First wedding consult this weekend... any tips?

Studio Simplicity Jenny

I'm having my first wedding consult this weekend :barband was wondering if any of you have any tips to share. What to do, what not to do? How was your first consult like? Thanks again and as always, you guys are awesome! Am loving all the help and tips shared among everyone! :lust

Qarik

be enthusiastic and confident. that goes a long ways

Studio Simplicity Jenny

Thanks, Daniel. I'll keep that in mind. What did you bring on your first consult? Do you normally give quotes at the first meeting? BTW, you do good work! Love your photos!

marikris

I like to write things down. For example, the couple was talking about how they met and they mentioned this restaurant. I wrote it down and when they booked me, I mailed them a gift card. They loved it and the bride sent me a glowing email and how she couldn't believe that I remembered how much that restaurant meant to them, even though they only mentioned it in passing.

heatherfeather

Hi Jenny,
First off, bring some kind of portfolio... (I use a couple graphistudio albums)
Look at the photos and tell little stories about the couples. Laugh... a lot. Be confident.
I show them my price sheet right up front. If they want to continue the conversation (which most do) then we talk through the contract which is very detailed. I have it set up so all my main talking points are right there in the contract to remind me to chat about it. Then we usually do up a photo schedule and then choose the package that fits with their wants and needs for coverage. As a general rule, if I book a client, it usually takes about 2 hours of in depth conversation to get it done thoroughly. It is a long time, but it is sooo valuable to both them and me.

Being friendly and meshing personalities is important, but solid business practices are also important to brides.

Qarik

Studio Simplicity Jenny wrote: »

Thanks, Daniel. I'll keep that in mind. What did you bring on your first consult? Do you normally give quotes at the first meeting? BTW, you do good work! Love your photos!

I will bring an ipad with my portfolio and a sample album and the contract. I try to close out the client that day (sign th contract and get a $500 check as abooking fee).

happysmileylady

Be prepared. Nothing can mess with your confidence (and then by extension a client's confidence in you,) like feeling unprepared.

Look at the photos and tell little stories about the couples. Laugh... a lot. Be confident.

This, exactly. People like to hear those little stories because it says to them that your clients are special to you.

Also, ask lots of questions about their wedding. Brides love to talk about their wedding plans, it makes them feel friendly with you and gives you all sorts of information that you will need when they book you. And, as was also mentioned, write all that down.

Require a deposit to book the date. Mine is half the fee.


Have you ever done sales before?

castnerrm

I am doing a consult as well. They are the siblings of good friends of ours and I am struggling as to how to price this. They made it clear that they wanted to hire me, however, I am not really sure what to charge. I have only done a few weddings(mostly 2nd weddings or re-dedications) and for this one I am primary(and only) photog.

How do you price your friends weddings?

Thanks.

Art Scott

castnerrm wrote: »

How do you price your friends weddings?

Thanks.

Most of my friends are also business people, restaurant owners, hvac, store owners and doctors and nurses.......

Doesn't matter if your shooting a complete stranger or unca ted....the wear and tear on the equipment is the same.........I do not get discounts from the restaurant owners or the doctors or nurses....so I charge the same to friends as I do anyone....now my very bestest oldest friend....I discount, my brother and 2 sisters them too I discount......everyone else pays full price.....so brother or sister of a pair of friends...not close enough to be coming over for dinner 2 times a month...full price....

DWS

Art is spot on.....unless you have DEEP pockets, you cannot take care of everyone else

imagine that!

Dont set your prices too low! You dont want to be seen as "the cheap one" It is better to have high prices and give a discount for some reason than it is to try to raise prices later in your career. And remember that you are not selling pictures (anyone can buy a pro-level camera and take pictures fwacs steal lots of business! FWAC= Friend With A Camera) you are selling the experience and PHOTOGRAPHS! Be confident and the experience justifies the prices. Dont sell cheap to friends, they tell other friends that you dont know and they expect the same pricing.

If they hesitate to sign on the spot, tell them that you will pencil in the date and if someone inquires about that date you will contact them for first refusal. Then next week you will conveniently have someone contact you, wont you?

Maybe i should have asked where you were from before i gave you these tips.

http://www.imaginethatphoto.net

castnerrm

Jenny,

Sorry, I dont want to hijack your thread.

This is only my second wedding as the primary so i am also looking for input as well.

For my meeting Saturday morningI have planned for 2 hours and I will have my laptop(no iPAD yet!) to go thru my previous pics and I will try to understand from them what they are looking for and match that with what I know I can deliver. I will ask details about the wedding(we are meeting at the site of the wedding/reception) and, specifically, what expectations they have for family pics as they are having allot of out of state family in for this. Since I will be the only photog there I will talk to them about what they can expect coverage wise from just one photog. I plan to walk around the facility with them to understand their layout and talk about the various places for pics of them and the family.
The bride is very camera shy and does not like allot of attention so I think my biggest challenge will be to get her to relax and to look her normal beautiful self. I am going to take a few shots of them as we walk around to get her used to me directing her and to the click of the shutter....
Finally will go over pricing and what packages they want(have only delivered DVD's with images so far so this might be my first venture into creating albums...). I am still looking for a contract and have googled several examples that I will use to adjust to my business.

