Best Tips for a new Photographer
Ok so you’re just starting out this photography journey. You’re probably hearing advice that’s all over the place. “The market’s so saturated!” “Make sure you don’t under/over price yourself” blah blah blah. But what will ACTUALLY help you get your foot in the door? Where do you even start?! This blog post is written with future wedding photographers in mind, but most of these tips apply to all photography fields!
I’m gonna let you in on my favorite five tips that ACTUALLY helped me book my first weddings.
TAKE PHOTOS
My personal goal was to pick up my camera and do a photoshoot of some kind once a week. Some weeks I had 3, some I had none or one but I averaged out at about one photoshoot a week! It’s important to note - when I first started out all my photoshoots were free! I was practicing and it was a great way for me to take no-pressure photos and get me comfortable with using the manual settings on my camera.
Find a mentor// Invest in education
Find someone whose photos you LOVE. Do they offer one-on-one mentor sessions? If there are a couple areas of your business you struggle with, find a mentor who KILLS IT at stuff you suck at and learn from them!! That way you can get personalized help with the areas you really have a hard time with. Workshops and online courses definitely have their place, too! In person workshops are awesome to meet new people and build a network. They’re also great for a general knowledge base if you’re looking for a little boost in most areas of your business. Make sure you do your research though! There are so many out there, make sure you are investing your money in something that will give you a return! Look through the reviews and reach out to someone who has gone to the workshop and ask for an honest opinion of the workshop or online course! When I was just starting out, I took Andie Avery Photography’s basic online course (I think it was about $200) and that gave me a great knowledge base of Lightroom and some general photo knowledge. Then I took The Heart University’s online course which gave me an all-around great base for working on my posing, client communication, and wedding day workflow. It’s definitely an investment but it was way more in depth than any other education course I’ve taken and super helpful! I’ve also done one-on-one mentoring with Lindsey Roman which was great for some more specific questions I had about branding.
Do a deep dive on the internet
If you don’t have MONEY to invest in education, invest your TIME! There is soooo much free content out there! Join Facebook groups, watch YouTube videos, find educators on Instagram who have PDF freebies and who consistently answer questions on their stories! Basically, set yourself up to absorb as much information as you can. I’m in SO many Facebook groups and I love hopping on if I have a specific question and looking in the search bar of the group and seeing what other people have posted about that topic.
Shoot in all types of lighting
Ok, so if we could all have perfect lighting for each photoshoot, that’d be awesome. BUT that’s not how life works. Try shooting in harsh light! Try shooting at golden hour (the hour before sunset) or blue hour (right after the sun sets) or sunrise even! This will stretch you and your skills! You won’t be caught and uncomfortable when a paying client has a wedding or a photoshoot when the light is not perfect!
Make your own styled shoot
Shoot what you want to shoot! If you want to take pictures of weddings, you gotta have pictures of weddings on your IG/website. If anyone asks, definitely be up front that these photos are from a styled shoot. But as you’re posting images from these photoshoots on social media, you don’t have to say they’re from a styled shoot. Here’s my secret sauce for a super easy no-fuss styled shoot. Do a “model call” either on Instagram, Facebook, or a Facebook group you might be in. Say you’re looking for a couple who is already married and still has their wedding attire. Then either buy or make a bouquet for them and voila! There you have your “bride and groom portraits”! Now just take them somewhere beautiful and get to work! You can always pay to attend styled shoots, but the downside is you’re just one of the crowd all getting the same photos of the same couple. The nice part about styled shoots though that’s pretty hard to do on your own is: you can get sweet photos of little details like tables capes that you can use on your blog posts, website, social media, or whatever!
