five tips for great wedding vendor relationships

...for brides, grooms, and vendors from the perspective of a wedding photographer.

my bride and i are both wedding vendors: ade and gina, i am a wedding photographer and she is a bridal makeup artist. as wedding vendors who recently got married, here we will provide a perspective from both side of the fence. when we got married a few days ago, we knew what to expect from vendors and how we should act because of we are in the industry. vendors in the industry tend to forget or don’t know that our business thrives in not just making immediate money from the bride and groom we are currently serving; it is also from the referrals they send us after their wedding.  if we provide excellent and friendly customer service, the bride and groom become customers for life, as well as they refer us to their friends.  the vendors who fail, to retain this simple concept, also fail as vendors for that particular wedding. here are five tips for brides on how to deal with vendors as well as how vendors shoudl deal with brides:

1. vendors don't get upset when bride and groom changes an aspect of your service:  even if it cuts into your earnings, simply smile and move on or offer an alternative service. if you get frustrated at any point and appear to be angry this will give a negative vibe on your part and more than likely they will not recommend you. simply have your contracts in order and charge your worth. so if anything is cancelled your worth for the remaining service is properly compensated.  by sharp contrast our florist bill of deihl flowers was extremely patient with gina. she changed the original bridal party bouquets, and finally added more flowers in the end. he was available to meet with her more than once, spoke to her by phone and catered to what she needed.

2. vendors go above and beyond:  as a wedding vendor i was taught, "the bride and groom is only your friend if you do what they want." there is truth to that but in my own practices i have taken a different approach. the bride and groom will respect your expertise and align themself with you vision; if you create an environment which shows that you know what you are doing, you are friendly and you provide a valuable service. as a vendor, in order to accomplish this: you must first educate the bride and groom as well as provide impeccable customer service.  our cake artist, cakes by margie when above and beyond. she created a chat group via text message because she knew gina (who did her own makeup by the way) and i were in different locations when she need to make suggestions or ask questions.  we told her our vision for our cake decorations (toppings), she gathered the materials, even though this was beyond her expertise and made them.  she reached out to a friend of hers, formed an alliance. said friend ended up providing the specialty bases for our cake, and base for our table vases. she did not wait for us to email her and ask questions, she reached out to us, send us educational videos and made different suggestions. iher actions made us feel like we were part of our own cake development, yet she still maintained her expertise and completed her artistic vision. which leads me to the next point.

3.  brides, trust your vendors expertise: even if you are skilled in the particular area, understand that it is their vision and this is why you hired them. brides as a collective, rarely ever get the chance to tell the dress maker how they want their wedding gown made. so why would they micromanage other vendors? why should they tell a photographer how they want their wedding shot? this does not mean that you should not get involve, simply state what you want and what’s very important to you and then let them work. i gave our Dj, Dj Kevin a list of songs thats special to us that we wanted played during the wedding that is special to us. i also told him to “ figure out when is best to play them based on your expert knowledge."  He did it so well that the bride and I danced almost the entire time.

another example, during reversal a few of the bridal party/groomsmen suggested where they should take photographs. being a wedding photographer, i knew they had no knowledge of lighting and light could easily change in the beautiful area they wanted to take photographs. so i quickly and respectfully interjected, "let adachi, [adachi photography] pick the spot."  it so happen the beautiful area where the brides maid and groomsmen  men wanted to go, was flooded with harsh sunlight by the time we were ready to take bridal party photographs.

4. brides treat your vendors like guest: simply because they are human beings. additionally, this has a ripple effect, if you treat them well they will work harder for you. i told my caterer, "make sure my vendors eat before my guest." now this may seem strange.  however, take for example: when i was interning to become a wedding photographer, some years ago; sometimes myself and the lead photographer would be scurried off in another room and fed after the guest had eaten. imagine this scenario, if dinner starts at 5pm and is finished serving by 5:40 and cake cutting or whatever starts right after. the people who are strongly responsible for making your day special (photographer, Dj, wedding planner, full day makeup artist, videographer)  are served at 5:45 and then has to 10 minutes to rush and eat and then get back to work. also note, if your wedding started at 1pm these vendors mentioned had to be up at around by 5am, travelling, preparing and arriving at LEAST 2 hrs early to the venue. Feed your vendors the same time as your guest or before, make sure they have a place to sit, it does not have to be in the same room as guest but make sure they are catered to. you want them to be ready to start back working immediately after dinner.

