Wedding Photography as a Business

Suppose you've got the camera, the flash, the light meters, the computer equipment needed for touchups, and everything else you need. Now what?

GET A NAME AND REGISTER

For just about any business you want to conduct the first step is getting a business name and registering it with the government so you're all nice and legal. The requirements are going to be different in every country but we'll go over the procedure for most locations in the U.S.

Businesses are typically registered with the county in which you live. Most people want to register as a Doing Business As or Assumed Name type of business; this involves much less paperwork than other types of businesses.

With a DBA or Assumed Name your business is considered the same as you individually; you simply report your income from the business (minus your costs and expenses) on your usual tax forms. Of course you should consult with a CPA or follow instructions you get from your county clerk if they're different from these instructions.

Your county clerk's office is where you get your paperwork; you need to choose a business name that's not already registered with the county. Many counties have a website where you can double-check your choice against what has already been registered or you can call the clerk's office and have them look up your choice. This is a good idea to do before you send in your paperwork because if you pick a name that's already been chosen they will simply send back your papers unregistered and you will need to start all over again.

Usually there is a small fee for your country clerk to register this paperwork; check the paperwork or call ahead and be sure that you include a check if necessary.

Once you have your paperwork registered with the county (they'll send it back to you with a stamp or confirmation) you can then take that to a local bank that handles business accounts and open a business checking account. You can usually then get a post office box, business cards, and so on.

MAKE A PORTFOLIO

No matter what else you have going for you, prospective clients will hire you based on your portfolio more than anything else. It doesn't matter what you charge or how much experience you have; if you don't have a good portfolio they will probably go elsewhere.

Your first question might be how you're supposed to get a portfolio to get customers if you need a portfolio to actually get those customers. Getting a good portfolio is not as hard as you might think; remember that your portfolio doesn't necessarily need to be from actual paying customers and while you want wedding photographs to be included it is good to have other types of pictures as well.

So to get those photos, rely on your family and friends. Know anyone that's getting married soon? Let them know that you need a portfolio and ask if you can attend their wedding and reception to take pictures just for your portfolio. Make sure they understand that you'll stay in the background and out of everyone's way and won't disrupt the ceremony or reception in any way. If you're familiar enough with them you might offer to give them some pictures for free in exchange for being able to do this.

Your friends and family might also know others that would allow you to do this; people they know from their religious affiliation, from work, or just other friends they have might be willing to let you attend their ceremony and reception.

A portfolio should also include other shots outside of a wedding so that potential customers can get a feeling for good of a photographer you are overall. Take landscape shots, photos of your kid's soccer game, and portraits. Dress them up with different props and backgrounds. Take still shots of different things as well - a bride will want those photos of her invitations, the cake, and so many other inanimate objects that you want to show that you can take breathtaking photos of those as well.

Make sure your portfolio has only the best shots you've taken. Don't rush through this process but consider your time to be an investment in your future business.

GETTING CUSTOMERS

So you have your business name all legal and everything, you have some nice photos for a portfolio; now what? How to actually get customers?

Make up marketing materials.

Since photography is a visual art you're going to need something that people can see in order to communicate how good of a photographer you are. This is where marketing materials come into play.

You should have some creative and colorful business cards and brochures created so that you can hand them out to friends and family. Think of places you go that have bulletin boards where you can pin a card - the supermarket, your church or religious building, or the gym.

It's good to have a professional work up your marketing material this way rather than simply relying on your own creativity. Many professionals who create this type of material have some schooling in graphic arts and design and know that things need to be composed a certain way in order for the clients and customers to respond. A professional can also help you with ad space you may be purchasing in a circular or magazine.

Other places for customers.

Finding potential customers for wedding photography means finding those that are planning a wedding. Here are some specific suggestions:

Visit wedding supply stores or bridal salons and ask if they have anyplace or any way you can advertise. This might mean leaving a stack of brochures on their counter or in their waiting rooms. You can also do the same for florists, printers, and anyplace else that sells materials for weddings.

Don't be shy about doing this - other businesses do the same so why not you? You can even do this any place you see business cards and marketing material, such as when you walk into your favorite take-out restaurant or dry cleaners and see business cards on the window ledge. Your doctor or veterinarian may also allow you to leave your materials; wherever you see someone else's marketing material, ask about leaving yours.

Find wedding trade shows or expos nearby where you can get a booth and set up your materials. Future brides attend these shows specifically to find vendors for their wedding so this is a good place to meet literally hundreds of prospective clients at one time. It will cost you something to rent the booth but usually this is well worth the number of prospective clients you can get.

Expos and trade shows usually have ways you can advertise even if you don't have a booth there - they may allow you to make up marketing material which they will include in their packets of information for a small fee. You may also be able to get the email addresses of attendees this way and market to them online.

