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General Q&A

Lesson 21 from: Think Like a 10K Wedding Photographer

Scott Robert Lim

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Lesson Info

21. General Q&A

Lesson Info

General Q&A

This is by the world class photographer there is no person that is in this level that has not world class in some way or something okay um in order to get here you must pass this so if you are here you're on ly going to get here if you go through here okay so that's that's that's the silver lining is that that's okay if you're there that's fine that is the process to go you're in the exact place where you need to be because you have to go through that to get there so your journey to becoming a world class photographer passes through the vanishing middle as a full time photographer there is nobody that gets to this level without being a full time photographer because you need to learn so much that there's people okay I'm here I'm spending fifty hours a week sixty hours a week learning my craft you're having apart you're having a full time job working forty hours a week how much time can you commit to learning the industry if you're already working forty hours if you're working forty hou...

rs already maybe if I'm single aiken push out another twenty hours well guess what? I'm working fifty hours I'm two and a half times you're not gonna catch me it's called sweat equity man I'm outworking you! I've got you you're not going out past me there's no way there's no way you're not going to do it, that person moves on. That other person is not gonna make it, and we'll stay there. So there comes a point where you're gonna have to make that decision, whether you're going to do that and germ. He didn't make that decision, and he did successfully branch over to it on we're going to talk about how he did that to so he was in that middle and I've been mentoring him, and he passed over, and so you can see how he did it. Okay, so that's about it right now, uh, for it we're just getting started, and so I'm gonna have to open it up to some. Clint, I threw a lot at you right now. Scared the heck out of you that's. Why is the crash course way actually have a little bit of time left? We do. We have about ten minutes, so perfect. Okay, thirteen minutes. So if anybody has any questions here about anything that I talked about, any type of fears that you might have or the position that you're at or which you're thinking right now because I know a lot of people out there can identify with whatever your whatever you're thinking in your mind, yes, so at the beginning of the thousand dollars level like what is the delivery ble what are you delivering from that leased this possible can you can you expand on that a little bit well if you can seriously get a sony camera that has live you so you can shoot as you can see the perfect exposure before you shoot it and then shoot it you're getting good exposure's right and as the wedding gate goes this is what I do as the wedding day goes on if they didn't get a good good photo I'm just deleting it right on the spot because I don't want to get home and have all these photos I'm looking through it so you got to say you got three photos you know for sure one is better than those two other photos in that same area I immediately did lead these two these two because I don't want my client's seeing those I don't want that I just want to keep it high so I'm deleting as I go and then just if you can get a thousand dollars handing it straight over just do it least possible if not let's say you had to edit the whole thing you've got to figure out how much that time that's going to take you or maybe for two hundred bucks I'll just job it out and I'll just charge four or three hundred dollars to my client not worry about it? Yes. So did you give them zaroff ill or you kind of like taking down my suit in j peg yeah but it's still it's it's it's larger that drinking is what I tell you I'm going to shoot your wedding you're going to get the good bad and the ugly you're gonna think I'm the worst photographer paulson out there right because I'm just giving you everything that I've got and this is the price so they just get it in whatever I do not let that reflect me as an artist so I don't show those on my website you know so people are only going to see what you put on your website so you go shoot that wedding you give him all the files a letter but you take those amazing photos that you took in that wedding you paste those on your website you edited them okay and you show that beauty that you want that's earning a living just that that's earning a living paying your bills you as an artist is something different and that's what you post on line that's what you let people see okay that makes sense don't let this define you this is just helping you to get through february and march okay I need this the bills are due I've gotta have this so I'm doing it it's a job at that point it doesn't reflect on you and that's what people get hung up on they think this is what the artist think all I got oh that's going to reflect be I can't do that fine you're out of business that's your choice okay, so anyways that kind of answer a question good any other thing from the honest yes, so any dream is suspended those eight hours a week for example when you're starting out just doing the photography but I imagine that a lot of that time was spent on sales and marketing and building up your business. How do you think that breaks down as people are starting new businesses and how much time gets spent on those things before independent of the party? That is actually a really good question in regards to that, I kind of feel like, well, how I started I started with my social network whatever it wass so when I first got out, I just sent an email blast to everybody I'll get into that big like the next session really here is ground zero this is what you're gonna do and I'm going to cover that extensively next session, so just hold on I don't want it unwrap that part so my next session is really I am at ground cereal what are my exact steps I need to do? What else do we have online? Okay, so we had a couple questions one from kate que asking do you accept credit card payments from clients via paypal? Yes you talked a