1st Wedding Fayre.

[Peter O'Connor]

Yo, Word to the masses,
£50 Wedding fayre in one of the better hotels in my town...
Can't say no really at that price,
Probably get some portrait work out of it or work from the other vendors maybe...

BUT....

I'm undecided...

Keep the display nip and tuck tight/sharp looking/ conservative acceptable... YYYAAAAWWWNNNnnnn

Or go to town with a creation... I don't want to scare anyone away but I'm personally more flambouyant than conservative...

If I put alot of 'above and beyond' effort into the 'show', will it be worth it ?

I'm thinking 'kitch', variety of elaborate frames mixed of course with slide show, albums, etc etc.

I have a feeling that 'memorable' will be more beneficial, B+G's start looking at wedding organisation months, years even in advance...

Your input would be food for thought I'm sure...

Any other hints-tips to chew on?

I've gone through a few forums and why do so many people give away their business card attached to a cheap bag of sweets?

Are brides that easy to impress?

Picked up a winner though..

Have a (free) prize draw with the prize being an engagement shoot...

Then tell everyone independantly that they've won!!

If that doesn't guarantee a few bookings then I'm picking my guitar up again...

Also it will give me a day with them to see if I want to shoot their wedding... Bridezilla culling at root..

Come on RPF !!!

Get yer thinking caps on...

Free engagement shoot for the best advice!!

 

[Chris Dodkin]

Business card stuck into the top of a cup cake - never thought it would work, but those cakes flew off the table.

The prize draw idea is a winner - sneaky, but a winner

Tell them you'll enter the best images from your 2012 shoots to Brides magazine - so they might get featured...

 

[Peter O'Connor]

Business card stuck into the top of a cup cake - never thought it would work, but those cakes flew off the table.

The prize draw idea is a winner - sneaky, but a winner

Tell them you'll enter the best images from your 2012 shoots to Brides magazine - so they might get featured...

Hey Chris,

My invite to the fayre was through a friend who makes cakes!

Unless I make my own (!) that would cost a fortune to give a cup cake to all! Do they not simply take the cakes for gluttony? (not being too cynical I hope, but..)

Great Idea for the publishing, I've recently been reading about hitting up magazine editors... A site called photomint offers a great intro PDF on getting published....

Well so far I'm headed to San Diego to do a shoot!

Cheers Chris.

 

[Chris Dodkin]

"Do they not simply take the cakes for gluttony?"

Probably, but they still get your card!

How many do you think you'd give away - may get mini ones, 80p each

Do a joint promotion with your cake friend - a twofer (two for one)

 

[Peter O'Connor]

I was planning on having one of my friends' cup cake towers on my table as deco anyway...
I don't know how keen she will be on Me handing out Her work though...
But Hell yeah, We'll be collaborating all day, Pincer movement.

 

[Hamish Gill]

I mentioned fayres here http://www.realphotographersforum.com/content/454-guide-wedding-photography-part-4-getting-some-clients.html

My advice is always the same when it comes to these things... be your self, if you are a flamboyant, id go flamboyant!
My wedding shots are less conventional and less on trend than most... I get all my bookings because of that!

 

[Hamish Gill]

worth a read
Why Wedding Photographers’ Prices are

 

[Peter O'Connor]

Thanks Hamish, I'll put the kettle on and have a little read.

 

[Hamish Gill]

just a bit of a laugh really ... specially as a wedding photog ... nothing to do with fayres i should add

be interested to get your thoughts on my tutorial though if your up for some reading time!
http://www.realphotographersforum.c...phy-part-1-getting-few-wedding-shots-bag.html

 

[Peter O'Connor]

Phew!!! That was a hefty read, got my adrenaline pumping just reading the 'togs wedding price justifications...

Bring it on!!!

I read your wedding tips 1-5 last week, pretty much how I've approached it myself from the starting gun.

I'm so determined to overcome my 'demons' (woulda shoulda coulda done better) it's possibly an unhealthy compulsion...

 

[Hamish Gill]

I don't think you ever overcome them, I just see them now as part of the curve and try not to let them get to me!
Did a ten hour wedding last week, I was in quite a lot of pain with a rib injury.
Because of that I forgot all my normal concerns and had the most relaxing day I've had at a wedding!
It shows in the photos, and oddly it also shows in my second shooters photos as he just feeds off my mood!
I'll post some shots up soon!

 

[Peter O'Connor]

Too true, Last week a friend asked me to critique one of his wedding shoots, I could see immediately He was nervous, shy, stiff etc, thinking too much... Normally his shots are full of artistic angles and framefilling portraits but all of that was lost, none of his style showed through. So the morale ? Get smashed before a wedding shoot!

 

[Hamish Gill]

Before, during and after!