How to become a wedding photographer?
Today it is safe to say that professional photography has once again triumphed over its competitors.
When digital cameras became available to the general public, professional photographers froze in anticipation of the reaction of their services market.
And at first this reaction was not pleasing - many began to shoot the celebrations on their own, but very soon they realized that it was not so easy to do.
Wedding photography is the most profitable destination.
People began to understand that the so-called aftertaste of the wedding depends on what the photos will be. Indeed, in fact, photography is all that remains of a chic celebration, except for the memories, which, incidentally, can be corrupted by bad pictures.
The more talented wedding photographers showing real masterpieces, the faster this understanding comes.
First of all, we should talk about wedding photography as a business.
No one hides that its goal is to obtain commercial benefits.
But no profit can be obtained if you remove the creative component.
Thus, wedding photography can be called an alloy of initially inert components - art and entrepreneurship.
Unfortunately, a successful wedding photographer will not work without an entrepreneurial spirit.
If a person is so keen on creativity that he demonstrates worldly helplessness, then he is better off doing photography for himself or, at best, working on photo stocks.
A wedding photographer is a businessman and an artist in one bottle.
The entrepreneurial activity of a wedding photographer consists of investing in equipment, personal advertising, finding a clientele, as well as a competently built competition strategy.
If everything is done correctly, then you can earn decent money, which is enough for updating photo equipment, and for a comfortable life. As a bonus, the pleasure of doing what you love is attached.
The second most important feature of a successful wedding photographer is sociability. Pictures will never radiate positive unless the photographer manages to make contact with the models.
By the way, personal charm plays an important role in this. Therefore, taking the path of a wedding photographer , first of all, you should work on your own image.
But where to get the money to start? The answer is very simple - make money!
When a person makes money with his labor, he will begin to treat them very carefully.
He verifies all his further entrepreneurial steps with pharmaceutical accuracy. As a result, his chances as an entrepreneur are growing.
The minimum set of cameras for wedding photography consists of: a SLR camera, quality lenses covering the entire range of focal lengths, a pair of external flash units complete with a transmitter, light disks, umbrellas and tripods for the camera and flashes.
You will also need a laptop for post-processing.
The most expensive article is the camera. It is better to immediately purchase a full-length SLR camera.
Only one "body only" will cost at least a couple of thousand dollars.
But the problem is not even that, but that there should be two cameras. Of course, not every photographer has a spare SLR, but this is the only way to insure yourself from embarrassment if the main camera suddenly fails.
The worst thing that can happen to a wedding photographer is the failure of the equipment during the shooting. No one will postpone the wedding; rather, they will urgently hire another photographer. But a blow to the reputation can be avoided if you have a spare camera.
Many photographers, in order to save, take a budget SLR in reserve. However, full-format optics from the main camera are not suitable for it, since the crop factor does not coincide.
Therefore, for her you need to buy a separate set of lenses, and this pleasure is not cheap.
The price of such a set is comparable to the cost of a full-format camera.
One of the options to try yourself as a wedding photographer is to rent a camera.
In large cities there are photo studios that rent out any equipment for professional photography. With a great desire, you can even earn, in this way, on your own camera.
But not only equipment is required to start a career as a wedding photographer.
No less important is experience, which can only be acquired in practice. In order not to click in vain and not to train "on cats", it is best to volunteer to photograph the wedding of your friends or good friends.
Let it be a wedding present.
Before you plunge headlong into the wedding photography business, it is recommended that you look at the work of the best photographers. It is desirable that these were fresh pictures.
Thus, you can set the bar for yourself and find out about the latest trends in wedding photos.
The first wedding photo session
The main work of the wedding photographer is a photo session of the bride and groom. You need to come up with about twenty stories and find a place for them with suitable scenery.
Typically, such photo shoots are shot in parks, on the coasts and in other colorful places.
In advance, you need to visit the place of the proposed photo shoot and take a series of test shots there to determine the camera settings and know the lighting situation.
It is advisable to write a script for a photo shoot, where technical points will be noted.
It is extremely undesirable at the wedding photo session to humiliate the bride and groom - to torment them with numerous takes and force them to constantly change their poses.
At this stage, all communication skills will have to be used. Success will depend on how well thought out the preparation was.
The first photo shoot will reveal all the weaknesses of the invented scenario and the chosen behavior strategy. Friends, newlyweds will surely forgive you for minor flaws.
However, it must be borne in mind that the very first photo shoot will be the first advertisement, which should attract future customers!
And finally, one more piece of advice, perhaps the most important one: if wedding photography attracts and makes you think about it, then by all means get down to business and everything will work out!
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