p.2 #1 · Livestreaming tonight (9/4) with Stacy Reeves
Cuervo79 wrote:
Yes.. Exactly what I was looking for in discussion... the dead zone.... Anyway to look for it in your market other than asking planners? since looking for prices for photographers you won't know if they book allot of clients to see if they are in the sweet spot or not...
There probably isn't an empirical dead zone, but per-client you can probably tell based on who all they are looking for. One way to tell if you are in the dead zone is by looking at how people are finding you and then looking at who else they are finding through the same search methods. Dead zones are all relative to who else is on the list after all, so you need to know what list you are on, so to speak.
Cuervo79 wrote:
Is it really important to be on the sweetspot? Or can your branding and sales help you where ever you are?
It isn't important to be in the sweet spot, it is just easier. I wouldn't say I'm operating in the sweet spot at the moment, but the sweet spot requires me to take on more jobs than I want to do. Branding is the thing that helps you book the right clients every time.
p.2 #2 · Livestreaming tonight (9/4) with Stacy Reeves
ah ok... this livestream really helped allot, comments like the bride getting ready isn't nesesary to cover from start to finish because in the album is just one spread and I didn't realize this even though the design I'm making is exactly like that.
p.2 #3 · Livestreaming tonight (9/4) with Stacy Reeves
Cuervo79 wrote:
this livestream really helped allot, comments like the bride getting ready isn't nesesary to cover from start to finish
Stacey said in regards to coverage of the hair and makeup session that no girl wants to see herself in wedding pictures without hair and makeup being done. That I didn't know. You hear sometimes of photogs starting out shooting at 8 a.m. when the bride arrives at the hair salon. If the bride doesn't really appreciate those shots then why even bother.
p.2 #4 · Livestreaming tonight (9/4) with Stacy Reeves
D. Diggler wrote:
Stacey said in regards to coverage of the hair and makeup session that no girl wants to see herself in wedding pictures without hair and makeup being done. That I didn't know. You hear sometimes of photogs starting out shooting at 8 a.m. when the bride arrives at the hair salon. If the bride doesn't really appreciate those shots then why even bother.
You believe she speaks for all womankind? The fact that a good number of brides choose a few getting ready shots for their album would indicate otherwise.
p.2 #5 · Livestreaming tonight (9/4) with Stacy Reeves
D. Diggler wrote:
Stacey said in regards to coverage of the hair and makeup session that no girl wants to see herself in wedding pictures without hair and makeup being done. That I didn't know. You hear sometimes of photogs starting out shooting at 8 a.m. when the bride arrives at the hair salon. If the bride doesn't really appreciate those shots then why even bother.
I think it depends on the bride. Some people want all the gory details, and some just want to see themselves looking beautiful. This relates to your brand as well - some people want to document everything, some want to make things look a certain way. As long s you communicate expectations everything is cool.
p.2 #6 · Livestreaming tonight (9/4) with Stacy Reeves
Word, I always say "I like to come in and do details, dress etc, and then last minute makeup touches to the bride", I then see where their comfort level is with any photos before that. Like Todd said, everyone is little different, you have to kind of feel them out.
p.2 #7 · Livestreaming tonight (9/4) with Stacy Reeves
D. Diggler wrote:
There was talk, too, that when working for the low-end bride, you are also viewed more as "the help" - with the difference that the low-end bride will micro-manage you and is generally "demanding".
The impression I got from the discussion with Stacy is that the low-end bride is the LEAST pleasant of all to work for. Not only is the low-end bride paying you a pittance that SHE, herself, wouldn't even work for, she is (on top of that) going to be unpleasant to deal with.
While there can be terribly sweet people at the lower end and snooty obnoxious ones at the higher end...
There's a couple of reasons that low end is least pleasant holds generally true. One is that the lower end person may tend to view vendors through the same glasses they see their own world: a world where the boss is demanding, insulting and a bastard to work for and the subservient person's job means jumping through hoops to get the work done. So when they're paying they get to play the boss and they act in accordance with their perception of life and treat you poorly.
The other is that they have to stretch their dollars and get more bang for their bucks. So they tend to work vendors harder, expecting more, wanting more, demanding more.
Then there's the value association you have: if you're one of the cheapest things at the wedding, you may be regarded as being low in priority.
As a rule, higher paying clients aren't bringing you in and paying you more because they plan to boss you around on the wedding day, delving out tasks all day long. Or not valuing your contribution and abilities. Usually they want someone to come in they can entrust to do their magic. They're more about a partnership relationship than acting as if a strict employer-employee type of relationship.
When I started out I shot a ton of lower end weddings in Brooklyn and Queens and I noticed they'd think nothing of placing obstacles in my way on the wedding. When I graduated to the higher end in NYC, I saw them roll out the red carpet.
The lower end is like, "Take a picture of that over there right now" and the higher end is more like, "Tell us what you need from us and we'll do it."
p.2 #9 · Livestreaming tonight (9/4) with Stacy Reeves
TRReichman wrote:
I think it depends on the bride. Some people want all the gory details, and some just want to see themselves looking beautiful. This relates to your brand as well
I think Stacey said she does Style Me Pretty brides, if that means anything.
p.2 #10 · Livestreaming tonight (9/4) with Stacy Reeves
My brides prefer only the finishing touches. When I first started out they wanted me to come at 0-dark-hundred and shoot it all (probably so they felt like they were getting their money's worth), but at this stage of my game it's definitely tail end of prep only.
p.2 #11 · Livestreaming tonight (9/4) with Stacy Reeves
I haven't met a girl yet who wants shots of them before hair and makeup. That doesn't mean we don't have things we can shoot during that time, but yeah...
p.2 #12 · Livestreaming tonight (9/4) with Stacy Reeves
D. Diggler wrote:
Let's hear from some of the real girls here what they have to say about this.
Regardless of what they say, do you think the 2 or 3 here speak for all womankind? For many, a moment is a moment, with or without makeup.
p.2 #13 · Livestreaming tonight (9/4) with Stacy Reeves
Aremac 01 wrote:
Regardless of what they say, do you think the 2 or 3 here speak for all womankind? For many, a moment is a moment, with or without makeup.
Yup, and there are some that are putting all the prep work in for a deliberate reason. Different strokes and all.
Hopefully the point here is to understand the value and communicate it so that clients that share the same values find you, align with you, and hire you.