little bit about paypal earlier and you said it was extremely important can you talk a little bit about that most of the world likes to pay on paypal because they don't have to hand over credit card information and all that stuff so it's kind of um there's a filter there where you can pay but then you don't have to need to give your you know your your all this personal information so paypal's is the preferred way for a lot of people to pay because it kind of just like I don't have to hand over a card I don't have to hand over a check with my address on it or whatever I don't know but that's why it's important because of the world actually a lot of the world now pays through paypal and so we should have that in our arsenal papal also has something where you can if it's over one hundred dollars they can qualify to pay in installments already and papal will pay you everything up front and they'll take it out in monthly installments to your client so you should use that when you're booking deposits or whatever you're is that people don't have that money so I do you have a paypal account okay? You did you know that you could get six months financing on this or whatever through paypal they've gotten at that built in so that's a great feature to have. Okay, um I got more if you guys want oh, yes, yes definition of world class are we talking award winning? Are we talking travel? What? What do you see is a world class for people that are trying to relate to get their world class to me means kind of like you have a national presence or an international presence people around the world know who you are. You've built it up, you've been published. Your name is out there has got a very like high reputation to it. And so, uh for me yeah, it was I did want to be award winning. I did want to be published. That was important to me because I felt that established to me oh, I'm gonna love to get into tomorrow as a world class photographer on I'm not going to give it away about what I want to say tomorrow but that that's what I did to be at that level and the reason okay, I'll just give it away right now, theo reason why you want to do that has become become when once you become a world class photographer, then you get respect from other professionals and they pay you just as much as they get paid they see you at the same level so if you're you have a huge reputation and somebody's making two hundred thousand dollars a year that's they figure that that's what you're making because he's established yourself so that's a key that huge ki all right all right, we have more in the audience if not, we'll go back to the interwebs couple of since this is this business business section a couple of kind of transactional type things from pro photographer do you use any particular software programs for your business for business or for for maybe that's for accounting maybe that's ok management there now well for like photos do you mean like editing photos to no, no, no the business side now I've just been doing this for twenty five years I just like have a sixth sense about things and so I've just been doing this for so long that I don't but if what a whatever keeps you accountable to that monthly if you want to do quicken or you want to do whatever, then fine go for it I'm all for it what ever the key is to keep yourself accountable are you going to keep that's the big question? Are you going to keep yourself accountable for two thousand fourteen? Okay, so how do you recommend we keep ourselves accountable? Well, the easiest way to do it like I said is every month you figure out what accounts your income is coming into and you keep it separate so I know money comes in through my business account checking account and I know money comes into my paypal so you add up it's very easy to figure out what your gross income what you're what you're gross sales were that month and that's what you keep accountable for and you know subtract fifty percent of that that's pretty much my profit for that month that's how easy it is that's how extremely simple it is most people don't even do that and what makes it hard is this where you're putting your money in with your personal or your other job he gets all mixed together you have a new idea so that's why you gotta keep it separate so you know great thank you scott this'll be the last question of the day this from flavia I really like this question I'm scared to start what is your advice to anyone who's planning to start where is where is that first shovel um when you planning to start this is personal you you you're taking on a journey were most likely you've got a one in a thousand shots okay but the reason why we do this is that some of you out there feel this and I did too even when I was going through my most lowest moments of my life I had this gift that was given to me and inside it told me that I was destined for something greater than the average person I know that sounds crazy but I felt that and so when I felt special when I felt gifted when I felt like I could do something I can help the world I felt that that's what drove me to this journey because it's illogical it's very illogical if I didn't have that so there has to be something in your gut deep inside that's telling you that is a gift from god and it says you are destined to do this just do it it's going to be like it's going to be like heck it's going to be extremely hard but you have to feel it in your gut because if you don't have a passion and you don't feel it you're going to fail so I suggest that person examine get a quiet place and think about it how bad do you want this? I wanna put it up tio upfront before you invest fifty thousand dollars and lose it all I'm throwing it tio out there up front so that's what that's what I want you guys to think about how bad you want it do you want day wannabe appear speaking to people and helping them guess what I'm talking about this little bit later but if you don't follow your dream there's somebody depending on you to live your dream because they don't know who I am but they see you, and they're going to be inspired. And they're going to change the world. But if you don't live your dream, they can't live theirs. So that's. Why I'm here is because I feel that I'm supposed to be here to help somebody else live her dream.

