Shooting Weddings

Are you trying to find ways of making money with your camera? Compared to most photographic fields, wedding photography is probably one of the easiest to get started professionally on a part time or even full time basis. Potential clients will be in your local area and initially you can probably start with a basic SLR kit including standard zoom lens and powerful flashgun. Most freelance photographers have started out making money by covering weddings. Some have gone on to establish very lucrative businesses in wedding photography. Others have used it as a starting point or stepping stone toward venturing into other fields.

There are two skills the photographer must master in order to succeed in wedding photography.

• Photographic Skills: You must have the ability to take high quality photographs both indoors and out.

  Quality photography requires technically perfect images; they have to be sharp, perfectly exposed and have a balanced composition of all the elements within the frame. The subject(s) should fill the frame with few distracting details such as messy backgrounds and poor posing/positioning of people. So check all the elements within the image before firing the shutter

• Communications Skills: The photographer must have good skills in managing people and crowd control.

  This area of photography means dealing with large groups of people on a regular basis. Therefore your "people skills" is as much a factor in the success of your wedding photography abilities as the finished photographs. If you are normally shy and reserved, this may not be the best use of your photographic talents

Starting Out

A common start is by photographing family and friends weddings. This way of starting out is not necessarily the ideal scenario, especially if you are doing this alone. Wedding photography can be very stressful, you do not get a second chance get it right. But, once people get to know you are "good with a camera" no doubt you will be asked if you do weddings.

Weddings are expensive propositions and the photography side is also a major expense for many young couples. Professional photographers may well be out of the budget, which is where the amateur photographer comes in and how many start earning a regular income with their camera.

If your family or friends are fully aware of your lack of experience and you are properly prepared for the task, there shouldn't be any problems. It would be advisable not to charge when dealing with your first wedding when using your nearest and dearest as "guinea pigs". A good idea would be to give the photographs as a wedding present.

A successful wedding photography business will not happen overnight. It is common for couples to book weddings up to one year in advance, and you need to get your name around. However, with patience and perseverance you can turn it into a good way of earning an extra income and possibly a full time career in the future.

Marketing Your Skills

The best advertising for the wedding photographer can't be paid for in cash at any price - word of mouth. The success of one wedding will undoubtedly lead to others. Your market will be in your local area. With each wedding you are commissioned to do, you will find a snowball effect begin to appear, as more will approach you if your work is good or unique in some way.

Advertising your services in the local press and/or opening a local studio is another approach. It is best however to try a few before you go full time. Remember wedding photography is an acquired taste and doesn't suit everybody. If you have rushed ahead and accepted a large number of weddings then discover after the first few that it isn't for you, you may need to cancel all those extra bookings.

Conclusion

Wedding photography isn't just about taking photographs; it's also about dealing with people while under a considerable amount of pressure to deliver quality results. Unlike other forms of freelancing, you cannot ask ALL the guests to return for another sitting if you get it wrong. Guests will wander off, the bride may be late, children will be bold, and thanks to cheap digital cameras, everyone is going to get in the way taking shots and slowing the whole process up unless you can control the wedding party and guests.

Still want to do wedding photography? Well if you want to know more about how to take top quality wedding photographs, and start a successful wedding photography business, take a look at our Freelance Photography Course.

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More info...

If you want to learn more about all kinds of photography, take a look at our complete full length courses. All are tutor assisted with examples, full text and projects.

• Basic Photography Course For the beginner, this tutor assisted level 1 course assumes you have little or no knowledge of photography. Suitable for both digital and film users.
• Digital Photography Course This course shows how to capture digital images, use manipulation programs to add effects and enhancements, and print and display your work. Includes image restoration.
• Glamour Photography Course This level 2 course assumes you know your way around a camera. It takes you further with studio lighting setups, home studio, model portfolios, posing guide, multiple lighting guide, model releases, make up and more.
• Freelance Photography Course This level 2 course is essential if you want to make money with your camera. Imagine being paid to be do something you love doing, well you can now with School of Photography.com.
• Black and White Photography Course Have you ever wanted to learn how to develop film at home? Then go on to make your own prints using an enlarger in a darkroom? Then this level 2 course is the right start for you.
• Landscape Photography Course Find out how to improve your landscapes with this level 2 course. Packed full of illustrations, examples, full text and projects.

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