Go Full Time with Wedding Photography

This particular session on branding can be used by ANY one looking to start a small business or just create a brand. Together we will help you figure out your big picture, or WHY you are starting a business or service, a style that will be timeless because it will reflect YOU, brand aesthetics, your ideal audience, voice, and more! You’ll learn the importance of your brand beyond just a logo, how to clearly define who you are, what you want to do and why, discover who you want to influence and the impact you want to have on your community, how to choose branding that defines the heart of your business, how to incorporate how others see you in your brand, how to dial in a consistent visual style from start to finish, and leave with a “tagline” that serves as a filter for everything you produce!

You’ll Learn:

• The importance of your brand beyond just a logo.

• How to clearly define who you are, what you want to do and why.

• Discover who you want to influence and the impact you want to have on your community.

• How to choose branding that defines the heart of your business.

• How to incorporate how others see you into your brand.

• How to dial in a consistent visual style from start to finish.

• How to create a “tagline” that serves as a filter for everything you produce.

  
  

Session Two: Customer Relations

We’re going to be talking about your interactions with your customer from the time they first contact you to the time where you finish the sale, all the while making a true, genuine connection with them so they feel like they know the real you and that they are cared for. We will also talk about ways to add value to your client experience so that you can not only justify a higher price for your services, but make a lasting impression with them that will have them recommending you to all of their friends!

You’ll Learn:

• My process for building a great relationship with my clients before, during, and after the wedding.

• The communication workflow I use to guide your clients from inquiry to booking.

• A script that you can use for your own meetings to help build friendship and trust.

• See a real-time video of me interacting with actual clients for our first meeting.

• Exactly what I give my clients to set expectations and increase value.

Session Three: Website Basics

This particular session is great for you if you are setting up a website for your new business or need to “tweak” your existing website in order to reach your ideal customers. The tools given here can be used by ANY one that wants to make a website for their small business.

You’ll Learn:

• Things that are important to spend money on right away to get a good foundation.

• How to create a homepage website that is complete, clear and efficient to your client.

• How to guide your clients through your website and have them arrive where YOU want them to arrive.

• How to set up all the “techy stuff” so you are discovered by new clients via search engines.

Session Four – Marketing Foundations

This particular session can be used by ANY one that uses social media to share photos that promote their brand, and also by those who want to branch out into paid advertisement and gain objective insight into how their pricing correlates to conversion.

In Part 1 You Will Learn:

• GAME CHANGING tips and workflow videos to help you crush social media with the least amount of time and effort possible using objective strategies, free apps, and shortcuts already built into your phone.

• Lightroom tutorial videos to quickly edit and get your photos where they need to be to share them on stories.

• How to stay organized every step of the way so you can put in the least amount of effort possible once you get a system up and running.

In Part 2, You Will Learn:

• How to use my Lead Tracker tool to track your conversions.

• Exactly what time of year to take the next step into PAID advertising based on data of your business.

• An objective way to know when to either raise or lower your prices year to year.

Session Five – Finance and Legal Set-Up

While this course is overall geared towards photographers and we will definitely be covering some photo-specific things like clients contracts and print releases, much of this session can be used by anyone with a small business that wants to streamline their business cash flow, prep for business taxes, and legitimize their business by becoming an LLC.

You Will Learn:

• What legal documents you need before you step out of the door to do your first photoshoot.

• The basics of the LLC business structure and how to “legitimize” your business and protect your assets.

• Ways to organize your finances and a look at this in action with my business cash flow management system.

• How and when to pay your business taxes throughout the year to avoid fees and hefty bills at tax time.

• How to prep for year-end taxes to capture all of the write-offs you can.

Session Six – My Workflow: Lead to Delivery

Here we look at everything I do and say to a client from the moment they fill out an intake form to delivery of their photos, and beyond! I’ll show you how I complete this workflow with the single best thing I ever did for my business – invest in customer relationship management software! This allows me to create workflows that makes much of the process of communicating and collecting information from clients automatic, which is a LIFE SAVER! But, in case you aren’t ready to take the plunge into purchasing software, I’ll show you workarounds with free apps and tools so you can make these workflows happen manually!

You’ll Learn:

• How to create a client intake form that will help you get the clients you actually want.

• The entire process, with email samples, of what I do from the time a client fills out the intake form to the time they book my services.

• How to collect any information you need from a client, with samples of questionnaires I use for wedding day information.

• How to create a post-wedding workflow to ensure clients don’t slip through the cracks, even AFTER wedding day!

• The benefits of automating your workflow to save you hours of time and stress.

Session Seven – Posing and Lighting

Posing and Lighting are two concepts that truly separates the beginners from the bosses, and with these foundational skills in your back pocket, you will be able to VASTLY improve your end product, quality, brand, and professionalism.

Photographers notoriously spend so much time and money on educational materials to learn about posing their clients, but continuously “freeze” or feel “stuck” when clients are in front of them. With my 6 memorable Posing Categories for wedding couples explained in part 1, you’ll be able to memorize these starting points that you can use to flow from pose to pose.

We will wrap up the session in part 2 by conquering fears of off camera flash, or OCF, that will give you the knowledge about the gear and settings you need to work with the sun, create stunning sunset and night time portraits, and rock receptions! You don’t have to be afraid of any lighting situation any more – and you’ll be able to consistently get beautiful, evenly lit skin tones no matter when your session is.

In Part One (Posing), You Will Learn:

• The five posing categories to memorize when you are stuck or frozen on wedding day.

• How to flow from pose to pose within each category for dozens of unique portraits in a minimal amount of time (with video link)!

• Tips for photographing couples of all sizes and abilities.

In Part Two (Lighting), You Will Learn:

• Lighting gear that you will need for every lighting situation on wedding day, including reflectors, transmitters, speed lights, strobes, and modifiers.

• How to use your camera settings to balance ambient light while using your flashes.

• Where to place your lights for the most flattering spread.

• Tips for getting awesome reception shots and how to assess what you need based on the room.

Session Eight – Gear and When to Use It

We will be talking weddings specifically in this session, guiding you through each part of the wedding day with the gear I use and how I use it, including lenses and lighting tools. In Session 7 we covered the basics of lighting in many different situations and how to balance it with the ambient light. In this session, we take those skills of HOW to handle the light and apply it to WHEN it’s used during the wedding day!

Keep in mind that everyone’s process is different, and my process will not be yours once you get a few weddings under your belt and acquire gear based on your preferences and shooting style. This is a system that works for me for the type of clients and weddings I shoot, so it’s my hope that you can take these suggestions and apply them to your own clients and weddings!

You will Learn:

• • What’s in my bag? An overview of every piece of my camera and lens gear.

  • What’s in my lighting kit? An overview of every piece of my lighting gear.

  • Some of my favorite extra/helpful gear to round out your wedding day toolkit.

  • HOW I use all of this gear during every part of the wedding day.