So here's the deal. It's not easy being a professional full-time wedding photographer and business owner. It is a struggle having to constantly come up with new ways to communicate my value as a service provider in a meaningful way in such a crowded market. I mean OMG have you seen how many other talented wedding photographers there are out here in the Raleigh area? I can't be everyones "perfect choice" as a wedding photog, no matter the price or style of work. And that is OK.

My goal is to be the best wedding photographer for YOU, my ideal client, and I don't want my message of value and service to be lost in a sea of social media posts and hyped photography package sales. I want to learn how to work better and more efficiantly for you, not everyone else.

I realize that it truly is a daunting task when it comes to deciding which wedding photographer to hire and that your decisions are based on more things than a photographers "style" and the price of their services. I'd like to improve upon the way that I do business, so I've decided to ask how I can better serve people like you better by asking, well, YOU!

So, posted the following question on Reddit specifically to brides & grooms

"What has been the most difficult aspect of your journey in finding your dream wedding photographer?"

I’m a wedding photographer who is interested in understanding what kind of challenges real couples are facing when deciding on the right photog to document their day.

•  Is there such a thing as TMI when it comes to the personal bio message or blog posts shown on the photographers website. If you love the photos in their portfolio, do you care what your photog is into when their not working? (hobbies, food movies, memes ect.)

• What can wedding photographers do better when explaining the price and features of their service packages on their websites?

• Are you off-put by the constant game of photogs automatically opting you in to a relentless email marketing campaign once you make a first inquiry?

  (Auto respond emails, chat bots, unrequested PDFs of “helpful tips” ect.)

• What is the number one thing that is a real pain point in the process of deciding on your wedding photographer?

Thanks in advance for your answers and cheers to you in assembling your match-made-in-heaven vendor team :)

pplsuckbridal

17 points· 7 days ago

I’m searching for photographers right now and I could be totally alone in this, but I’ve found that a lot of people don’t list prices on their website. I will not contact a professional if I’m not sure I can afford them, I feel the same for planners, caterers, etc

Chat bots are the worst imo. I just want to scroll through your portfolio in peace.

And if it’s difficult to view all of their photographs because the gallery isn’t set up right that really bites

That being said I don’t think you should explain your pricing, just list it clearly. I’ve seen some photographers list how much they charge for editing an hour, how much they charge for a usb, for keeping their photographs for a year. I think that’s all unnecessary and the last thing you want is a couple saying “if I ask you to not edit/keep photos can I get a discount”. Your packages should be inclusive and if someone needs more of something make sure your contract is prepared for that

Jessie_Lightyear

8 points· 6 days ago

I just want to emphasize this point because it's INCREDIBLY frustrating. Even something that says "Base package starts at ____ and includes _______" would be helpful and then I can talk to the photographer about adding/removing things from the base and how that might impact price.

SilvercordPhoto

3 points· 6 days ago

That is absolutely a great point to make. A one size fits all approach to a photography package coupled with vague “what’s included ” info sounds incredibly frustrating. Thank you for this 😊

SilvercordPhoto

5 points· 6 days ago

Thank you so much for your detailed feedback! I totally get how aggravating it must be to try and budget for your wedding and not be able to even find the prices for service on a potential photogs website. Good to know that your annoyed by chat bots as that technology is definitely being pushed hard towards the wedding vendor industry as a marketing “tool” for us to use when trying to get clients. I’m not a fan ;)

sheshazelnuts

10 points· 6 days ago

Yes PLEASEPLEASEPLEASE at least list a starting price! I've fallen in love with so many photographers only to find out that they're twice my budget. And it's terrible having to reply with (paraphrased) "I love your work but I'm too poor for you." I actually stopped contacting photogs that didn't list a base price. I feel like they just use it to force you to initiate contact. This is the #1 most frustrating thing.

I don't mind some personal info. I found my photog on instagram and I'm obsessed with her baby pics. :) Looking through her posts made me feel like I want to be friends with her. Also her work is amazing and within my budget.

SilvercordPhoto

4 points· 6 days ago

Thanks so much for your comments! I appreciate the part you mentioned about the personal info found on your wedding photographers website. Believe it or not, I think that there are a few of us wedding photographers out here who think that it should be enough to just post pictures of our work on our blogs to let the images speak for ourselves, lol! I know this because I am that photographer, haha! It can be tricky trying to find a balance between being personal while maintaining a professional persona, especially when it comes to our “storefronts” (our website’s). It’s awesome to hear that brides like you actually do care about the person behind the lens 😊

Thanks to your feedback regarding a starting price and for your candor in mentioning your inward response of “ I love your work but I’m too poor for you.” I know that is tough. BTW, I totally agree that everyone’s interests is best served by being totally upfront with both budgets and prices. In my case, I’d hate to waste a couples time in trying to sell them on my services only to find out later that my packages were totally out of their price range. I’m glad that you did not compromise on your service expectations and that you found the perfect wedding photographer who’s work you loved & was within your budget. Thank you again for your thoughtful responses, I appreciate them more than you know :)

sheshazelnuts

2 points· 6 days ago

And thank you for asking! I know your clients will appreciate your concern for their needs rather than "how it's done." Most industries could be dramatically improved by people just taking the time to ask. :)

SilvercordPhoto

2 points· 6 days ago

You’ve got no idea how much I appreciate your kind words of encouragement. Thank you so much for that. I just want to do the right thing for my awesome couples and still be able to support my family doing the job that I love so much. Thanks for making my day and for providing a wonderful bit of insight from the other side of the lens. 💕

Toffeemuffincupcake

5 points· 7 days ago

We passed on considering one photog because we couldn't get his gallery to load at all.

