The Process of Finding the Ideal Match as a Photographer and Client.
I have been thinking about this post for a while now. I think it’s a two parter, but I’ll start with this and see how it goes.
For the couples planning your wedding, this is for you. And for the wedding photographers who also read this, this too is for you.
So this post is both How to Choose your photographer, and How to find your ideal client. Same principals apply.
If you’re in the wedding business you’ll know there are 1001 different coaches online that will tell you that you “need” to define your “ideal client” - which for many, is just polite for saying “pretty couples with loads of cash”.
Seriously. It is. That’s what it comes down to for many. How beautiful is the bride, and how much money do they have to create this perfect wedding at one of the top five wedding venues so that they (the photographer) can get featured in Vogue or Harpers or some other website.
That’s the ideal client for many.
And I say this, because for quite a few years, that too was what I went after.
I only wanted a certain type of client that hosted weddings at certain posh venues in Toronto because I knew, if I shot them well, Wedluxe, Weddingbells, and a few other publications would showcase them in print and online.
And it worked.
But…after doing that for a while, things got..a little boring. Sure, they were beautiful and all, but there was something a little too perfect and easy about shooting a wedding like that.
I remember I worked with a fairly well known wedding planner on a million dollar wedding that was so over the top, with all the beautiful things, great food, huge band, $30,000 dress, and basically everything and anything you could imagine - but that was just the surface stuff - beyond that it wasn’t so interesting.
Where they my ideal client? Back in 2007 they sure were - now, not so much. Now I look for more.
And I think part of it comes down to my own background and my experiences as well.
I grew up in a fairly well off area in Toronto. I went to private school for a few years, and my friend group ranged from Rosedale to Regent Park (super rich, to not so much). I was equally comfortable in both homes, with both types of people. So when I got into the wedding business, getting a booking to shoot in Rosedale, or one of several homes on the Bridle Path was fun and all, but I wasn’t over the moon and blown away by the wealth, because I’d seen it before.
For many photographers, the “ideal” clients are those described above. They want that because it symbolizes “luxury” and “making it” in the wedding business.
Maybe my view on all this comes from the fact that I’ve shot hundreds of weddings over twenty years. It takes a L O T to really surprise me now…I mean…when you shoot a wedding with Earth Wind and Fire as the performers it’s kind of hard to top that right?
Okay, so what IS my ideal client type?
Are they wealthy? Yes. and No.
Does that matter? Not particularly. Obviously, having a wedding with a bigger budget does allow for nicer venues and nicer “things” to be used for the wedding to make it look a certain way, but I’m not really in weddings for that. Not anymore.
Are they nice people? (ding ding ding!!!) Yes, that is about 80% of the calculation in what my ideal client is. Are they generous, thoughtful, open minded, family oriented and sentimental? Perfect, that’s now 90%. Are they all those features AND they love my work and just let me shoot what I want to shoot in the way I shoot?
Yes?
Perfect - that’s my ideal client.
Generous, outgoing, friendly, sentimental, caring, trustworthy, down to earth…those would also be great words to describe my ideal client type.
Some photographers will say - the ideal client is the one that pays me. Which I suppose is also true, but for me, the main requirement is that you’re decent human beings with an interesting story and planning an interesting wedding. It doesn’t have to be a half million dollar budget, it can be a $20k budget. It can be five people or several hundred - as a photographer who is focused on the human side of the story of your wedding - the relationships and friendships, that’s all I need to do my job. People that are nice.
HOW TO CHOOSE THE RIGHT PHOTOGRAPHER
For those still reading - thanks! I know reading a lot is hard for many these days so thanks for putting in a great effort. ;)
For most people, unless you work in advertising, marketing, publishing or some other type of creative business, you likely have never hired a photographer before, so the process can be a little stressful. Especially with all the trendy keywords that are used so much these days to try to attract your attention.
My only real piece of advice to you is this - once you establish that you like their work, arrange a time to talk on the phone. Don’t even talk about photography or what you are getting or how much it will be, get to know the person that you may be hiring to follow you around for a full day with a few cameras.
You do NOT need to be best friends with your photographer - despite what some are saying, this is 100% not needed - I mean, putting a wedding together is stressful enough, adding the stress of having to be friends with the people you’re hiring is a little much. But, you should be able to have a decent conversation with them.
For me - that’s a pretty big deal and it can be a deal breaker even - regardless of the budget or the venue or anything else - if you and I don’t get along enough to have a relaxed and interesting conversation on the phone, chances are that’s as far as things will go.
Was this helpful? I hope so.
Send me an email if you have anything to add or ask - hello@andreasphoto.ca