Sometimes large flea markets schedule shows with different themes for various weekends throughout the year - gun and knife shows, boat shows, RV shows, and even bridal shows. If you know of any large flea markets near you see if they are scheduling any bridal shows or expos and find out if you can rent a booth there as well.

Purchasing advertising.

Whether or not to purchase advertising space is something that many people wonder about since it can be very expensive and they're not quite sure how effective these ads are. Here are some things to consider:

Only purchase ad space in materials specifically targeting the wedding market. There are usually small booklets and advertising circulars that are addressed to prospective brides; many get their names and addresses from bridal registry departments of department stores. Putting ads in the newspaper or other places will not guarantee that future brides actually see those ads.

Be careful of the times of the year when you advertise. Most people do very little during the summer since this is vacation time; usually shopping and planning for a wedding is done in autumn and the wintertime. If you place ads during the summer months you probably won't get a lot of response.

Remember that advertising also means those circulars you get as "junk mail;" you might not give much thought to them but many people do flip through them if they're in search of specific coupons and deals. You can always find out the rate of these types of circulars and offer a particular discount or coupon and many potential brides may respond.

RUN YOUR BUSINESS AS A BUSINESS

When running their own business out of their home without a boss or anyone to answer to it's a common mistake for many people to get a bit sloppy or lazy with the business aspect of things. Being concerned with the pictures you take and the quality of your photographs is very commendable but you need to run your business as a business, if you expect to be successful and to have repeat customers.

Remember, when people see amazing wedding photographs they ask the bride and groom about the photographer; if you're a good photographer but bad businessperson that will probably be mentioned, or the bride and groom just won't recommend your services to their friends and family at all. Missed appointments, shoddy paperwork, incorrect invoices - all of these things will make you less than professional in their eyes no matter how good your photos.

On the other hand if the bride and groom felt that the experience of working with you overall then of course they will recommend you to others. Here are some things to consider when it comes to running your business as a business:

Keep yourself organized. When a potential client makes an appointment to meet or asks for a return phone call, follow-up promptly and make sure you keep those appointments. If you're not very good at using a computer calendar then use an old-fashioned paper one or a pocket date book. Resist the urge to keep your notes and appointments on scraps of paper and post-it papers. Get yourself organized and stay organized.

Be careful of your paperwork. Make sure you're invoicing your customers for the proper amount. Prepare quotes according to what they want and make sure you include all necessary information as well. Make sure you have copies of everything and that your files are always neat and organized. If a customer calls you up with a question about your bill, will you be able to answer that question readily?

Can you produce a copy of your bill if they've lost it? Think of what you expect from businesses you hire or do business with and provide the same type of service to your own customers.

Remember that couples are paying for a lot of things for their wedding and may appreciate a payment plan or arrangement so that they don't get a huge bill at once. Usually photographers charge a deposit for their time and then offer certain prints at a certain price. This way you know you're getting paid just for your time whether they purchase anything else or not, and don't need to print up dozens and dozens of photos that they aren't interested in.

Stay on top of your invoices as well. If they're not paid after 30 days then send a reminder. Continue to do this until they're paid or turn the invoices over to a collection agency. Remember that if you don't get paid you can't keep working so don't think that it's somehow shameful or nagging to ask for your money.

Keep your business separate from your home. Have a separate phone line or cell phone number; don't allow your children to answer the phone or expect them to take messages. Don't talk to your customers while your children are screaming in the background or try to have a business conversation while cooking or doing something else

You may work out of your home but your customers shouldn't need to suffer because of this! If possible, keep a separate room or area of your home just for your papers and everything else related to your business to keep yourself more organized and professional.

Good customer service can go a long way toward getting new customers and repeat customers as well. Never underestimate how important a professional and courteous attitude is when it comes to the success of your new business venture.

WORK AND WORK AND WORK SOME MORE

No matter how great of a photographer you are, you're always going to need to work to get more customers and additional business. Simply relying on your friends and family to spread the word for you is not going to be sufficient. It's going to be up to you to hunt down new opportunities and new clients.

One drawback about photography is that once you get paid for a job, you're done. It's not residual income where your services are typically needed again and again, like a cleaning service or a being a hairdresser. Yes, a satisfied customer may recommend you to someone else and may ask you back to photograph upcoming events such as a baby shower, graduation, or family reunion, but don't rely on these things to keep you in business.

Many write up an actual business plan find that they need to schedule marketing activities just as much as they need to schedule everything else that needs to be done, and you might consider doing the same. Set aside one day per week that you can use to deliver leaflets to the neighborhood or that you can use to call wedding supply stores to ask about putting your cards out on their counters. Stick to this schedule just as you would any other part of your schedule.

Remember that like many other businesses, you're only going to get out of it what you put into it, so never neglect your advertising and marketing efforts.