I would say make sure your gallery covers all of the styles you shoot in and have a mix of portrait, ceremony and reception photos.

We're most bothered about the photos of our ceremony, but 90% of the photogs we looked at only had portrait and reception photos in their galleries. I don't care about pictures of dressing gowns, I want lasting memories of us saying our vows G-D it! We ended up only considering photogs who had ceremony photos in their gallery as we had most confidence that their style would suit our preferences.

Also, agreed with the comment that if I'm not sure I can afford you, I don't want to waste my time or yours and won't bother getting in touch. Just a basic of "packages from..." is helpful as a starting point, but details of your most popular packages are really helpful.

Include how long the package is for in hours, as well as schedule points - "from bridal preparations to first dance" as to how long you'll stick around feels a bit like responding "how long is a piece of string". Does that mean if I get ready at 7am and leave my first dance to 11pm (16 hours) I'll get the same price as someone running from 10am to 6pm (8 hours)? Guessing not but the pricing structure is unclear!

SilvercordPhoto

3 points· 6 days ago

Haha, honestly you made a great call ruling out a potential wedding photographer based on the fact that their website wasn’t even functioning properly. How the heck are you supposed to even view a portfolio if you can’t get a page to load? Not maintaining a proper wedding website is like letting cobwebs build up over the doorway of a studio’s entrance, no one wants to bother seeing what’s inside if the doorway is blocked.

Oh my goodness thank you so much for specifically mentioning what kinds of photos you’d like to see more of in your potential photographers portfolio! As wedding photographers we are constantly told to post only our “best shots” on our websites. Far too often we end up posting those pictures where we’ve got the greatest control over the situation (posing, lighting and background) because we think that these are the best examples of our work. This is why you’re seeing so many couples portraits on the portfolios as opposed to the good stuff (real, unplanned moments like actual tears shed during wedding vows).

In regards to clearer price structure, I think that you’ve got a good point in mentioning the difference in an 8 hour wedding price vs. a 16 hour price (if there is a difference). I can definitely see how that would be confusing and off putting if the language used isn’t explicitly clear. I have an “unlimited hours package ” listed on the price page of my site but I will definitely add some verbiage to the text to make it clearer to my potential clients that this price is the same if I’m working for 8 hours or 16. Thank you 😊

ninareads

3 points· 6 days ago

I'm a wedding photographer myself, so I know I'm not the target for these questions, but I had to jump in with an answer to one of them anyway :-)

*Is there such a thing as TMI when it comes to the personal bio message or blog posts shown on the photographers website. If you love the photos in their portfolio, do you care what your photog is into when their not working? (hobbies, food movies, memes ect.)

The majority of my couples who book me mention that I sound like someone they'd enjoy having a beer with at a brewery, or how they love seeing that I go hiking a ton on my free time, or mention my Deathly Hallows tattoo and start talking about Harry Potter with me.

I think that these days, when there are hundreds of photographers for couples to consider, making a real human connection is becoming more and more important. If you can book someone who takes pretty photos and is in your price range, or someone who takes pretty photos, is in your price range, and sounds like they could be your BFF (or at least have a great time at your wedding and get along with your friends/family), people will always take the latter. Your personality is the only thing that truly separates you from the other photographers out there :-)

SilvercordPhoto

2 points· 6 days ago

Aww, no worries, thank you for jumping into this thread :) It’s encouraging for me to hear that other photographers are having a good experience from sharing a little more about themselves beyond what their portfolio allows. You’ve made an excellent point in regards to the client experience in choosing between a photographer whose work they love versus a photographer who’s work they love AND they like as a person. Makes total sense 😊 Thank you so much for chiming in, I appreciate it!

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SilvercordPhoto

2 points· 6 days ago

Also +1 for the Harry Potter tattoo! Awesome 😎

lisavanreddit

Bride | No Date Yet3 points· 6 days ago

I will say, that I love instagram as a great tool to find good pictures of the area (I'm getting married in a destination town) and understand who are the local players in that area. However, it's the creepiest thing to me when I follow a regional hashtag or an area bridal company on instagram, there are photographers who will then find me and follow my account. Maybe it's just me, but it just seems creepy to slide into someone's follows who just wants to looks at bride-themed-local pages.

You didn't ask for it, but for me it falls into the marketing stuff.

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SilvercordPhoto

2 points· 6 days ago

Yikes! I’ve had that exact “Instagram marketing” advice given to me by other photogs over the years and it just smacks of creep factor x100 Ooof!

The funny thing is, I’d much rather my prospective clients stalk ME on Insta so that they can figure out if I am a good fit for THEM vs. the other way around 😉

Thanks for your feedback!

***

I am so happy that I have had a couple of responses to my original post and have already made a couple of changes to my website this morning to make sure that everyone is clear on what my services entail and what I am all about. This includes adding detailed verbiage to my pricing page here on this website and making sure that my package information is 100% understood.

On a personal note, thanks for being patient with me as I try to figure out this blogging thing. If you've been following me for a while you probably know that I am not the best writer and am totally self-conscious about it, lol! This is why most of my blog entries are from Instagram. It's just a medium that I feel the most comfortable posting on and probably is the best insight into understanding my approach to photography best. That being said, I will try to post more personal content here on Silvercord that isn't a copy and paste off of my Insta- feed.

;) 

 Since you're here reading my blog, I would absolutely love to hear from you here too! Please feel free to leave a comment below if you've got any advice on how we wedding photographers may make the process of booking our services more enjoyable or easier for you. After all, when it is all said and done, your's is the opinion that matters the most!

Thanks for reading my post and thank you for any feedback that you're willing to contribute-

Sally