Ed911

Couple of thoughts here:

Discuss type of wedding

Number of attending guests

Pictures that they may want taken...ones you want to take, will parents be attending, grandparents, other relevant family members, best friends, etc.

Venue...include lighting...time of day...in or outdoors...

Their expectations

Your expectations, needs, etc

Engagements yes or no

Bridals yes or no

Rehearsal / rehearsal dinner yes or no...is so, you need to attend the rehearsal so that you can get a fix on the lighting.

Pre-Wedding shots...how do they feel about, or do the even want shots of her getting ready...him getting ready...etc.

Wedding...what will the officiate allow...where will it be...discuss compensation for travel if it's beyond a certain radius.

Post wedding shots...formals, etc. Do they want them...if so where. Indoors or outdoors...

Reception...where and how long will you be expected to attend and shoot....talk about extra hourly charges if it runs long and they still want you there.

Number of hours you will be billing them for...

Price....timely payment. I get paid in full before the wedding.

Time it will take for you to post process the images. Will they be buying prints. Or, will they want a video, album, or perhaps images burned to a disk.

Where will they be able to find their wedding images after you process them...how long will they be up. How long will you keep them archived.

Just some points of interest.

Hope this helps.

Studio Simplicity Jenny

First of all, please bear with me. I am still trying to figure out how to use this forum and for the life of me, I still cannot figure out how to insert multiple quotes from all of you!!

Castnerrm - no worries about the thread jacking!! We are all here to learn from each other and I'm happy to hear you are having an up coming consult as well! I'd love to hear how your consult goes this weekend and GOOD LUCK!! You will do great as you seem to be well prepared! Much more than I ever can be!!

Art - Very well said! I totally agree with you regarding the pricing - discount vs full price!

imagine that! - Good point about pricing too low. I've read about how it can negatively affect you. I think my problem is that I need to be more confidence in what I do. A lot of time I question my photos and often feels that I just can not justify charging people. I know I still have a long way to go and have a lot of room for improvement but yes, I should charge *something* just so it's more that I am selling the experience, not just the photos. Thanks for reminding me of that very important point!

Again, thank you so much for all the tips!! They are extremely helpful and I have written down all the info that I can use to help me tomorrow! With what you all have mentioned, I'll be better prepared tomorrow. Thank you all also for the tip about pricing. It makes me realize the downside of pricing your packages too low. I know I am starting out but I think I will come up with a package that is acceptable for both myself and the client and work from there. Will keep you all posted!!

On a side note, can I ask you all for one quick favor? Can you visit my page on Facebook and take a look at the photos I did for a wedding (yes, the ONLY one and I was like the 3rd shooter!) If you could give me some feedback or point out where I could improve, I'd really appreciate it!! Looking back at those photos, I realized that i was using my older lens on the older body. Some of those pictures could have been sharper, which is the one area that I am working on with my new camera and lens. And oh, while you're there, LIKE my page and say Hi! I'd love to hear more feedback of all of you, not just the wedding photos but any of the other photos on the page as well as future photos.

http://www.facebook.com/pages/Studio-Simplicity/100373853347670

Glort

Studio Simplicity Jenny wrote: »

Can you visit my page on Facebook and take a look at the photos I did for a wedding (yes, the ONLY one and I was like the 3rd shooter!) If you could give me some feedback or point out where I could improve, I'd really appreciate it!!

You have done 1 wedding as a 3rd shooter and now your trying to book weddings of your own ???

You sure your up to it??

Studio Simplicity Jenny

Glort wrote: »

You have done 1 wedding as a 3rd shooter and now your trying to book weddings of your own ???

You sure your up to it??

No, no... I am not booking any weddings on my own just yet. :nonoThis client was actually a referral from another client that I shot in the past. I was 100% honest and upfront about the extent of (or lack of) my experience as a wedding photographer. We seemed really hit it off and I was surprised she decided to put a deposit that same day.

I am by no means anywhere near calling myself a wedding photographer. That is why I am not marketing myself as one. For this wedding, I will have a guy who has shot weddings before as my 2nd. He has quite a bit of experience and it will help having him with me. The wedding is not until Oct. so I until then, will be working my a** off trying to get 2nd shoot opportunities just to get experience. I have a couple of shoot as a 2nd scheduled in the next few months and am willing to take on more if it comes way.

Thanks for all your tip, everyone. Really appreciate it and will let you know how that wedding goes in Oct.