Options
Portfolio question
I'm not sure whether to feel pleased or trapped :rofl
Wedding #1 has earned me a bride's-friend-looking-for-a-photographer-for-her-stepdaughter recommendation, and I've had an enquiry from a potential bride. I know I don't want to make weddings my main focus, but I had enough fun at the two I've done to be willing to take on a select few for as long as I keep enjoying them. However, regardless of where this does (or doesn't) go over time, it's important to me to keep it as professional as I can, even at this stage.
Not unreasonably, she wants to see a portfolio. I know advice is to "show only what you want to shoot", but I'm not even sure what that is at this stage! I have two weddings and two engagement shoots to pull from, and that's it. I know I got some decent shots (mostly in the couples portraits, which seems to be where I shine the most at the moment), but the rest drifts into being pretty much representational rather than artistic. The couples were happy with what I got for them and there are certainly a couple of wallhangers from each event but, frankly, not a huge amount of range. I certainly don't feel I have an identifiable "style" to demonstrate at this stage.
Somewhat intimidated by the "WOW" editorial-style shot I see in so many portfolios. I have no backlit raindrops, fiisheye wedding parties, wide-angle reception halls dripping with roses and crystal, no Caribbean beaches, dragged-shutter bouquet tosess, or moonlit silhouettes against mountains.....
Thoughts on what I should show?
ETA: First effort at compiling something click here. Bleah. All so same-y.
Wedding #1 has earned me a bride's-friend-looking-for-a-photographer-for-her-stepdaughter recommendation, and I've had an enquiry from a potential bride. I know I don't want to make weddings my main focus, but I had enough fun at the two I've done to be willing to take on a select few for as long as I keep enjoying them. However, regardless of where this does (or doesn't) go over time, it's important to me to keep it as professional as I can, even at this stage.
Not unreasonably, she wants to see a portfolio. I know advice is to "show only what you want to shoot", but I'm not even sure what that is at this stage! I have two weddings and two engagement shoots to pull from, and that's it. I know I got some decent shots (mostly in the couples portraits, which seems to be where I shine the most at the moment), but the rest drifts into being pretty much representational rather than artistic. The couples were happy with what I got for them and there are certainly a couple of wallhangers from each event but, frankly, not a huge amount of range. I certainly don't feel I have an identifiable "style" to demonstrate at this stage.
Somewhat intimidated by the "WOW" editorial-style shot I see in so many portfolios. I have no backlit raindrops, fiisheye wedding parties, wide-angle reception halls dripping with roses and crystal, no Caribbean beaches, dragged-shutter bouquet tosess, or moonlit silhouettes against mountains.....
Thoughts on what I should show?
ETA: First effort at compiling something click here. Bleah. All so same-y.
facebook | photo site |
0
Comments
Natural selection is responsible for every living thing that exists.
D3s, D500, D5300, and way more glass than the wife knows about.
The problem (or at least what I feel is the problem) is that so far everything has been for or through friends, or at the least friend/relative of a friend (the stepmom who effected this introduction is another singer friend of mine as well as Bride #1). So I'm trying to figure out how to keep things both professsional AND "personal contact". This will also affect pricing; I'm happy to charge what I think covers my time (meaning more than these first two
I've tweaked that gallery a little this morning to add a few more not-just-couples-kissing shots. My thinking
- lead with what I think are my best ever couples shots
- added a couple with kids in them (who doesn't love cute dressed up kids?)
- added a couple of ceremony shots to prove that I've actually done them!
- some more dancing/reception to show people having fun *and* that I can light in difficult circumstances
Talk about "the reluctant wedding photographer". Don't get me wrong - I really DID enjoy the two events I've done (or I would just be saying a flat "no" for this enquiry), but I know I don't want to be a full-time wedding photographer. I'd like to second, maybe. And/or take on a select few that sound interesting a year. But I didn't expect that to happen quite yet!!!
=Matt=
My SmugMug Portfolio • My Astro-Landscape Photo Blog • Dgrin Weddings Forum
As far as showing what you want to shoot I think comes in time. If you look on my website you won't see one picture with a cowboy hat. That's because I don't like shooting cowboy weddings so I don't show them on my website or blog. But I live in Colorado so the majority of weddings I started shooting were cowboy weddings in the beginning.
Link to my Smugmug site
Link to my Smugmug site
There's a link on that page to instructions how to change to the SmugDomains registrar if you decide to go that route.
After you've switched the domain to your smuggie site, then I believe you'd link to your blog using Divatography.wordpress.com (or whatever your name is on wordpress).
Link to my Smugmug site