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Home: Video University Forums: Digital Photography for Videographers:
2nd photo booking from a video referral..

Brian M
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Jan 21, 2007, 6:43 AM

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2nd photo booking from a video referral..	Can't Post

Woo hoo...for the 2nd time within a month we were referred by former brides who we have done video only for and when both couples came in...they opted for photography only and didn't want video at all!!! Our goal is to get video only jobs down to 20 or less per year and fill the rest in with photo only or combo photo/video packages.
So far, we've shot 1 real basic wedding with no dancing and have booked 4 photo only jobs and 4 combo jobs solely off our engagement pics and that 1 wedding. Bummer is we still won't get any real good samples until mid-summer.
Brian M

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Photographer & Videographer

Scott Brooks
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Jan 21, 2007, 11:49 PM

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Bummer is we still won't get any real good samples until mid-summer.

Yeah ... that's a problem. Unless you've gradually got your name out there shooting for friends, maybe some seniors or always being the friend with the camera ... it takes a couple of years to get the gears turning.

Our bridal shows are going fairly well for us ... just completed out third show in two weeks with another next Sunday and then again on the 11th. If everyone sends in their contract (and we know how that goes) we'll have 8 booked with results from this show not in yet and two to go.

My goal starting out this year was 12 to 15. I'm not there yet, but I'm very hopeful.

I really needed that first year to get a couple of sample books ... and I really didn't like my first book. Now I seem to be on at least a little bit of a roll.

Hang in there and when you order an album for yourself you can many times get the second one at a reduced rate.

You guys will be fine ... I just know it.

Brackish
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Jan 27, 2007, 11:21 PM

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Brian M
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Jan 28, 2007, 6:31 AM

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Just curious if they had been looking for video initially, but then just decided to go with photo only?

Yes, bride called after her friend highly recommended us for video. She requested video info be sent to her. We mailed photo pricing and info and a DVD of video. When she came in a few days later...she opted for just the photos and didn't care to see any more video. Guess that doesn't say much about our video work! Wink

She signed a contract for us to do photos ($2,000 - albums optional) and said maybe she'll consider adding video down the road. We were shocked....easiest demo we ever did. If she adds our top album, it will be over $3000 package. If she adds basic video, it will be $3,000) we'd rather her just add the photo album later and be completely done with her wedding in less than a week of studio time. Wink

Brian M

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Photographer & Videographer

Brackish
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Jan 28, 2007, 7:00 AM

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Brian M
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Jan 28, 2007, 7:38 AM

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One thing we decided up front which we also do as videographers is be totally honest.
We told her we shot 1 wedding and the reason was because we had so many video jobs booked years in advance (which is true) that it took us a while to free up dates for shooting photos.

Nothing hurts you're credibility more than getting caught in fibs. There is one photographer who does amazing work but his mouth keeps him from being the best in our area. He told me 4 years ago that he wrote Final Cut Pro and sold it for a million dollars to Apple and didn't need to shoot weddings any more. Last year he told me he helped develop Canopus Edius and is now a consultant for Canopus. Funny thing was 10 minutes later he told me he offers video too and uses Canopus Let's-Edit and never was able to grasp Edius. He's a bit of a pathelogical liar and we seen him turn off clients in a hurry at a bridal show with his rediculous stories.

You never know who knows what. We shot one egagement session but didn't do their wedding. Bride contacted us a month prior to her wedding because her contracted photographer didn't offer engagement shots. We have those pics in our sample engagement book but we mention that all the other couples are using us except that couple. Turns out a co-worker of hers met with us and recognized them and knew we didn't do their wedding. We told them the situation and if we had lied and said she booked us...we would have been busted.
Brian M

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Photographer & Videographer

RustyB
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Jan 28, 2007, 7:40 AM

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Did she know that you guys hadn't actually photographed many
weddings? ....

