will grow in no time at all.

Thanks to the improvements in digital photography, professional photographers no longer have to carry with them rolls of films when they are out covering weddings. There is no risk of the film being exposed to too much light and ruining the prints and there’s no need to get the film rolls developed on a lab – digital photos are just plain easier to take, print and publish.

It’s the last part that’s pretty interesting – because publishing your most treasured photos online and sharing them with friends, family members of even total strangers have become a must in this digital world.

I remember this one couple who had a pretty intimate wedding ceremony with only a few of their relatives attending. The first thing that the bride asked me was if I can upload all the wedding photos into an online account so that her friends and relatives who cannot attend the ceremony will have the pictures to look at. It turned out that most of her relatives are living in a faraway state and only a handful of them can make it to her wedding. Naturally, I immediately uploaded the pictures online so that the bride and her relatives can view the wedding photos.

No matter how opposed some photographers are to technology, it is a must to keep up with the times because doing so will allow you to keep up with your clients as well.

So to sum it up, here is a quick list of the reasons why sharing your wedding photos online is a must after covering a wedding. First, you can use the online photo gallery as a feature of the wedding photography packages that you are offering. If there are engagement shots, you can even create a movie or a slideshow which can be shown during the wedding reception.

Second, you can use an online photo sharing website as a convenient way to backup your clients’ wedding photos. Third, you can cater to the requests of the clients when it comes to how they want their online wedding photo galleries to be. Some couples choose to share their wedding photos with the entire world so it can be a public gallery – while others choose to keep the profile private so that only their closest family members and friends can view the photos.

All in all, sharing photos online is a safe, organized and fun way of letting others appreciate the events on a wedding day through the exquisite pictures that you took.

Your wedding should leave a last longing impression to all. To make this statement true you should better peep into this article.

HIRE A PROFFESIONAL FOR YOUR SPECIAL DAY - You need to hire a professional for this special moment, don’t rely on any one like that. Just look into this matter seriously. You need to ensure the best services.

BE PREPARED FOR EVERYTHING - You need to prepare yourself for everything. Be emotionally, intellectually, financially, spiritually prepared. You only need to handle all the situations and if you are not prepared then you can’t handle your wedding project also.

HAVE AN ASSISTANT OR A HELPER - You are going to be really busy as it is your wedding project, so it will be better if you have a helper with you. Have someone around you all the time so that you don’t face any problem. You will be helped in carrying the things also.

ALWAYS SHOOT FOR THE BRIDE - Men don’t care about their photos. It is always the bride who wants every single expression of her to be captured. It will be better if you try capturing her only.

GET A LIST OF WANTED SHOTS - Try interacting with the bride before wedding and ask her to give you the list of wanted shots. It will be only her, who can tell you perfectly about the shots.

SHOOT A LOT AND GET THE GROUPS - Just try that you finish all your films on the wedding only, this will give a good impression of you and also a chance to bride and groom to select the pictures from the ones you have taken. Try getting the groups photos also; it gives a nice and fresh look to the wedding album. It makes us realize about the moments spend with our loved ones on that special day. Wedding is really a special moment; don’t let it go away for the couple by giving them lousy and blurred pictures. Try giving every shot your best shot and make that moment magical.