Class Materials

bonus material with purchase

Master Flash Guide.pdf
Day 1 Segment 1 Best Job in the World.pdf
Day 1 Segment 2 Headshot & Posing the Groom.pdf
Day 1 Segment 3 Posing the Bride.pdf
Day 1 Segment 4 Posing the Bride & Groom.pdf
Day 2 Segment 1 Crazy Stupid Wedding Light.pdf
Day 2 Segment 2 Lighting Review Group & Dancefloor.pdf
Day 2 Segment 3 Wedding Workflow & Money Shots.pdf
Day 2 Segment 4 Starting from Scratch.pdf
Day 3 Segment 1 From 0 to 5K.pdf
Day 3 Segment 2 5K and Beyond.pdf
Day 3 Segment 3 Creating a Luxury Brand.pdf
Day 3 Segment 4 Seventeen Ideas to Change Your life.pdf

bonus material with enrollment

10 Percent Discount.pdf

Ratings and Reviews

mc
 

There are a few courses in CL that just keep giving - they exceed expectations - on numerous levels. This is one of those courses. For context: I am not a wedding photographer; i do not aspire to be a wedding photographer, but i saw a re-broadcast of this course and thought i have got to put the pennies together to order this as someone aspiring to be a better photographer. Here's why: The title: think like... In a lot of business and coaching approaches, the way to get better we're told is to be around people who are further ahead than we are - who are as close to where we aspire to be as we can get. Think Like a 10k wedding photographer is an invitation to get insight into how i'm already thinking in this headspace or where i'm not. is this course for you: If you're not already a 10k/wedding (or gig) photographer, there is likely something of value here for you. THE COURSE the course is v.grounded - from the ttitle again - that this is a course about photography as a business - and how to get to a place where one is thriving in that business. It's clear there are steps to getting up the ladder towards 10k, and Scott Robert puts all the milestones in to understand when to up prices, how to pace gigs, how to schedule weddings, how to start. But this course also excels at covering off what's included in creating an excellent wedding photography experience for a particular type of shoot: luxury, glamour, style. This is not documentary wedding photography - though the skills learned here can be applied in that space. Here - just take a look at the photos - people who want what Scott Robert Delivers want to be glamourous, exciting. And Scott makes the point - that looks "natural" but it's constructed, and so we have to know how to engage with people in order to construct these results. Thus the course offers Posing and Shooting techniques for photography - using natural and flash light using flash and video light posing men; posint women; posing groups how to get the checklist of wedding shots from dress to cake. And how to get the business. This course is worth the money just to get the tips for posing - you'll use them right away whether you're doing corporate shoots or what in the us is "seniors" portraits. THE KIT A particularly inspiring element of Scott's work is how minimalist the kit seems to be. No strobes; just speedlights. Lightstands and umbrellas. And small video light(s). Considering the shots he gets that seem so constructed, it's fantastic to see that they are constructed fundamentally with a set of modelling principles about the human form that work work and work. The BUSINESS As said the progressions for the business side to move from a starting photographer to a 10k photographer are clear. The detail is good. The motivation, unflagging. Participants who want to get there need to do the hours of practice. There are a couple people who have used Scott's methods to get from starter to 10k shooter so it's possible to see their path. - One who was a videographer mayn't be as inspiring because already pro etc, but it is cool to see a pro in video testify to the value even for him of scott's approach. LESSON the best advertisement is word of mouth you have to have the work to get that endorsement. Scott is the one person on CL where you'll hear him say he's not working on his social network particularly, but on the quality of his portfolio and referals within jobs to get the jobs - it's plainly working for him. For him, it's clear he wants to be regarded as the best photographer - not the best customer service that trumps adequate photography. THE INSTRUCTOR As other reviewers have commented, scott's attitude is amazing. He has a burning entrepreneurial spirit and a