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Archive 2017 · 2018 help

  
 
ayjayy
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p.1 #1 · p.1 #1 · 2018 help


I'm kind of at a loss. For 2017 I booked 19 weddings. Most of them at my current pricing. Since then I feel like my website has improved. My SEO has improved. I have nothing but good reviews and a larger referral base. Most importantly I feel like my work is much much better than year ago.

Yet right now I'm looking at just 4 weddings for 2018. Beyond that, everything is down. Inquiries, responses, consultations. I've been trying to tweak a few things over the past few months. My responses, some FB ads. I can't figure it out. I would appreciate any insight.

My site is www.asekellickphoto.com



Dec 05, 2017 at 08:46 AM
IrishDino
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p.1 #2 · p.1 #2 · 2018 help


My bookings for 2018 are down, too. And unfortunately, I don't have any good data as to why.

Maybe 2018 is just a slow year
Maybe people are booking things with a shorter lead time
Maybe it's the economy
Maybe I suck
Maybe it's a saturated market
Maybe I'm overpriced
Maybe it's my SEO

I know in my local market, there are lot of newbs who are hammering the established pros on price and volume. And they're getting really good, quickly. It's difficult to compete when people are charging $1500 for a wedding and clients are happy with generic run-of-the-mill coverage and repetitive poses in the same locations.



Dec 05, 2017 at 09:06 AM
ayjayy
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p.1 #3 · p.1 #3 · 2018 help


ZachOly wrote:
I know in my local market, here are lot of newbs who are hammering the established pros on price and volume. And they're getting really good, quickly. It's difficult to compete when people are charging $1500 for a wedding and clients are happy with generic run-of-the-mill coverage and repetitive poses in the same locations.


This is the case in DC/Baltimore as well. In a local FB group brides ask for photographers and are bombarded with dozens and dozens of newbies charging $500-1500. I know the refrain is "those aren't my clients." But I have to think this is still having an effect on the middle/upper middle of the market.



Dec 05, 2017 at 09:31 AM
LeeSimms
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p.1 #4 · p.1 #4 · 2018 help


Could this be the beginning of the end of The Boom?


Dec 05, 2017 at 10:02 AM
InSanE
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p.1 #5 · p.1 #5 · 2018 help


Also down on bookings atm, but it will all level out. Dont worry.


Dec 05, 2017 at 10:06 AM
IrishDino
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p.1 #6 · p.1 #6 · 2018 help


LeeSimms wrote:
Could this be the beginning of the end of The Boom?


In my market it's a wrap for full timers.

They're either:
- young with no kids and little to no overhead (not sustainable)
- found FT work outside of photography (now a PT wedding shooter)
- have gone into the teaching workshops to beginners (great side-topic, btw)
- have a significant other that has an income which pays for the overhead




Dec 05, 2017 at 10:33 AM
LeeSimms
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p.1 #7 · p.1 #7 · 2018 help


We're all in with 4 family members, so I hope it's not done. 2018's look strong here — 14 events alone in March — that's a record for us.


Dec 05, 2017 at 10:43 AM
mikethevilla
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p.1 #8 · p.1 #8 · 2018 help


April and May of last year I had 0 income. Not one dollar. That was terrifying. Last month was my highest grossing month ever by over 50%. We all know the phrase "feast or famine", but it seems to be more like "dead, buried, and decomposed or just crowned ruler of a midsized Amazonian tribe".

So business for me (in the lower-high-end market) is really good, much better than this time last year. That's a good sign for an early and high booking season, but as we all know, nothing in self-employment life is ever guaranteed. I will say that being a dual income household with no kids gives me huge freedom to fail when needed. I have no clue how photographers who are the sole provider of income for a whole family do it. That seems so impossible to me.

I know childless young adulthood won't last forever, so I have a couple small side projects I'm starting this year. In my opinion, everyone but particularly self-employed people are doing themselves a huge disservice if they're not looking to grow multiple streams of income - especially ones that bring residual income.



Dec 05, 2017 at 12:08 PM
LeeSimms
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p.1 #9 · p.1 #9 · 2018 help


One of the planners I deal with regularly does 50 intimate weddings/elopements a year. Currently she's at zero billings for Jan and Feb of 2018.


Dec 05, 2017 at 12:20 PM
leethecam
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p.1 #10 · p.1 #10 · 2018 help


LeeSimms wrote:
Could this be the beginning of the end of The Boom?


There was a boom...?



Dec 05, 2017 at 12:23 PM
tbdinh
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p.1 #11 · p.1 #11 · 2018 help


mikethevilla wrote:
April and May of last year I had 0 income. Not one dollar. That was terrifying. Last month was my highest grossing month ever by over 50%. We all know the phrase "feast or famine", but it seems to be more like "dead, buried, and decomposed or just crowned ruler of a midsized Amazonian tribe"..


