What is your secret? What sets you apart? Why do brides/grooms choose you?

The other day i was thinking of new things to do to help me break into this challenging industry, and was wondering what other people did to set them apart. Now i know some people dont want to share their secret (then it would not be secret) and some people dont have one other than the things they do normally.

Ill share what has been running through my mind as of lately.
Its a somewhat combination of a traditional style and a more modern style sales technique i think. The recent events of the ipad got me thinking of a great way to integrate this into a photo business. This may be something that I could integrate in the future, but at this point am lacking the facilities to do it.

So, you have (at least) a 3 man team on your shoot, at a wedding, family shoot, etc. While the photographer shoot, you have the files sent over to an on site photo editor, who edits while the photographer continues to shoot. They upload that to the web where clients can order (smugmug, zenfolio) with a wireless broadband card. Then you have an on site salesman with an iPad who is available to sell the photos to the clients directly after the shoot.

I was also thinking of adding in certain perks to the package that I do not list when they choose a package, like a tote bag with a picture printed on it, things like that.

So i was wondering what do you do (if anything) that is your secret weapon?
This could be anything you think it means, like adding extra stuff in the package, attending the rehearsal dinner, etc.

Or, what sets you apart? Why do brides and grooms choose you?

Well...I'm planning to have a 3 man team to edit, upload and sell the photo's to the couple directly after the shoot!

All i need now is an ipad :P

richy5497 wrote in post #9956894
Well...I'm planning to have a 3 man team to edit, upload and sell the photo's to the couple directly after the shoot!

All i need now is an ipad :P

If you're going to do all this then a printer would make more sense.

I'd like to think it's a few factors, but #1 for me in the imagery itself. I take a much more traditional approach. The current trend right now is for something that I would describe as kind of a fashion-magazine look. I'm pretty traditional and conservative by nature and that's not what I'd want for my own album if I were getting married today. I have kind of a hybrid approach to my photographic style: very journalistic but I absolutely still pose the couple too, fun and conetemporary images but somehow framed with some of the timeless of charm that characterizes the wedding photography that came out of the early 1960's. This isn't a look that's being touted by the magazines or placees TheKnot.com. And it definitely attracts only a very small subsegment of the market. BUT, there is a market for it which is vastly underserved and I've already begun to develop a reputation in the area for it. In pretty short order, I've kinda become "the guy" for the X% of couples who also want that look for their own album.

Do you mean same day wedding service, or when they get back from the honeymoon? And how do you figure an iPad will help?

richy5497 wrote in post #9956894
Well...I'm planning to have a 3 man team to edit, upload and sell the photo's to the couple directly after the shoot!

All i need now is an ipad :P

I focus on networking. I do a ton of photography for local high schools, sports leagues, clubs, etc. and go out of my way to make friends with and pay special attention to anyone I can. I teach them how to take better pictures with their own cameras. I stay late at school dances to let the yearbook kids take photos of their friends with my gear. I run a website where I post a lot of sports action photos in a way that is more than just thumbnails and order screens. I take their team and individual photos of youth leagues with gear they expect to see on a model shoot. I go to the plays, musicals, choir recitals, etc. that nobody besides family ever covers. I post photos from events on Facebook and tag the kids in them. I try to establish myself as "their" photographer and do whatever I can to exceed their expectations for print quality.

I try to take advantage of the notion many people have that if you can take a good photo, you can take a good wedding photo and try and get as many good photos in front of them as possible, regardless of the conext. If you question that people think that way, just look at the number of threads on here that are posted by someone who has never shot a wedding but has been asked because so-and-so liked some other photos they had seen that had nothing to do with a wedding or asked them simply because they "had a nice camera."

In my area, wedding photography is almost totally secured via word of mouth recommendations. It is a small community so everyone knows the players. By establishing the strong relationships, when their kids, family, friends, etc. are ready to get married, I am their choice without even searching (Assuming they can afford it) and their referrals go a long way to landing deals with people I don't already know.

There are also very few super-weddings in my area so the need to provide a bunch of bells and whistles is not really a benefit. Just having portable studio strobe gear is generally enough to be above most all my local competition.

What sets me apart is I don't get under the couples feet during the day. Here in Tasmania, it's a small island and the old school photographers who did the current generations parents photos still operate in very much the same way- almost no photojournalistic shots, stiff, posed formals, shot list/"check off" type lists, table shots, being led around, away from guests for huge chunks of the day while the photographer takes forever to pose them; often in places the couple aren't thrilled about having pics taken at- but the photographer does anyway- because "that's just how it's done here."
Even the new generation of photographer doesn't really do PJ photography much- the new school is basically emulating what the previous generation did. If you like that sort of photography, you have a lot to pick from. If not, there only a few choices.

After the backlash that a few of us got a month or two ago for claiming to be "photojornalistic" (and hence we just don't know how to pose people) wedding photographers, I don't really like to talk about it here, but I do almost all PJ shots. At least 75% of their album is made up of entirely unposed shots- the majority of shots the couple was not even aware a picture was being taken. There are a few exceptions (older couples, models and dancers usually want a few more posed shots than most.)

So after meeting with their parents photographers, they meet with me and I tell them except for the getting ready pictures and a very small formal session, you probably won't even notice me- and you just get to go about enjoying your day.

I also have a blackberry for the sole purpose of being able to communicate quickly with clients. I hear constantly (and have experiences first hand) the frustration of photographers not getting back to you in a timely manner. Unless i'm driving or on a plane, I get back to clients/potential clients within the hour. They also know that any questions they have they can email anytime, as many times as they like. I also tell them that I'm willing to meet up in person if they need help with timelines or suppliers at no cost- most photogs either refuse, or charge them to do it.

