Dundee Wedding Photographer - Finaly got going

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barry100

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Barry
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Hi all. I have got my first wedding under my belt and it was easier than I thought it would be. On the day the couple and the guests were great and I must say it made my job very easy. I know this wont happen for every wedding i do but at least for the first wedding photographs i have ever taken the day went very well.

I am offering services as a wedding photographer in Dundee Scotland and I reckon by next year I will have around 15 weddings under my belt plus I will have a good sized portfolio. I have had great feedback from people who i will be doing wedding photography for this year and they have told me they really like my style of wedding photography from what they have viewed on my website.

i cant wait to get to the next wedding which is on the 20th of this month then another on the 20th of March.

Any ways what this post is about is, i would like some feedback and advice on how to market my self around Dundee as a wedding photographer. I have printed flyers which i have been putting in hotels, wedding venues etc.., top end search engine rankings, but to be honest, after reading about wedding fairs, I am not to optimistic about going to them unless i get a bank loan to pay for the pitch.
i would also be grateful for some feedback about my website which you can see here Dundee wedding photographers

My gear just now is a Canon 40D (+ a spare 20d), 10-20 sigma lens, 17-85 Canon lens and a 28-200 sigma. I was thinking about getting a prime 50mm as every wedding photographer in the land seems to rave about them so what do you think? should i get one? and if so is a cheap one going to be enough? I have read the canon 50mm prime for £80 is a great lens for wedding photography and it is mighty cheap too which I like!

Look forward to reading replies!
 
The "Nifty Fifty" 50mm prime is a super sharp lens also a great low light lens 1t f1.8 A very worthwhile (cheap) investment!
 
I'd strongly suggest you look into getting some more backups equipment wise. It's good that you've got a backup body, but what if a lens pack in, or get dropped? Also I'd be a bit concerned about the 17-85 and 28-300, for wedding stuff I wouldn't want anything slower than f/2.8. Maybe some fast primes and a 70-200 f/2.8?

As for marketing, I can't really help I'm afraid, so I'll leave that one to people more experienced!

Chris
 
Barry

Glad to hear it went well.

I did just notice your 'Tall Pictures' open up the 'Wide Pictures' gallery.
 
Hi Barry, just a quick note - I looked at your wedding gallery, and some of the images from page 1 are repeated on page 3. Would be nice to get a few more colour pictures in your gallery perhaps?
 
thanks for the feedback .. il go fix the wide links now. Im going to get the niffty 50 this week and ill let yall know what i think of it as soon as i get the chance.!!
 
wedding on a 40d coupled with a 17-85 is slow and bows every curve at 17mm..
don't get a church steeple near the edge of the frame and the happy couple in a shot
it would look like you've popped to chesterfield in the midlands!
what about the 17-55 or on a lower budget the tamrom f2.8's.???
also I assume you have some decent flash equipment to mount on your 40D :)

p.s like the look and feel of your website...people could smile a bit more in your neck of the woods though :P
 
Wedding shows work if you work them properly. As for the broader question of marketing, I'm not sure that can be answered in a thread like this, but I believe that networking, getting your name on everyone's lips is the way to do it. Get people talking about you.
 
Hi Barry, just had a look at your site and its pretty good. Your blog makes interesting reading especially the "so cliched wedding photography for the naive buyer". Your thoughts are interesting, and in some points are actually spot on. However, I would be careful about using your website to rant about how every other Wedding photographer is rubbish. While there is nothing wrong with self-promotion, what really stands photographers out from others, like it or not, is their portfolio of images. I'm sure there are a lot of photographers in the Dundee area who do 25, 30, 35 Weddings per year. Clients book them for a reason - the reason being the quality of their work and the images they produce and unless you have that many Weddings under your belt and have a portfolio of Wedding images to prove your point, making statements like that will turn off anyone who reads them.

This is a friendly post by the way and not meant to offend - just a bit of constructive feedback :)

Thank you

Lee
www.sophotogenic.co.uk
 
ps. just read your other posts and some more constructive feedback for you - and its all about your blogs! Your blog is written as if you are talking to your mate down the pub - swearing, aggression etc. It is a guaranteed turn off to anyone who decides to read them - even I'm scared of you and I don't even know you lol! Make them a little more gentler and it will make a massive difference.
Additionally, you make a comment about your Wedding clients being skint. You may actually think this, and so might they, but I'm not sure they need to be reminded of it. Imagine they recommend you to a friend, who decides to go onto your website and reads "I think the people who hire me for their wedding may be a little skint". No client wants anyone to know that they booked their photographer because they were on a tight budget and I'm sure people who would like to book you wouldn't like to be classed as skint either.
Also refusing to do any type of formal photo means you will automatically lose a large proportion of the photography market. Like it or not, some customers do like formal portraits as well as reportage ones - when they come see you, ask the customer what they like, and do it for them. As JFK almost said, "ask not what your Wedding Client can do for you, but what you can do for your Wedding client."