I'm surprised you didn't book any weddings last April and May. Your works are very nice!

Wedding photography is unpredictable. I have a difficulty relying on any source for inquiry. 2017 was my down year but 2018 is picking up very strong. It seems like FB and word of mouth seems to be working the best for me. Unfortunately, I have to limit how much I can accept since I want to spend more time with family and travel more.




Dec 05, 2017 at 12:24 PM
mb126
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p.1 #12 · p.1 #12 · 2018 help


This is a very good reason to have at least some diversification in your income stream (commercial work, events, whatever).


Dec 05, 2017 at 12:29 PM
leethecam
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p.1 #13 · p.1 #13 · 2018 help


3 years ago I would happily be bringing in £80K - £90K clear profit each year, even after tax. (And almost no effort in marketing).

This year I figure on £25-£30K before tax.

I'm better than I was, my website is waaaay better, and my SEO is so much better it is unreal. My market is mauinly corporate with events and party style work thrown in, but yes, something unfriendly is happening and it isn't getting any better.

If you'd said this could have happened 3 years ago I would have laughed you out of the room. Now I don't know how I did it. There isn't a quick fix, or even a slow one. Fortune has much to play, and for some of us, we're running a little thin on the good stuff.



Dec 05, 2017 at 12:29 PM
jah2266
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p.1 #14 · p.1 #14 · 2018 help


This is my first year getting back into weddings. I did 8 years with a partner as a team company and had some great success the first few years. It seems like the better our work and everything got the slower the bookings became, not huge, just slower. About two months ago I had four bookings all within a few weeks and was estatic, not one inquiry since then. It will be interesting to see what 2018 holds for me too. If I can get four more I would be very happy with my first year back in the saddle.


Dec 05, 2017 at 01:46 PM
LeeSimms
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p.1 #15 · p.1 #15 · 2018 help


In the US, you've got children of the baby boomers going through marriage age (the echo boom), plus increased wedding spending by re-marrying couples. There was a time when couples over 40 years of age would just go to the courthouse and buy 10 or so relatives a nice dinner. Now, they spend money. A considerable amount of our clients are going through a second (or third) time.

Even though the marriage rate is down a tick, SO many people are in that psychographic zone that it appears like a boom. Now add on same-sex weddings.

Since 2013, I've joked that even Beavis and Butthead could make a killing in the wedding industry. It seems like there a new wedding venue every month around here, but the boom can't last.


leethecam wrote:
There was a boom...?




Dec 05, 2017 at 02:41 PM
Chris Cooke
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p.1 #16 · p.1 #16 · 2018 help


I too am seeing less booked weddings heading into the new year.I have 8 right now, typically I am about 12-16 going into a new year. Its a little scary and has made me ponder what is going on. I have been getting semi regular inquiries but my booking ratio is WAY down. I was just talking about this with a photo friend of mine the other day and its curious to see that others (especially those with strong brands and amazing work) are going through the same lull.
Oh well. It happens about every 4-5 years for me so hopefully its just a slow start to another decent year.



Dec 05, 2017 at 07:54 PM
Ken_Cravillion
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p.1 #17 · p.1 #17 · 2018 help


I'm currently at 20 booked for next year which is slightly ahead of last year at this time (I ended up with 31 for 2017). But I did have a 3.5 month stretch where I didn't book a thing for 2018 from April to July. That was slightly unnerving.


Dec 05, 2017 at 09:13 PM
J Knight
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p.1 #18 · p.1 #18 · 2018 help


Just been reading this thread and I have to wonder if the lower booking activity is nothing to do with age of marriage or SEO but instead the increasing political insecurity of the population in a lot of the US and European world (and in the UK, increasing fear of poverty). There has been widespread change of political tone in many countries. Regardless of what politics one does or does not support - which 'sides' you are on does not matter, its the uncertainty, the unexpected changes rattling a lot of people.

When insecure, generally people delay making big decisions and tend to hang on to as much money as they can. Modern weddings are full of big decisions and finance issues and for the less well off it can make certain life questions unavoidable:

- event costs
- trying to obtain living accommodation as a couple or moving to somewhere big enough for children (many people now marry only immediately prior to starting a planned family)
- putting financial burdens on families who may want to pay into the wedding but really cant afford to
- bringing forward the question of when and if to have the expense of children

In the UK at the moment there is a huge amount of concern about the possible good and bad aspects of the future. Leaving the EU is not technically being handled well by the present government - even their own party supporters are somewhat disappointed and divided at the progress. It is thought there will be an election, possibly at short notice, possibly delayed for a year or 2 but the lack of definition due to our unstable government at the moment is causing unsettlement in the population.