5. brides, tip your vendors: if you like your vendors services, tip them or send them gifts, let them know that they are appreciated.

a very special thank you to our dear friends dwayne blackman and clewin mcpherson who served as our master of ceremony and officiant.  lisa o’brien, songstress, and russell schmidt, guitarist as well as keturah for linens and most importantly our wedding planner judy edwards, your work was amazing!

marketing via instagram

my instagram: www.instagram.com/shodiphoto

instagram is owned by facebook, as a result both platforms are interlinked with each other. one can post from instagram directly to facebook, tumblr, and four square with one click. facebook is one of the better social marketing tools for entrepreneurs and instagram is also rising in popularity. it makes much sense to have both.

some basics of instagram

 the platform can be used from your computer, iphone, or android. 

designing your instagram; follow the same rules as designing for other social networking sites. you want to focus primarily on your business; however you also want to demonstrate a bit about your personality. the reason for this is that people get bored with you shoving business in their face all the time. your clients and potential clients want to know a bit about your personality.  

 tools to manage instagram (all free)

there are multiple tools for managing instagram, some are used to see who follow and unfollow you and so forth. i don't concern myself with that because it is is a waste of time for the most part, and has little to do with bringing in revenue. i have a business to run and time is precious. though the more people are aware of your brand the more likely you are to be successful. you will have to figure out the balance for yourself.

i do however use instasize, since instagram offers a 640x640 pixel window. instasize re-sizes your images to fit the window. also picstich which makes 2 or more pics into a collage.

hashtags: allow you to reach a wider audience, so i strongly suggest using them. the key is to increase brand awareness. if you are a wedding photographer who posted a bridal pic one of your hashtags that can be used is #bride among many others.  a potential bride who searches clicks on #bride hashtag will be able to find you.

video: as of wed august  7th, 2013 instagram is now allowing you to upload pre-recorded videos. which means you can showcase your business with show reels.  the specifics for the video is that has to be no more than 15 secs long and 640x640 pixels.  

here is an example of a video i showcased on instagram for of some personal work  which also markets my business 
http://instagram.com/p/dITGnVs5Zk/

keep kewl!


harrisburg, pa wedding photographer

a simple way to photograph bride and groom's details

...during wedding prep.

the best time to photograph the bride and groom's details (bouquet, rings, shoes, jewelry, garter, cuff links, watches, earrings etc..) is during wedding prep, this is when the bride is getting her makeup done or the groom is dressing.

my favorite and easiest way to do it is to use window light, remember at weddings keep lighting as simple as possible because of the time constraints i.e. use as much as the available light sources as possible.

using window light

1. look for non competing-creative textures, reflections, and compositions
2. mount the detail  within 4 feet from the window
3. turn off the room lights to avoid mixed lighting
4. mount the detail at the height of the window
5. light the detail at 45 degree or 90 degree depending on taste
6. if the window light is too harsh you can purchase white nylon ripstop and use thumbtacks to quickly put it over the window as a diffusion panel.
7. custom white balance you camera
8. use any white surface to bounce light on the shadow side of the detail.

no window light?

bounce your flash off the white side of your reflector or a wall

not possible during prep

do it during the reception. bounce your flash off a reflector



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five tips for wedding photographers on working with a makeup artist: and creating more business opportunities

reblogged from www.makeupbydrg.com

the aesthetics of a wedding are crafted by a number of artists working together: photographer, cake, hair, makeup etc. for these artists, a significant portion of their business comes from referring each other to clients. the aim of this article is to primarily guide the wedding photographer on how to best serve the bride while building rapport with the makeup artist, which in return will lead to referrals and more business.

1.  CONSULTATION

 prior to photographing a wedding, the photographer should ask the bride for the Makeup Artist’s (MUA) contact information and then consult with him or her. i find that calling the MUA and setting up an appointment to meet or talk works better than an email. this builds rapport and both artists are less likely to bump heads during makeup prep on wedding day.  during the initial consultation the MUA and photographer should exchange contact information, talk about how both can benefit from each other’s businesses and their respective goals for the wedding day.

2. WEDDING DAY

since window light is one of the prettiest light sources that flatter brides while their makeup is being applied, the photographer should recommend that the MUA set up close to a window. additionally, the photographer should be lightly conversing with both the MUA and bride during makeup prep; this lightens the mood and helps things flow smoothly.

 








3. BEFORE SHOOTING

one of the things i recommend is to never photograph the bride until her makeup is almost complete. Always keep in mind that she is the star of the show and every picture the photographer takes and presents to her should flatter her in the best way possible. therefore, begin shooting when her foundation or concealer is complete. this is where it pays to know a bit about makeup or simply ask the MUA to alert you when the bride’s foundation or concealer has been completed. the reason being is that both of these products hide her blemishes.

4. PHOTOGRAPHY TECHNICALS

i prefer to photograph the bride using a shallow depth of field. generally, the room where she is being made up has other people getting ready, assisting her, or there is some form of clutter. by using a shallow depth of field you can isolate her from the background. I’d suggest an aperture (f/1.2-1.8). In particular for photographing lashes, I suggest a macro lens.  additionally, the photographer will want to capture the MUA preforming his or her craft, also record their tools, and look for creative compositions such as mirror reflections etc.

5. POST CONSULTATION

after the wedding, once again the photographer should contact the MUA and offer him or her prints or canvases or photo books or photographs for their website or any visual aid so that the MUA can show both of their work to future clients. it will cost the photographer a few dollars to provide prints or a photo book; however, if that MUA refers the photographer to a new client the cost of the visual aids are recovered. The photographer should also refer the MUA to other clients which keeps the cycle of business circulating.

i hope that both photographers and makeup artists understand that most of these tips can be used  between themselves and other artists working on the wedding.

keep kewl!