Cheers Barry
Lee
 
I'll second Lee's thoughts, I would reconsider your writing style. One of your blog posts that I read; about someone who emailed regarding your 40D, didn't come across as all that professional.

Also, check your grammar and spelling, or have someone proof-read for you. You're missing a lot of possessive apostrophes, for example, in the title to your blog. Also, in your top blog post 'Allot' where I'm assuming you meant 'A lot' and make sure you capitalise 'I' (some are some aren't).

That may seem a bit pedantic, but it's the kind of thing that will instantly put off a lot of people. Also remember that your posts on TP will rank highly when people research you. :thumbs:
 
Maybe I'm being over critical but if I was a prospective customer I don't think I'd hire based on the quality of images in the wedding gallery.

I'd want to see portraits of the bride. Not particularly candids of kids and guys (although they are additions). Sepia/B&W works for some images but brides want to see sharp colourful images too.

I don't think the indoor shots like the ones on your site are particularly flattering - the outside ones could be better if they were colour I think.

Whilst I like the design of the site, I think you need more images and experience. Your packages are very cheap and I suppose you will get a certain type of client.

Regards yopur kit, the 50 f1.8 isn't really suitable for wedding photography. No USM and being plastic it won't stand up to the work. Your other lenses are all pretty slow and whilst you can use them, you are much more restricted to what you can shoot. I too use a 40D/20D combo but rely on fast L glass.

As I say maybe I'm out on a limb here but before jumping in with both feet, make sure you are fully capable of being able to shoot in all conditions. 1 wedding under your belt is nowhere near enough experience to start a wedding photography busioness.

Sorry if that sounds a little harsh but I just feel that you need to slow down and learn and get appropriate gear before jumping in.

I also read your blog and agree with the comments above. Prospective clients will just turn off.

This too is meant as constructive critique. At the end of the day you choose how to run your business but it's useful getting a variety of opinions.

Regards
JD
 
Lose the blog. Sorry, but really unprofessional. It is all well and good to blog when no one knows who you are, but to be talking so frankly about the cost of your kit, that some people have called it consumer and to be swearing gives totally the wrong impression.

If you can't resrain the language when you have the time to type it, how are you going to when your asking Aunt Mable to pose and smile, and she can't hear you cos she is half deaf, and you know she will hear the swear words...

Also, you come across like you have lost your temper at times, especially when dealing with criitcism. Does this mean you are going to crack under pressure when your trying to get the photos? Maybe, maybe not, but if it was ny wedding, I would not take the chance.

I also don't want to know that your using the cheapet lens that Canon make to shoot my photos. I know and you know that it is a cracking lens, but I want to know that you have the most expensive lens to shoot my wedding, cos if it costs more it must be better??

Your photos sell themselves, please don't ruin it my having the blog section, and if you want to keep a blog, then make sure it is ultra professional, from memory, Hacker's is cracking. It is all about the photos and how great everything is, all positive.

http://www.greenlees-photography.com/blog/

Hope this helps, and good luck!
 
The 40D is a "consumer" camera. It is described as such all over the net. The 17-85, I would say is not ideally suited for wedding photography for the reasons already stated. However, you do have some lovely photos. Lose the blog though, please.
 
That's some very unprofessional and pretty offensive blogging right there :eek:

With all due respect I think you need to spend less time ranting and more taking pictures!
 
That's seom v cheap offers you got there!
And no chance of further business by giving away Hi Res digital images.
If it works ....

I agree that the site should have some more colour images. I have a number of B&W images where the colour doesn't quite work. Would be interested to see some colour images as you can get some real good light up here.
 
doesn't really matter what camera you use as long as you can get the shots, the difference being that with a pro level camera you're more likely to be consistent in the quality of your shots and it'll be more reliable...which are two things a wedding photographer should be :)
 
I don't understand how charging the prices you are will make a living? £500 x 15 = £7,500. I am all for being competitive and everything but giving away all rights to your images for that price? I guess wedding photography is the next part of the industry to die. Also, as someone previously said, use a spell checker. It's spelt copyright not copy write.
 
Barry
You really need to use a spell checker

"family portyraits", "recenly go the oppertunity", "The couple are getting amrried", "for the day aftert looking "
 
kieranmcmanus said:
I don't understand how charging the prices you are will make a living? £500 x 15 = £7,500. I am all for being competitive and everything but giving away all rights to your images for that price? I guess wedding photography is the next part of the industry to die. Also, as someone previously said, use a spell checker. It's spelt copyright not copy write.
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The industry only dies when people get lazy and complain about the noobs instead of taking it to another level.
 
