 |
How many of you tend to feel nervous the morning of a wedding? Do you check your batteries and chargers at least a dozen times, or panic trying to remember if there is gas in your car? Maybe you second-guess yourself on your start time, frantically searching for your paperwork to make sure? Truthfully, even after photographing hundreds of weddings, I never stopped having at least a little twinge of nervous energy in my stomach the morning of a wedding.
But there have been some times where it was more than just some butterflies. There have been a few weddings where I can remember being a complete wreck! Usually this is the case when I feel like it is going to be a great opportunity for my career; where I know I not only have to get great images for the bride and groom but network with someone very important at the same time.
So today I’m going to share some tips I learned from shooting a potentially career-changing wedding (the good, bad, and the embarrassing) and how you can make sure it goes as well as possible for you.
Working with a Famous Wedding Planner
About five years ago, a client mentioned to me that they were close friends with a big time wedding planner. “Great,” I said, “no problem! I work with planners all the time. “ And as the wedding was getting closer, I realized this big time planner was none other than Colin Cowie. We all know how important networking is, and this was an amazing opportunity to connect with someone of an incredibly high caliber.
Wow! This made me nervous! I live in the Philadelphia area and the wedding was in the Hamptons. I was pretty chill driving up, but about halfway into Long Island I was becoming a bit of a wreck. I really wanted to make a great impression on Colin, all while delivering a fantastic photography experience to my clients. Talk about pressure!
Through this experience, I learned some key tips when photographing a potentially career-changing wedding.
1. Come early and bring reinforcement.
I always arrive early, but in this situation I came extra early to confirm schedules, details, and any regulations I needed to know about with Colin’s staff. I also brought my regular second shooter, as well as a details-only shooter that would be photographing the food, flowers, arrangements, and tables throughout the day. This allowed me to focus on the couple and their needs, while knowing that the other elements, elements that would be pretty important to Colin and his crew, were certain to be covered as well.
2. Make sure you have a strict second shooter agreement.
After the wedding, I was thrilled to find out that it was going to be published in a national bridal magazine. I as so excited I shared this with my second shooters. With this information one of them went straight to the editor, hoping to get her name in the byline as well. This was not only frustrating since that was not our agreement, but also embarrassing because I felt it made me look unprofessional to the editor. It was my mistake to have my second shooters hired on a handshake, not on a written agreement as to what my expectations would be after the wedding.
3. Don’t forget who the client is.
Yes, you want to get the wedding published and develop an amazing relationship with the celebrity planner. But the best way to impress the planner will be by making your client happy! If you are freaking out because something wasn’t quite right for publication or because you missed a shot for the sample album you had in your head, just remember: it’s the client who hired you, and it’s the client who you need to impress the most once the wedding is over.
As nervous as I was, I found Colin amazingly approachable, kind, and gracious. This put me right at ease and allowed me to quickly get into a groove. After the wedding, I provided Colin’s office with a sample album within a week of the wedding taking place, and he wrote me the nicest thank you. Working with him was an amazing experience I will never forget!
What tips do you have?
Have you ever worked with someone you were excited to network with but also made you very nervous to meet? How did you handle this? Did it end up helping your career, or did it turn out to not be that big of a deal? Share your story & tips in the comments below!
Comments
comments