Ok, this post has nothing to do with photography equipments or techniques or anything photography.. but this is what is going to determine how successful you are going to be with wedding photography!
What are the three skills that every wedding photographer must have?
SKILL #1: PEOPLE SKILLS
One of the core principles that you need to attain greatness as a wedding photographer is being a “people person,” someone capable of inspiring trust in the bride and groom. Although the photojournalistic approach is all the rage these days, the wedding photographer cannot be a fly on the wall for the entire day. Interaction with the wedding party at crucial, often stressful moments during the wedding day is inevitable and it is these moments where the photographer with people skills can really shines. The goal is to appear as if you are a frien do the bride and groom that they asked to shoot their wedding, not a “professional” photographer.
If you can achieve a reputation of being the “salt of the earth”, the kind of person who makes his or her clients instantly like and trust him or her. This trust is important, because it leads to having complete freedom to capture the wedding as it unfolds and as the photographer sees it. One of the ways to attain this status with the bride and groom is to demonstrate early on in the relationship how significant the day is, and that you’re treating it with great respect. This maybe your 50th wedding photo shoot, but it’s your client’s ONLY wedding… they want it to be more than special.
One of the keys to having solid people skills is being able to hone your communication skills in order to create a personal rapport with clients, that way they will always be ready to invite you to participate in their special moments. It’s also highly important to be objective and unencumbered, do you can effectively balance the three principle roles of observer, director, and psychologist.
Many successful wedding and portrait photographers encourage their subjects to be themselves and to wear their emotions on their sleeves. An Instruction such as these frees the couple to behavior more like themselves throughout the entire day. One way to increase your rapport is to get to know as much as possible about the couple before the wedding. You should also encourage the brides and grooms to collaborate with their ideas as much as possible, initiating the dialogue of mutual trust between client and photographer.
Something else that you’ll need to get good a giving is a little flattery, as it goes a long way. Besides knowing how to pose a woman, one of the biggest things that change her posture and her expression is what you tell her and how you tell it to her. You’re not working with a professional model, so telling a telling a bride how beautiful she looks will change how she is photographed and how she perceives being photographed. It becomes a positive experience rather than a time-consuming and frustrating One. And this goes doubly so for the groom. Tell him how handsome and impressive he looks, and his chest pumps up, his back arches — you’ll have them doing circus tricks if you’re not careful.
SKILL #2: STORYTELLING SKILLS
Today’s great photographers have to be gifted storytellers. By expertly joining the spontaneous events that take place during the day, these photographers create a complete narrative of the wedding day, and this is what modern brides are demanding to see in her wedding coverage. Don’t completely fictionalize the wedding or create some fairy tale, but make sure that the images reflect the real experiences and emotions of the day. Today’s wedding photojournalistic reportage may even (sensitively) reveal “flaws”; the quick-thinking wedding photographer Is aware that these are part of what makes every wedding a unique and personal event.
SKILL #3: LOVING WHAT YOU DO
As in most professions, those at the top of the game are the ones who passionately love what they do. For many the excitement is in the ritual. For others, the excitement is in the celebration or the romance. To be successful, you have to love photographing people who are in love and are comfortable expressing it publically—or who are so in love that they can’t contain it. That’s when it is real, when the moments create themselves and all you’re doing is recording it. Some photographers thrive on the creative challenges that a wedding presents. If you think about it, all weddings are the same – there’s a man and a woman in love, and they’re going to have this big party; it’s also very cinematic in that there’s the anticipation, the preparation, the ceremony, and the party. For the photographer the repetition could be stifling, so the challenge is to find the nuances that make each ceremony unique.
If you like this post, don’t forget to share this link and post us your comments below.
Don’t forget to sign up for my free wedding photography tips ebook here.
|
