Communicate With Your Clients…

Yesterday I called on a client just to see how their event was progressing…not a wedding, but a very high-end 50th birthday party. In talking to him, he confided in me that he actually had another photographer who was going to do this. She is a student photographer and offered to shoot the party for the experience. But, he said, she never called him back to confirm. As the date got closer, he realized that he had to book someone. Now, he said this student may show up and shoot anyway (a subject for another day). To which I just told him that I’ll have a private discussion with her about that.

Make sure that you communicate with your clients frequently. Often, as a wedding photographer, you will book a client 6 to 18 months out. So, if some time has gone by, there’s no harm in emailing a note to your client asking how their plans are going. It’s that simple. But, it’s powerful because it lets them know that you are there, and that you care enough to drop a note.

With every client, I have a communication plan, and I communicate alot. At least once a month I drop them a line, or I make up a reason to call. Whenever I talk to my clients, I try to come away from the discussion with a to-do. It doesn’t have to be a big deal, or an emergency, but it does give me a reason to call them back in a few weeks with a follow-up.

Don’t get discouraged. Many of your clients will email you back and say, “everything is fine.” or something like that. Remember, they are busy. You don’t want to get in their way or be annoying in any way.

Feel out each client and work to their preference. If you feel that once a month is way too much communicating with a certain client, then by all means, tone it down and do it much less. It’s an individual thing that you have to feel out. Some clients are comfortable with not talking to you at all until a week before the wedding. Others want to talk to you all the time about everything. So, that’s just something you have to learn. But, the last thing in the world you want to happen is to have a client wonder why you are not checking in on them. You may do the best job in the world for them, but they might only remember how hard you were to talk to, or get a hold of.

Cheers,

Jerry

For Brides, and maybe new photographers…

There’s a new website that was created by a bunch of photographers from all over the world. This was put together mainly to educate brides about the business of photography. It covers topics such as, how much you can expect to spend on photography, why it costs what it costs, what things should you look for, etc. It is a very informative website. For any bride confused about what to look for in a photographer, I highly recommend reading this set of FAQ’s. You can find it here: Wedfog

It’s not about how much you make…

Many photographers who are new to the business quickly find that their equipment needs rise exponentially in a short amount of time. This is natural. The main reason is that as a photographer new to weddings, one is trying to find a balance between having what is needed to do the job, and being mobile.

A new camera body, with no lenses, can cost $3,000 up to around $8,000 for a professional grade body. A photographer needs at least two camera bodies with them at a wedding. That could cost you up to $16,000 just for two camera bodies.

But, it’s not only about cameras and lenses. There are computers and associated equipment. Usually, a photographer needs a good high-quality, high-performance desktop computer, and a laptop. They also need some good hard drives, and a high-qualty LCD or CRT screen for doing color critical work.

Lastly, they will want lots of CF cards for their cameras. Lots. This need seems to never be fulfilled. One can never have enough cards.

The good news is that technology is getting cheaper as time goes on. The bad news is that it’s easy to fall into a trap of always having the latest and greatest of everything. What you need to do the job are two really great camera bodies, some very nice fast lenses (a good range from 24mm to about 200mm). You need a flash unit for each camera. You need a good bag for you equipment. And enough CF Cards to do the job. If you find yourself running out of CF Cards at weddings, buy more. Keep buying them until you always have a couple of cards left over. It is better to have too many, than to not have enough.

NEVER download cards at a wedding, and reuse them. This is very dangerous. I’ll discuss this in more detail in a future post.

Once your equipment is all set, there is no reason to buy more. If it does it’s job now, it will continue to do it’s job over many years. Do not fall for the equipment lust that so many photographers do. While we all love our equipment, the name of the game is keeping as much $$$ as you can. Every cent you spend on equipment should be looked at from a return on inestment (ROI) standpoint. If it has no ROI, you don’t buy it.

This is a business. Run your business to maximize your profits. Be reasonable. Be realistic.