KayJay said:
The industry only dies when people get lazy and complain about the noobs instead of taking it to another level.
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It's the same in any business. You pay for what you get.
 
I have checked the spelling for the pages. I am glad I have removed my blog pages and thanks for the ribbing on this page. It has put things into perspective. i really love photography and the prices on my site at the moment are to help me build a portfolio of wedding etc.. I dont expect to make to much profit this year from photography but Im sire that everyone has to start some palce and this is where i am starting.

Next year I will be increasing my prices (not by too much though) and I am also opening a shop in Dundee to advertise my services so overheads are going to increase.

Glad I removed my blog.. btw if anyone was 'offended' i can but apologise. I do get over typye excited after some beer and this was when i wrote the pages on the blog.

I am going to be using my 40d for most of this year and hopefully by the end of the year i will have a 7d. I was also thinking about getting an L series lens but is it really worth it just now with the 40d body?
 
KayJay said:
The industry only dies when people get lazy and complain about the noobs instead of taking it to another level.
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Complaining about people like this yes, being lazy no. People undercutting the business is what has damaged the press industry, now it's happening across the board. If you don't complain, nothing will change.
 
barry100 said:
I was also thinking about getting an L series lens but is it really worth it just now with the 40d body?
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Definately. You will want something fast. i.e 70-200 F2.8 or 24-70 F2.8 would be the best for low light weddings.
 
barry100 said:
I was also thinking about getting an L series lens but is it really worth it just now with the 40d body?
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Yes it is. If you can afford it, any money invested in good, appropriate glass, will stay with you when you upgrade body, and give you years of service (unless you decided to switch brands). You'll see the word 'invest' pushed about on forums by people just buying themselves a new toy, but if you are a wedding photographer, you will want some quality glass, like a 24-70 f2.8.
 
DizMatt said:
wedding on a 40d coupled with a 17-85 is slow and bows every curve at 17mm..
don't get a church steeple near the edge of the frame and the happy couple in a shot
it would look like you've popped to chesterfield in the midlands!
what about the 17-55 or on a lower budget the tamrom f2.8's.???
also I assume you have some decent flash equipment to mount on your 40D :)

p.s like the look and feel of your website...people could smile a bit more in your neck of the woods though :P
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fwa hahaha

I like your comment!

People do smile here but it is cold at this time of year. I also have a 18-55mm lens too plus i got a nifty fifty last week so it should all be covered. I dont really like the tamrom lenses. I have been reading that they are cheapos but some people seem to swear by them. Im going to stick with sigma and canon lenses for now though.

One thing i would like to know.. do i buy a 7d or do i buy a really expensive lens instead?
 
Well done for taking down the blog Barry but it will live forever in google's cache. Think carefully about what you write on the web!

ps. There's a ton of spelling mistakes in the new posts as well :thumbs:
 
Barry, how are you going to get another 15 weddings? How are you advertising? Sorry, thats not a dig, its a genuine question :)

Also, I would get some different photos in your gallery, I wouldnt book you based on those images alone I am afraid.
 
Betty said:
Barry, how are you going to get another 15 weddings? How are you advertising? Sorry, thats not a dig, its a genuine question :)

Also, I would get some different photos in your gallery, I wouldnt book you based on those images alone I am afraid.
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hi - I have 10 booked so far from my website. My main business was website design and SEO so i have got my self positioned at the top of the search engines (page 1) plus i am opening a shop next week in one of the main streets in Dundee advertising weddings and family portraits. I am going to be using the shop as a gallery, meeting place and I also have a large studio in Dundee's City Centre.

I have also been distributing flyers/leaflets around Dundee in wedding venues, shops, hairdressers .. any place that i can put them tbh. Dundee is not really a big place so i will get a brand name quite quickly ( i know this because i did it with my website design business). I have been doing advertising online for years and starting my own website design business from nothing 9 years ago, I know how to attract people to what im doing..

BTW im closing my website design business to do photography (not just weddings).

Word of mouth will work until people stop talking... Hard advertising and constant reminders for people is much more effective I have found. I am having signs made right now for my shop.

Im not doing wedding fairs - to expensive and for what i can tell from what other photographers have told me they are simply not worth the money.
 
What I worry about Barry is that you are jumping into this too quickly - time will tell. At the lower end of the market, expectations are lower so maybe that will help.

Make sure the people know you are not to experienced in photography - and get a water tight contract!
 
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