- Technical skill. This one is obvious but still needs to be stated. The task of shooting a wedding is rigorous and fluid; a photographer must adapt to changes in lighting and setting and be prepared to adapt. A good wedding photographer must know the exposure triangle through and through and be prepared for lighting changes.
- Experience. There are two types of knowledge; knowledge of studying and academic and understanding concepts and the knowledge that comes from learned personal experience. Wedding photography requires a little bit of the former(although you can fake it and get by on intellectual expertise) and many the latter.
- Flexibility. Be able to adapt to any potential situation.
- Make a list. Lists always help me. I try to make a list of equipment, shot list, and locations a week before the wedding.
- Customer service/ people skills. I really missed this one on my first wedding shoot. It never occurred to me to get to know my clients and ask about their family dynamic before shooting. This led to an awkward moment when I realized neither of the bride’s parents could stand to be in the same photo together and wanted separate shots with their respective spouses. Be personable; the whole day is about your bride and groom, so you should get to know them and their family and make them feel like they are your family.
- Social media. Social media. Social media. I can’t stress this one enough, Instagram should be your best friend. Having a following and actively engaging with them is integral to your business growth.
- Good website. Now that you have your social media down build a website to direct your followers too. I would recommend viewing other wedding photographers’ sites first to get a feel of what you want your site to look like. Your website should be visually clean yet compelling; like social media, most people only look at your site for 5v seconds; you need to draw potential clients in with the font of your page.
- Creativity. I know what you’re thinking, “I’m not creative, I can’t do anything about this one” that’s not true! While yes, some people are more innately creative than others, everyone has the capacity for creative thought, and lucky for all of us, creativity isn’t just an innate “je ne sais quoi” it’s a way of thinking that you can train your brain to do. Forcing yourself to think out of the box will allow you to think and eventually act more creatively; it just takes effort.
- Team mentality. Be a team player, especially when you start off assisting. You are just a conduit of expression for your bride and grooms; love for each other. Don’t make the day about you or your work.
- Remember your purpose. Remember what drives you as a photographer and mainly a wedding photographer. I know that what fuels me is my desire to help others through visual expression; I try to remind myself of this on every shoot
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