This is the moment we’ve all been waiting for. You’ve got the skills, the confidence, and the knowledge to go out and take on a job on your own. Your business is all set up, ready to take on clients and all that’s left is to start filling up your schedule. With all the work done from the previous sections of this guide, it might be easier to get this first gig than you think.
Your first job is going to come from one of the following places: referral, friend/family, advertisement, or organic traffic. The most likely of these is going to be referrals and friends/family. You’ll want to actively seek out referrals from the Facebook groups you joined, and the other photographers that you worked with as a second shooter. If you did a really great job for those photographers in the past and they are aware that you are taking on jobs of your own, they will usually be very glad to send couples your way when they get requests for days that they’re already booked for. This might take a little time for all of the right circumstances to align. It would benefit you to reach out to the photographers that you worked for and let them know that you are looking for referrals if they get any requests that they can’t take.
If you find yourself not getting any referrals, you can do a little bit of free advertising which is the route that I took to get the ball rolling. You can create an ad on Craigslist or Facebook for wedding photography services. You’ll want to post these on the cheap side and be very transparent in that you have plenty of experience but are just starting out on your own. If you do a few of these cheap jobs and over deliver, couples will be so thrilled to get great service on a budget that they will be your number one advertisers for years after their wedding. Unfortunately, not all will work out this way. You could do the job for free for some people and they still will never be satisfied. The biggest thing is to never get discouraged by those people.
The final possible source for your first gig is organic traffic to your website and social media. It is pretty unlikely that you’ll get a lot of work from these sources until you have an audience but it is certainly possible. You should make sure that your social media and website are kept up to date and looking fresh so that they’re always ready for new traffic. Once you have your first lead, you have to close the deal. I like to schedule meetings with couples at local coffee shops to go over the details, get to know them, and give them a chance to ask any questions that they have in-person. Bring something to take notes so that you can write down all of the unique details of their wedding day and any special requests. Bring a few copies of your contract with you and walk the couples through the details. Some couples will even fill it out and pay the deposit right there, some will want to take it home while they think about their options. Once the contract is signed and the deposit is collected, you’re locked in.
You’ll want to line up a second shooter for the upcoming gig as soon as possible. You might even want to get the number of a couple more just in case. I know of several photographers who have had unfortunate reliability issues with second shooters and it’s good to have a few numbers to call in an emergency situation. Next up are all of the most important tips on exceeding expectations and maximizing your potential while on the job.
It is absolutely critical for you to exceed expectations on the first handful of weddings that you shoot. The referrals that can come from just one outstanding wedding experience from a couple can keep your schedule active for years afterwords. There are several items to keep in mind in order to ensure that the day goes great every time.
Your work actually starts a few days before the day of the wedding. It’s important to charge all of your batteries, clean your lenses, pack your bags in advance of the wedding. Make sure to have your clothes set aside, cleaned, and ironed. Additionally, opening lines of communication both with the couple and your second shooter should be a part of your process to make sure that everyone is still on the same page.
Just like showing up to your job or an interview, you should be early, and you should be looking sharp. I like to immediately greet the bride, get an idea of the space where they are getting ready, and then excuse myself to go get my equipment and begin setting up. What comes next is exactly what you’ve been practicing as a second shooter. The biggest difference is that now you’re the leader. Your second shooter will be looking for direction from you throughout the day. You’re the one leading the wedding party from pose to pose and through each of their photo locations.
An incredibly helpful tip that I learned while second shooting is to set all of your cameras and your second shooters cameras dates and times on the day of the wedding so that they are perfectly in sync. Doing this will make editing the photos between all of the different cameras so much easier because the photos will show up in your editing software in the exact order that they were taken. This trick alone can help to cut your editing time in half. More on that coming up.
Bring a laptop with you. When dinner rolls around, choose 10-15 photos from your shots so far, edit them, post them to your Facebook account, and tag the bride and groom in the photos. The goal here is to get the “first blood“ of wedding photos for the bride and groom on social media. I’ve found that the hype around a couple’s wedding photos is highest for the very first ones that hit social media. So if you have some of the first photos, you can get a ton of extra traffic and exposure to your account.
Another way to drive traffic to your accounts is to take a few photos of each of the other vendors and their products(hair styling, food, decor) and tag them in the posts. You’ll not only get extra exposure but build a great rapport with those vendors, increasing the likelihood that they will recommend you someday when the opportunity arises for them.
Finally, at the end of the day, be sure to say your goodbyes. Almost every couple that is going to tip you is going to do it when you pack up and say goodbye for the night. Plus, it would just be weird for you to take off without letting the bride and groom know you’re leaving.
Your night’s not over yet. Be sure to collect memory cards from your second shooter and transfer all of the day’s photos over to your computer and backup in multiple locations. A wedding photographer’s worst nightmare is losing a couple’s photos, don’t let it happen to you. After the conclusion of the file transfer, pay your second shooter and your night is complete!