drive to be successful to support his family - which means getting to a point where he's shooting fewer weddings for more money in order to have more time with his people. Nice. No matter what area of photography you're in, there are insights to be gained from this course. Related Courses There are a lot of wedding photography courses on CL. The others i've seen are Wedding Cinematography, Doug Gordon Wedding Project, Master the Business of Photography (which turns out to be based in a wedding business) and Start and Grow your Photography Business (also based around weddings). These all have good things to teach. The biggest contrast to Scott's is Sal Cincotta's Business of Photography - in that course while there is a goal for his teams / shooters to be professional and get all their shots at the wedding and deal with the unexpected well - and there are great tips for how to cover your butt if there's conflict about being able to take a shot or who wants what shot - the focus seems to be way way WAY more on the sale in the studio and selling all kinds of prints. This is v.much the flip side of Scott's work where the focus is on getting the wedding (and why he actually likes 5k weddings more than 10k weddings - fascinating). For scott, it seems the 10k is about figuring out what the package is in terms of what's the difference between 10k vs 5k - and what you promise to deliver in that experience vs SC's focus on what are the materials produced that are worth that charge. And how the wedding can be used to hook people in for life - for portraits, baby photos, seniors etc. Kevin Kebota's class similarly has some nice stuff around bonuses vs discounts. I can see a very interesting panel discussion on pricing btwn sal, scott and kevin... For scott, it's not about shooting the lifecycle and getting money off prints: he does weddings - some engagement and boud. around that, but it's the Wedding that is the star - the quality and amazingness of the images - not the number and size of prints. Perhaps this is a weakness in the course not to go into that part of the deal - but i didn't find it so. What's great is that he has a dropdead line in the sand too: if you're doing X and you're not getting to Y by Z, do something else! fantastic. he even has a part time shooter plan. COol. He also knows how and what to outsource: so will you. He's also cool about how long it will to take to start making a real income. (and what's the difference between a 3k and 5k wedding?? you'll learn). Why would you buy this course? If you're a WEDDING photographer, shooting under 10k /wedding then this will be interesting - lots to learn about what's possible in a wedding context, and seeing examples about how "natural" can be constructed. If you're just considering weddings and want to understand what it would take to make a living or part time living as a photographer here IF YOU WANT TO LEARN ABOUT POSING -- there are lots of CL classes involving posing and philosophies of posing so why this one? 1: Robert is v.good. that simple: the way he's translated everything he's learned about posing into heuristics - in other words rather than memorising poses, you learn heuristics about what to set up for any shot to get more from it. Fantastic. 2. Posing in the context of a live wedding under pressure is a litle different than in studio 3. We see posing for different lighting conditions/contexts for an event - in this case a wedding. Powerful stuff. What's also cool in the demos is that you don't have him doing tethered shooting, but focusing on teaching posing and having the class learn it. That's cool too. IF YOU WANT TO LEARN LIGHTING - and not spend much on lighting kit and get great results this course is inspiring. INSTRUCTOR - v.engaging - doesn't suffer fools, i'm betting; expects committment to do the work to get to aspirations. EXCELLENT. heck i watched most of this with a friend who just found Scott so compelling, in particular how the posing section worked, it was just that engaging. hope that helps. good luck on your mission.

Kerry Sleeman
 

This is the best Creative Live Course I have purchased, well worth the Money! Scott is fantastic and has a lot of great advice! Even though I am not a wedding photographer I am a Boudoir Photographer and has given me a lot of ideas to help my business. ! Thanks Creative Live Amazing!

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