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.

Are you the type of wedding photographer who barks out commands, or say them softly but firmly? If you want to be taken seriously in the business, there’s a need to convey your authority to the second shooter who you will be working with.

If you don’t want to come off as someone who’s abrupt, have a good, long talk with the assistant or second shooter who you’ll be working with. Tell him or her that unless you get everything right, you will be wasting everyone’s time – including the bride’s and groom’s – as well as that of their guests and families.

As such, everything needs to be done quickly and efficiently. Just imagine how disastrous it would be if you are unable to shoot the newlywed’s first kiss because your assistant forgot to load your camera’s batteries!

All in all, if you want to have a successful wedding coverage, preparation is the key – and hiring a good assistant or second shooter is also a must.

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!

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.

Even if you are earning a living through creative means, it does not mean that you can do away with the legal mumbo-jumbo involved in the business. The same thing holds true if you are in the wedding photography business.

Basically, you do need to have a contract drafter if you are dealing with clients and you are delivering a type of service to them. The wedding photography contract should include the work being delivered, details like the date and time of the photo shoots, the rates, reproduction rates, copyrights and licenses that both parties should have.

To help you out, read the Business and Legal Forms for Photographers book by Tad Crawford.

One more thing – expert wedding photographers do recommend getting insurance. For a relatively low fee, you will have financial coverage in case something happens to your photography equipment or if something happens to you while you are out in an on-location photo shoot. To learn more about business insurance, check out Photo.net’s information page.