Get the Job Done: Wedding Week Roundup

This weekend I will be shooting the long awaited back to back wedding events: Julie and Joe Saturday morning and Harriet and Peter Sunday evening. I can't believe this busy time is finally here.

The buildup was slow with just incremental consultant meetings to make sure I and my clients were on the same page. Last month I shot Julie's bridal fitting portraits. Her twin sister and best friend since grade school were there to share the experience with her.



Last week I shot Harriet and Peter's engagement photo session. Their easy shared laughter and obvious adoration made this one of my best portrait sessions ever I believe.



It was the first time I'd worked with a friend and photographer as my assistant, and I got to experiment with blending ambient and strobe lighting. The results were amazing and fun!



Yesterday, I scouted out the location for Harriet and Peter's wedding, and I will check out Julie and Joe's church on Thursday. And this week I'll be shooting both couple's wedding rehearsals -- one Thursday evening and the other Friday morning.

Whew. I'm tired already. Are you confused yet? Believe me, planning for this has really tested my time management skills. Thank goodness I will be on furlough next week from the day job at The Denver Post so I can rest and concentrate on editing the images. Considering how exhausted I get after nearly every shoot, I may just sleep all day on Monday!

In honor of these great occasions (and my second and third official wedding events to shoot!) I will be blogging all week about weddings and tips for phenomenal coverage. If you have any tried or truisms about this type of photography, please share. While I'm still struggling with whether or not to specialize in one type of genre only, photographers who only shoot weddings really do astonish me because it seems as if it would be difficult to keep from getting into a rut. But I'm learning that each wedding is unique because each couple truly is unique in their relationship with each other and with their friends and family. Wish me luck and success for documenting these timeless rites.

This Weekend: Editing Family Portraits; Shooting Engagement Party

This will be another busy weekend for me with two heavy hitting projects that must be completed. All day Saturday, I will be editing photos from the family portrait session I held last weekend with the Newell family.



It was a very tricky session trying to make sure the little boys were always looking and smiling at the camera at the same time for more formally posed shots. I think I had more success capturing candid moments like this one where the boys truly came alive while playing with natural elements in the park including the river and fallen autumn leaves.



Then Saturday night, I will shooting Kim and Michael's engagement party at a Denver-area event center. Besides capturing the highlights of the night, including dancing and toasting and speeches, I will need to complete a shot list of specific guests and Colorado residents who will not be able to make the trip to the actual wedding that will be held next year in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina.

Get the Job Done: The Value of the Impulse Buy During Presentation

Kim and Mike's Favorite of the Set

During the presentation of my first set of engagement portraits on Sunday, I discovered the value of the "impulse buy," and how it can be used to generate more print sales.

An "impulse buy" is a spontaneous purchase of an item that a shopper hadn't planned on buying. According to a survey conducted by The Yankee Group, shoppers are driven to make an impulse purchase by a "special sale price," free shipping and holiday or seasonal promotions. Other studies have long assumed that impulse buying happens at the cash register, which is why many small items such as batteries, candy, magazines and mints can be found on display racks or on the counters around cash registers in retail stores. I think I unwittingly tapped into that unconscious buying pattern by having prints available for purchase during the presentation.


My favorite of the set

When Kim and Michael arrived to my home to see the photos I had taken of them for their upcoming engagement party, several of my favorite photos had been printed out in 8x10s and displayed to tell the story of their romance fueled by outdoor activities including bicycling and skiing. The prints included with a laptop photo slide show set to a play list of love songs made quiet the impression.

It was the first time I had printed images from the KODAK ESP 3 All-in-One Printer I had received to review for my job at the Denver Post. To be honest, I didn't have high expectations of the prints thinking they wouldn't look nearly as good as anything I'm used to getting from the professional printers at Wolf Camera. To that end, I didn't feel comfortable selling them at full price, and I told the couple that if they purchased any prints that same evening, I would sell them for a discounted prices -- 8x10s for $10 and 4x6 for $2.50. After that, the price would go back up to $15 for 8x10s and so forth if Wolf or my online printing service did the work later.



As you can guess, the couple brought nearly all the prints and I made an extra $85 that night. That may not seem like a lot of money, but imagine how much more I might have made if I had other products on hand during the presentation, including more prints or even announcements for their party. I'm learning that accessibility and convenience are important to clients and make it easier for me to earn extra money too. I've already found out the hard way that the chances of securing additional print packages decrease unless you include them in upfront costs. So this could be another business strategy to spur more sales.

This Weekend: Presenting Engagement Photos; Shooting Family Portraits

Told ya things were going to get crazy! As the winter celebrations grow nearer, clients are starting to see photographs as great options for holiday cards, family portraits and parties.



This weekend, I will be presenting photos from my first engagement session to Kim and Michael. I thought the shoot was a success, and Confluence Park near the South Platte River was a wonderful location. It was important for me to be able to capture this active couple as well as some of their favorite things to do together. They spent most of their time courting while skiing and bike riding, so I wanted my shots to be able to remind them how their romance progressed.



This presentation will be the first time I use music to highlight a slideshow of the images that my MacBook Pro can create. I hope it's not too cheesy, but I've been told that music, even food and drink, can set the tone for the presentation and make it a more enjoyable experience. I also plan to have several of my favorite images already printed up in hopes that I can get some immediate sales during the presentation. I will also have a new proof book available for the couple to take with them so they can chose which images they want printed.

A few hours before my presentation, I will be shooting my first outdoor family portrait session with the woman who owns my dogs' daycare center. Cristal and I worked out a deal in which she would exchange free daycare for the cost of the photo shoot and prints. Again, I think exchanging goods and services instead of paying out money is a good idea during the troubled economy, and day care is just expensive enough that I think it's a great trade option! I loved Confluence Park so much that I suggested we shoot the portrait session there again. Cristal said she wanted to take advantage of the fall colors, and the park is bursting with reds, golds and cinnamons.

This Weekend: Time to Get Back to Work

For the last couple of weeks, I've been enjoying a lull between photography assignments, organizing my office, backing up images and shooting fun (though unpaid assignments) for myself. But the holiday seasons are upon us, and it's time for me to get back to work!

This weekend will likely be a harbinger of how hectic the next few months could be now that people are starting to think about photography gifts they can give to friends and relatives, including portraits and seasonal cards.


Roadrunner logo for Metro State College

To kick things off:
Saturday: I will be shooting a session with students modeling Auraria Campus bookstore clothing, including items with logos from the Metropolitan State College, Community College of Denver, and University of Colorado at Denver.




Sunday: I will be shooting Kim and Mike's engagement session. We narrowed down several location choices and decided to shoot along the bike paths near the REI Building and the Platte River in downtown Denver. The couple spent a lot of time there during their courtship, and I can't wait to capture some fun panning shots of them on their bikes. Here are a few images I took of the Platte River and numerous walking and bike paths which should serve as great location shots.



Meanwhile, I plan to do some bartering for my photography services with the owner of my dog's daycare center: she needs a family portrait for her holiday cards and in exchange she will give my dogs a month worth of free days. During these touch economic times, I think it makes sense to take advantage of exchanging goods or services without handing over cash. It's a great way for people to share their expertise, save time and never spend a dime. Plus, I could use some new family portraits in my portfolio and doggie daycare is expensive, so I think it's a good deal.

One of my neighbors who received my business postcard asked yesterday if they could use it for a portrait session. He wants to surprise his family with a nice photo of himself since he often shies away from the camera. "Can you make a guy like me look good?" he asked shyly? You betcha!