I’ve been a professional photographer for 30 years and a self-employed wedding photographer for 18 of those years.
In that time I’ve shot more than 500 weddings. That’s an enormous amount of experience that I am able to share to help you get started in wedding photography.
Wedding photography is a very rewarding career and there are no barriers to entry. You do not need any special qualifications. Nobody cares how many A levels you have and nobody cares whether you have an Oxbridge education or a degree from the university of life! Anyone can pick up a camera, knock up a website and call themselves a photographer. Indeed, you don’t even have to make the scary leap of quitting your day job because most weddings are at weekends.
And I believe that’s a good thing because success in this business is all about talent, and those who are good enough will rise to the top.
However, the low barrier to entry means it’s a competitive business because anyone can have a go.
So what differentiates those who become successful? I believe it all comes down to your level of commitment. Commitment means hard work, it means striving to become a better photographer and to run your business professionally. Commitment also means being prepared to put your money where your mouth is. That’s not just buying shiny new camera equipment, it means spending money on marketing and advertising, but perhaps most importantly spending money on yourself. Investing in yourself to acquire the knowledge and skills to succeed in a highly competitive environment.
Mentoring will give you a head start. I’ll help you acquire the knowledge and skills to become successful. I’ll push you and I’ll hold you accountable, but I’ll be there for you.
Stage One
An initial two hour Zoom chat. £250
This is the first step – a bit of getting to know each other. We’ll have a look through your portfolio and your website / Instagram, if applicable, and discuss your ambitions and exactly what you hope to achieve.
I’ll explain my approach to wedding photography. From the initial enquiry, securing the booking, shooting the wedding through to the culling, editing and delivery of the final gallery.
But in essence this session is for you to ask the questions on anything you would like to know, whether that’s a couple of things in depth, or a rapid-fire ‘ask me anything’ session.
Stage Two
In person 1-to-1 full-day mentoring session. £550
This day will be crammed full of the nuts and bolts of working as a wedding photographer! We will take a thorough look at how to approach every moment of the day with confidence. From preparations in the morning, the ceremony, reception, portraits, groups, details , right through to the party in the evening.
As this is a one to one session, the content is tailored to your requirements and level of experience, but this is the framework I use as a starting point.
Equipment
Working with multiple camera bodies, lens choice, batteries, backups, focus modes.
The Wedding Day
We will take a thorough look at how to approach every moment of the day with confidence. From preparations in the morning, the ceremony, reception, portraits, groups, details , right through to the party in the evening.
Post production and Workflow
Post production workflow, starting with best practice for a solid and robust backup strategy. Then looking at culling, editing in Lightroom , sneak previews, through to delivery of the final delivery of the full gallery to the client.
Business
The business of being a wedding photographer and how a professionally run business will inspire confidence in your clients. I’ll share exactly how many weddings I shoot and how much money I make. We can discuss how to price yourself, client contracts, dealing with difficult clients, buying equipment, VAT, accounts and keeping track of your bookings and enquiries.
Marketing
How to market yourself and get your work seen by potential clients. we’ll discuss advertising, word-of-mouth, wedding fairs, Instagram and SEO.
Getting Started
How to get started in wedding photography. Second shooting, building a portfolio. Should you work for free?
Stage Three
Wedding day shadowing & follow-up critique. £550
Real Wedding Shadowing allows you to attend one of my weddings in a shadowing capacity. This is not a second-shooting role. I will photograph the day exactly as if I were working alone, giving the couple my full and undivided attention to ensure they receive the best possible images.
There is no pressure on you to capture anything specific. However I will do my best to facilitate opportunities for you such as shooting some portraits of the couple. This experience is designed to give you two key benefits:
- Observe and learn – You’ll be able to watch how I work at a real wedding, shooting live. Where time allows (such as during the meal), we can review images together or discuss my approach.
- Build your portfolio – you should to take your own photos throughout the day to help grow your portfolio. I will offer guidance where possible.
At the end of the evening I will download copies of your memory cards to review your work in preparation for the follow-up critique.
Follow-up critique
Within a few weeks of the wedding we will arrange a session to discuss the day and look through the photographs you have taken as well as my full final gallery as delivered to the clients. This allows you to see exactly how I captured the day. The session is usually a couple of hours and may be in person or online.
Stage Four
Ongoing critiques and advice. Two hour Zoom session. £250
As with every other stage of the mentoring journey, ongoing advice will be tailored to your specific requirements. However they would usually cover the following aspects of your wedding photography business:
Website critique. A deep dive in to your website to look at the user experience. This will include a look at your portfolio images as well as the messaging on your website to improve engagement and ensure you are appealing to your target market. We can also look at how well your site is optimised for search engines and AI searches.
A look at your client enquiry journey. How to convert enquires to bookings and how to avoid being ‘ghosted’.
Whole wedding critique. I have been through this process myself several times and from my own experience I believe that the process of critiquing a full wedding is one of the most powerful tools for improving your work. We look at the full unedited wedding, i.e. every photograph you took on the day. This allows us to analyse your approach to every part of the day and identify strengths and weaknesses.