I also don't charge as much as I could. I won't get into it, but a few years ago I charged almost 3 times my average cost now, but wasn't happy with the clientele it brought. So couples realize that they can have good photos that won't put them in debt for years.

PMCphotography wrote in post #9961015
I also don't charge as much as I could. I won't get into it, but a few years ago I charged almost 3 times my average cost now, but wasn't happy with the clientele it brought. So couples realize that they can have good photos that won't put them in debt for years.

I know you said you won't get into it, but I find that logic intruiging, I would love to make the same money shooting 1/3 the weddings!! Surely not everyone paying a higher price are undesireable clientele, I would have thought the opposite, a couple spending more on photos are more likely to have a lavish wedding at a nice venue which = great photo ops.

Just sent you a PM Simon

Sorry, i was joking. I just reworded Red Tie's idea as if to steal it...

I take nice photos, i'm good with people (in person - on forums I troll), i'm friendly, and i'm good at SEO.

I try to stand out in a couple ways.

- strong commitment to customer service and making clients feel special. When I meet with prospective couples, I give them a leather binder with my marketing materials, business card, and a bridal magazine. If they book, they get a thank you note and blank notecards with photos of Pittsburgh on them that I've shot (and my logo on the back, of course). I'm prompt with my communication. I bring a cooler on shoots with bottles of water for everyone.
- I love to use off camera lighting.

sapearl wrote in post #9957321
Do you mean same day wedding service, or when they get back from the honeymoon? And how do you figure an iPad will help?

Stu - Although I believe he was being sarcastic, the reason I said it could be a good tool was because I was looking at other threads (like the thread on how to increase sales after the wedding has taken place) and thought this may be a good option. From my experience working in sales i have found that if a customer says, "ill think about it" or "ill come back for it later" they normally dont. So being able to close the sale at that time when they are excited about it would be a way to make some extra income on the day of.
You could also do this in a wedding scenario, or even possibly photobooth photos (lets not get into who likes/hates them again) and being able to sell them a few minutes later.

Being a young photographer myself I am trying to find ways to establish myself within the market, and hopefully my interest in technology will help. I dont have an office with a plasma TV that i can show clients my previous weddings on, so having something portable and current is how i plan to build my "business". While my age my play against me in a lot of situations, using it to my advantage by having "the latest and greatest" is what I am looking to do right now.

Another thing that I have been thinking about incorporating is giving the clients something while they wait for their album to be produced. While an album takes a while to be printed, I thought about appeasing and/or teasing clients with a complimentary iPod touch with some photos that will be in the album, some that will not. In doing a large package, a $200 ipod isnt that huge of a cost. I do not plan to list this in my packages, but do this after they choose to go with me and hopefully spread word of mouth.

-Bryan

Red Tie Photography wrote in post #9964860
Stu - Although I believe he was being sarcastic, the reason I said it could be a good tool was because I was looking at other threads (like the thread on how to increase sales after the wedding has taken place) and thought this may be a good option. From my experience working in sales i have found that if a customer says, "ill think about it" or "ill come back for it later" they normally dont. So being able to close the sale at that time when they are excited about it would be a way to make some extra income on the day of.
You could also do this in a wedding scenario, or even possibly photobooth photos (lets not get into who likes/hates them again) and being able to sell them a few minutes later.

Being a young photographer myself I am trying to find ways to establish myself within the market, and hopefully my interest in technology will help. I dont have an office with a plasma TV that i can show clients my previous weddings on, so having something portable and current is how i plan to build my "business". While my age my play against me in a lot of situations, using it to my advantage by having "the latest and greatest" is what I am looking to do right now.

Another thing that I have been thinking about incorporating is giving the clients something while they wait for their album to be produced. While an album takes a while to be printed, I thought about appeasing and/or teasing clients with a complimentary iPod touch with some photos that will be in the album, some that will not. In doing a large package, a $200 ipod isnt that huge of a cost. I do not plan to list this in my packages, but do this after they choose to go with me and hopefully spread word of mouth.

-Bryan

I think your intent is good, not so sure about the methods, though. I say this as an avowed tech-no; a guy who doesn't even own an iPod, so I'm not going to connect well to the mindset you're trying to achieve.

That said, remember that above all else, photography is an emotional purchase and that's how you want to drive it. At the risk of sounding cold and business-like, I invest quite a bit into ensuring some tears when the couple comes back to see their images for the first time. I do this a few different ways: I try for a quick turn around; two weeks or less if I can manage it, so that they're still very high on the excitement from their day. When they come in, I engage them in some warm conversation about their wedding day and honeymoon; just a little pump priming. They view their carefully selected and ordered images on a large screen and I've set them all to music. As peculiar as it sounds, I take a few fun/goofy/silly images throughout the day and always try to include a couple early to start pulling some emotional reaction (it's much easier to go from laughing to tears than it is from nothing to tears).

If you've done all the right things with your photography and you've done all the right things setting the stage and ensuring an emotional experience for them, selling large albums (and other stuff) becomes very easy.

Right now, I don't have anything that is really separating me except general style. There are one or two local photographers who are putting out images that, to the important eyes (clients' views), look good enough or similar enough in quality to beat me out at the same or similar pricing. This isn't a good thing for me - one of those photographers is quickly gaining popularity and I am pretty sure I'm losing more and more business to him. Plus, all the important photographers have better websites than me (and better blogs).

What I would like to strive for in the next 1-2 years is to vastly improve my posing and lighting skills and give my compositions more story, drama, edge, and continuity with the occasion. I really like fashion art, and I would like to learn how to take photos of brides that resemble that style.