The divergence in our mainsteam politics, from 3 parties with almost identical policies for decades to only 2 major parties with very different policies is the first time in a very very long time that the population here actually have a genuine choice when voting. This is a very good development for the people, as you cannot have democracy without a variety of options to select from, but it also makes people anxious as they have to recalibrate their approach to voting and who and what they wish to support.

Also here, there is a massive increase in the rich/poor wealth divide and its hitting normal people now, the working masses, the middle classes too. Wages for many working full weeks are so low the government is having to subsidise them as living on such a low income for families is not really viable, even with 2 parents working.

Our social support system is being significantly reduced so disabled and disadvantaged people are finding life very hard, in a way unheard of in my lifespan. A woman here died the other week as she could not afford to run the house heating when her kids were out of the house and she was found dead, of cold, indoors in a coat and scarf, its not even proper winter here yet. Our libraries are closing in huge numbers and the buildings being sold off so they will be gone forever, our public toilets are being shut down so the elderly and disabled fear to leave the house, my local council has stated they will no longer maintain in any way any public parks 2 years from now as they will be out of funds, as the government here has chosen (rightly or wrongly is a strong debate at the moment) to drastically reduce funds to local councils. Lots of homes for the elderly are shutting down due to reduced council funding. Our police service is being drastically cut to the point where head officers are saying they cannot respond to other than major issues, our military is about to be cut by vast amounts.

We have been told by government that this is really only the mid point as the cuts need to be even bigger. Attempts are being made to privatise the health service so people are finding it harder and harder to even get to see a doctor and most people cant afford private medical care, certainly not when being paid only minimum wage.

In my local city I have in the last week passed 5 tents set out in various places, where homeless are living, one in the middle of a public car park. Only 2 years ago and again for most of my lifespan, you would not see such desperation, indeed not in most of my parents lifespan.

In the UK at least, it seems to me impossible to discount the increasing levels of anxiety and fear from a reduction in weddings and expenses. I suggest at the moment the more economically vulnerable people are probably either 'going small' or more likely holding off from big events in the hope the economic fears and the related anxiety over money will improve enough to have the event they hoped for.

I think in the UK we are moving rapidly from the point of "I'm OK, so who cares about the homeless" to "I can see this might happen to some of my own family" as the government based safety nets built by our our population since the 2nd world war are steadily taken away and the brutally cruel polices and Universal Credit strategies continue to advance towards average people who have done nothing wrong and who have held down steady work since leaving education.

If you could see a looming choice between a big wedding and being able to make a rent payment if you lost your job and stave off eviction, which would you pick right now?

I dont imagine for a moment the political / social tensions are only impacting on photography bookings - I wonder what other businesses are hitting the skids suddenly and in a big way, as we start to hit a mass critical point of fear and/or economics for some countries populations?

The trouble is, if my theory is correct, there is nothing photographers can do to change it much, as the scale would be nationwide rather than just about small businesses, so SEO and good reputation will not help much, so don't blame yourselves, just think very carefully before you vote, whichever way you go :-)






Dec 06, 2017 at 11:50 AM
Unclejoe1116
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p.1 #19 · p.1 #19 · 2018 help


I think this is probably a general trend we will continue to see. The market has gotten so saturated with $500-1000 photographers, who have no idea how to make a sustainable business.

On the flip side, society is starting to expect less of weddings. Many of my friends (including myself) opted for more DIY wedding structures. I personally had a close friend donate all the photography for our wedding. (Don't worry, he's a legit pro, not just a GWAC)

Finally, there's been more emphasis put on starting marriages on a solid financial footing, and not spending 10-20k on the day itself, and instead putting that towards a house. I think all of this adds up to what I'm projecting to be a continual decline in wedding photography. With the advent of smartphones, and the technology in them getting so dang good, the perceived value of a professional photographer has taken a rather sharp blow. (I say perceived, because I still believe there are moments that you want a pro, and only a pro to be taking photos.)

So yeah. I don't shoot weddings primarily, in fact, I can count on two hands the number of weddings I've worked. But overall, interest seems to be down, and budgets seem to be way down.



Dec 06, 2017 at 12:50 PM
BSPhotog
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p.1 #20 · p.1 #20 · 2018 help


ZachOly wrote:
In my market it's a wrap for full timers.

They're either:
- young with no kids and little to no overhead (not sustainable)
- found FT work outside of photography (now a PT wedding shooter)
- have gone into the teaching workshops to beginners (great side-topic, btw)
- have a significant other that has an income which pays for the overhead



My 2018 is pretty lean for bookings, and I guess that is partially by design. My wife started a business last year and it is more profitable, so I'll be working there starting next week during the daytime. In my area anyway, it is really easy to book a bunch of weddings in the $1500 and below range, but >$2k for one shooter with digital files is a tough sell for some clients in the central Iowa market. I have mixed feelings about the whole thing, but I am really looking forward to being able to enjoy more weekends with my family this year. :-/



Dec 06, 2017 at 01:18 PM
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