mikethevilla Offline Upload & Sell: On
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This is exactly why many of us are "wedding photographers", not just "photographers". Composition, lighting, flattering angles, portraiture, photojournalism... All of that is by far the easiest part of my job. The difficult side of wedding photography is what happens beyond the camera. It's about entertaining the groom who thinks wedding photos are bull***, creating photos that are meaningful to the bride but still fulfilling artistically, ensuring that all of the vendors get incredible photos of their various contributions to the wedding, managing uncle Bob and his 1DX in the middle of the aisle, and making a group of half-naked girls feel at ease when you're the only guy in the room.
Needless to say, those sorts of things take just as much practice as the photography side of wedding photography.
If you went into the day having not met the couple before (which it sounds like you did), why would they have any reason to trust you? We almost ALWAYS instinctually distrust those who we've paid or will pay for services until they give us reason not to. You'd be foolish to walk into a car dealership, bank, travel agent, etc... and not have your guard up. The same is often true with wedding photography (and I'd imagine, most wedding vendors).
Even as a wedding photographer, when it came time for my own engagement session, I felt super uncomfortable. I knew my photographer did great work, but the way he worked with us was very different than I was used to - and this is from someone who has shot hundreds of weddings! Can you imagine the experience of someone who's never experienced professional wedding photography before?
I always tell my clients that the first 20 minutes in front of the camera are terrible, no matter what. It's the awkward first date. Trust comes after you prove yourself to them - after you build a rapport. In person client meetings, engagement shoots, and even just showing them the back of the camera are all ways to start to build that trust.
Something to think about: the most successful wedding photographers in the world are almost never the best photographers (although they are the best WEDDING photographers). They aren't the best because of their photos. They're the best because of how they make their clients feel and how they communicate with people.
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