With wedding photo (or video for that matter), I don't think it's that big of an issue. They've already got brand recognition, which is the most important thing when it comes to price. With absolutely no experience, you can start booking wedding photo gigs today, at average price. But with a well known, respected name, like they assuredly have, booking higher end photo gigs shouldn't be so much of problem...even without a real portfolio of experienced professional work. I videotaped a cheap motivational speaker who told his story. He says,"you gotta fake it, until you make it". I'm very upfront to my friends/associates about my photo/video experience, and my work could suck, but as far as my clients are concerned...I'm the best there is in my style. Tongue

Brian/Jenn have lots of experience in "shooting" weddings, and knowing how a wedding works and selling yourself to the clients is 99% of the work IMHO. They'll quickly learn how (are/have) to take good wedding photos, using their experience as videographers, and you know they'll be constantly wanting to improve. If they've been successful in marketing themselves as videographers, they should KILL as photographers...regardless of experience.

(coming from a professional wedding videographer who doesn't own a prosumer video camera, and gets professional photographs (taken with $20 eBay SLR's) processed at Walgreen's Laugh

)

How many seas must a white dove sail, before she sleeps in the sand?

I should really stop drinking around 6:00am. Laugh

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Brian M
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Jan 28, 2007, 7:50 AM

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I think one issue is that, by the time they come looking for
video, most have already hired their photographer.

More than 50% of our weddings we shot in 2006, we were hired before the photographer. That's when we started seeing the light that we can make this photography thing happen. That percentage also scared us because we had anxiety that they'd hire a photographer we don't like to work with after signing our contract. We'd check back with them through out the year and ask who they were considering In a couple cases, they hired jerks who were impossible to shoot video with and that's when we started buying photo gear....little by little and are now up over $15,000 in investments. I think showing clients that we're serious by showing up with better gear than most seasoned 'professionals' are using and talking about our journalistic approach that used as videographers and showing them a few artistic photo edits done in Photoshop (that many traditional photographers can't do) made up for our lack of albums at this point. We know the competion is steep too and we're going to be doing more demos and meetings with a lower percentage of bookings.
Brian M

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Photographer & Videographer

Brian M
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Jan 28, 2007, 8:07 AM

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Thanks...we hope so!!! Photographers (like the Oz behind the curtain) try to scare us off with all these scary stories about how difficult it is. So far, we've caught on pretty quick and the only thing holding us back is this damn snow and 20 below freezing wind chills. Nobody is clammering to get married this time of year. We have one basic wedding in March and one in May...first real wedding where we'll get killer samples is September Crazy

In Reply To

coming from a professional wedding videographer who doesn't own a prosumer video camera

I watched Glenns web cast...you're doing alright down there. You're right, starting off in video has give us such an edge. Many photographers don't even think to shoot half the details us videographers do. I'm sure your style will go over big! I enjoyed your video clips. Haven't seen any in a while but they're always solid interesting pieces of work. You've already figured out to offer both...which makes you a genius. I wish we figured it out ten years ago but no better time than the present!
Brian M

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Photographer & Videographer

Scott Brooks
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Jan 28, 2007, 9:21 PM

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We mailed photo pricing and info and a DVD of video. When she came in a few days later...she opted for just the photos and didn't care to see any more video. Guess that doesn't say much about our video work!

Most of us here have seen your work, Brian ... I think this just goes to show that while it helps to see quality video ... it doesn't mean you're going to change the mindset of the bride & groom in terms of having to book a quality videographer. To those who feel all you have to do is show a bride what great video can look like ... this goes against that theory.

You can not force feed the bride that she needs video. They either want it or they don't. I don't get too passionate about anything more than good pizza, so when I came to the conclusion that in a small market like mine that photography was the way to go ... that's where I went. I got burned out on being the last guy hired.

I still don't advertise video at shows, but as of yesterday I did put video back up on one of my web pages. I'll probably leave it there till April ... then I'll take it down and replace it with a page for Seniors.

Shadow
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Feb 2, 2007, 10:48 PM

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Hey Great news Jenn & Brian.
You guys take pretty pictures, I'm sure once the word gets out more you'll be booking as much photo as you like.

I hear you on getting down to 20 jobs per year. That's my goal too. I usually do about 25 or 30 weddings plus other video gigs but getting down the wedding stuff would be sweet, I'd like to get down to about 12 weddings a year mixed between photo and video, and the rest business stuff.

Best of luck with the bookings!!