TheGE wrote:
Thank you! I've been pointing that out to photographers for some time when they moan about their inquiries being price shoppers.
The thing to note on Say Yes To The Dress is just how the store sales staff purposefully orchestrate the sale to achieve that outcome. The dresses don't really sell themselves.
I hope every one of you are reading what TheGE says here and realizes what he's pointing out. Brides are SOLD on things. If you're not actively selling your photography to the bride, you are failing at the business part of the wedding photography business.
Photography businesses are 90% business, and 10% photography. Or it might even be 95/5.
John Patrick wrote:
I hope every one of you are reading what TheGE says here and realizes what he's pointing out. Brides are SOLD on things. If you're not actively selling your photography to the bride, you are failing at the business part of the wedding photography business.
Photography businesses are 90% business, and 10% photography. Or it might even be 95/5.
John
Thats a very oversimplification of the entire process. Every bride has a different value for what is important to them. They WILL shelve out more money for a dress, but remember, that's a "reality" television show. And we all know how "real" those reality shows are. Not very. They are all "staged" for the purposes of television drama and to sell it to the viewing public.
I highly doubt that a bride,with a budget of $1500.00 is going to up their expenditure to 5K for their photography.
If someone reading this post has had that happen to them, please share your experience and how it came to be. That is the only way we can get a "real" grasp for how this sort of thing occurs. Not from watching unreal "reality" tv shows.
ckhagen wrote:
I guess it's a difference in personality but I just can't imagine being satisfied with not having the skills or talent to be better than I am. Am I a major player among the "best"? Hell no. But do I believe that I can get there if I apply myself? Hell yes! I'm capable of being better tomorrow than I am today... I think I would be doing my clients a disservice to just be content with mediocrity.
Well, some people, who have been where you are and are well established in their career, live in reality, not fantasy. Nothing wrong with aspiring to be better, we all do that, even me. I change and upgrade and adapt to the current market. But I still live in the reality that I'll never be a high end wedding photographer. I'm not Don Quixote.
Whether you think you can or you think you can't, you're right.
I don't live in a fantasy world. Far from it. I just understand the reality of hard work paying off... I've been doing this for ten years and if I would've had your attitude 7 years ago I would still be shooting $1600 weddings. Thankfully, for my kids, I didn't have that attitude. I refuse to limit myself and I think that's an important thing to model for my boys as well. My 6 year old bounces a basket ball around the house all day long. I sure hope he doesn't say to himself "I'm never going to be Kobe Bryant". Technically no, he will never be Kobe Bryant, but he may end up being Judah K, the newest best basketball player that ever lived. I sure hope he doesn't set himself up to never realize his full potential.
i am still in believe that wedding photos are not 90+% business
i am not a commodity. People come to me for me. Most at least anyway. They come to me not because i am good at business. Opposite is true. I am worst at business from them all.
misty23 wrote:
Well, some people, who have been where you are and are well established in their career, live in reality, not fantasy. Nothing wrong with aspiring to be better, we all do that, even me. I change and upgrade and adapt to the current market. But I still live in the reality that I'll never be a high end wedding photographer. I'm not Don Quixote.
Why not? It's one thing to say that I will never invest the time or effort required to be great at something, but quite another to say that I could never be great, no matter what I do.
Mark_L wrote:
For those that get ridiculous enquiries re: price, are your prices on you site or does that not deter these people?
Not that I get ridiculous inquiries but lots of people don't bother looking through a site to see if prices are listed. They're hitting a number of websites and it's too much additional navigation for them to bother with.