Second shoot
Second shooting is a great way to practice, see how a seasoned photographer approaches a wedding day, and to see what you like and what you might do differently! It can also be a great way to add to your portfolio but be sure to ask the photographer you’re working for if and how you are able to use the images you capture while working for them. It can also be a great way to establish a relationship with a photographer who might refer overflow clients to you if they are already fully booked! Reach out to some photographers you admire and ask if they need a second photographer. They probably hear this all the time so consider saying something like: “Hey ___! I’m a photographer just starting out! Hears my gear list ___! I’ve been following you for a while now really love your work! I specifically love ___!! I would love to second shoot for you! I understand I’m just starting out, so I’d really be happy to just carry around gear and offer you water on a wedding day just for the opportunity to see your behind the scenes! (And even follow you around with an iphone or camera to capture some gold BTS!) Let me know if this sounds interesting to you! Either way, thank you so much for your time!”Make friends with vendors
When you book a wedding as the main photographer, make sure you seek out all the vendors BEFORE the wedding and introduce yourself with a quick DM or email! Then, on the wedding day, be sure to say “hey!” and get some sweet photos of their work. (Photos of the DJ doing his/her thing, photos of all the amazing florals, photos of any signage, photos of the invitation suite, photos of the food, photos of the cake, photos of hair and makeup being done, you get it!) Then, after the wedding, ask for their emails and let them know you’d like to send them high res photos you grabbed of their work! When you post photos from the wedding on social media, tag them in the photos so they can repost as well and so your audience can see the people who worked so hard on the wedding! They’ll be over the moon and probably recommend you to potential clients! And your photos circulate among a whole new audience - theirs! Side note: if you don’t have a wedding booked yet, this also works for styled photoshoots! Befriend the vendors, tag them in photos, and send them the photos you take!
Buy a Lightroom Preset & Learn Lightroom
BUT BE PICKY!! When I started, Lightroom was super overwhelming to me. I knew how I wanted my photos to look and I just couldn’t get there. It was super helpful for me to invest in online education because I could see how other people used Lightroom and their tips and tricks to get their photos to look how they wanted. But I needed a boost to get my photos closer to the look I was going for. The first preset I bought ended up not being what I was looking for at all. I was frustrated so instead of jumping in and buying a different preset right away, I played around with that preset and started doing a bunch of research on other presets I could buy. I ended up reaching out to a photographer whose photos were way more like the look I was going for and asking her if she worked from a preset or if she had a preset she’d recommend. THIS WAS KEY! The preset she recommended was more money than I was looking to spend originally but it was SO WORTH IT! The preset got me SO CLOSE to the look I was going for and I was thrilled with my purchase! I was able to go in and play with Lightroom from there and figure out how to make the preset work for me in all different types of lighting. Learning Lightroom takes time, so be patient with yourself!
SERVE YOUR EXISTING CLIENTS!
Treat all your clients like they’re top paying clients. Imagine that client booked your highest package with every possible add-on. NOW TREAT THEM LIKE FREAKIN KINGS AND QUEENS. Even if you’re doing it for FREE. Will it pay off? Maybe not with every client, but trust me, good customer service pays out over time. They’ll tell your friends, give you a raving review, and your future clients will be excited to experience what you have to offer.
Under promise, over deliver — every.single.time.
Trust me on this. Here are some ways you can do this:
Say you tell them you’ll send the gallery in 6-8 weeks? Send it in 4 weeks.
Create outfit guides in a PDF or blog post to send to your clients before a session
Send them get to know you questions or questionnaires before a session/wedding
Say you’re gonna deliver 75+ images? Deliver 150.
Say you’re gonna be on time? Show up early.
Send a surprise client gift. (coffee mugs, a dog toy, prints from their session…)
Be thoughtful in general
Believe in yourself and surround yourself with encouragers
Be careful who you follow on social media. Follow people who make you feel like you CAN do this. If you’re following someone who makes you feel belittled or like you’re not good enough, unfriend or unfollow them. If someone in your REAL life is making you feel that way, distance yourself if you can. Everyone has to start somewhere. Everyone grows at their own pace. Everyone’s journey is different and everyone’s measure of success is different. If you keep working hard and push forward toward your goal, I believe you can do it. I’m rooting for you, friend.
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