How to win at your photography business

 
So... we're going to talk about word of mouth.

Is it just me who dislikes the subject of word of mouth?? I feel like I needed to rip of the plaster (or band-aid whatevs :) ) for this post. 

Less is More...

So I thought I would update you guys with a super secret tip to boosting your Facebook page profile. Something we learnt early on in the game which helped our marketing and saved us time.

We're very downhearted about Facebook nowadays (our fans see maybe 20% of our posts compared to when we first started thanks to FB's money-grabbing and my stubbornest to not pay them to boost every single thing) but there's still something very effective in posting recent shoots and seeing the reaction of their family and friends. 

How to Be an Exceptional Wedding Photographer

There's the obvious - take great photos. But that's not what I wanted to talk about today. You can take gorgeous wedding photographs - the best - and still be a sub-par photographer. 

I once spoke to a bride who told me about her sisters wedding where the photographer actually stopped the ceremony (THE CEREMONY!!) in order to get them to pose. It was pretty simple - no matter how gorgeous the photos were, they were not going to hire him again.

It's customer service that you need to pride yourself on, as well as the photos. If you want the bride's sister's wedding, her friends and family, then you need to be remembered as the wedding photographer. That person who made the wedding just a little bit better and took the best photos ever. My Dad was always naturally good at it, I think. He never advertised - it was all word of mouth because he's a brilliant at photographer and such a wonderful guy to have at your wedding.

So here's a few tips to making sure you are remembered for all the right reasons;

10 Warning Signs to Watch Out For When Picking Your Wedding Photographer

 Picking a Wedding Photographer is like picking a bridesmaid. 

 I know that seems a bit of a stretch but it really, really isn't. You are trusting this person to capture all the memories of your entire day, they have once chance to get it right. It's a big deal.

So I've written a few warning signs that I've learnt over the past few years.

7 Tips to Make the Most of Your iPhone Camera

I'm still in Italy at the moment and it's super beautiful today. 

We all took carry-ons only, so we figured we'd only bring one camera between us this trip. It's a good plan as I don't take a lot of photos on my holidays because I tend to miss the moment when I'm trying to capture it on an SLR. 

So it's shared between my Dad and Rob while I snap away on my semi-new iPhone.

It's a different kind of challenge because there is very little control compared to a 'real' camera but I have a few tips for those of you trying to take holiday snaps with a small (but powerful!) camera phone.

5 Details That Improved Our Engagement Photographs

Engagement shoots, or pre-wedding shoots as some people call them, are important for a bride and groom. Maybe more than they realise. It's a time to get to know each other and let them get a better idea of what to expect on their big day.

So here's a few things that changed our pre-wedding shoots...

5 Instant Ways to Improve Taking Family Photos

I'm a big advocate of 'manual mode'. Depth of field is my life. Composition, framing and lead in lines are something I'll go over at a later date, but these things take time to learn and most people don't get the DSLR out every trip out. That's what an iPhone is for, after all. 

So I've got 5 very easy, instant ways to improve photos of your family and friends. (Even on an iPhone!)