The Importance of Wedding Photography
Lesson 24 from: Wedding Photography: Capturing the StoryRocco Ancora, Ryan Schembri
The Importance of Wedding Photography
Lesson 24 from: Wedding Photography: Capturing the StoryRocco Ancora, Ryan Schembri
Lessons
Class Introduction
04:18 2Define the Goals of Wedding Photographers
15:04 3The Importance of Wedding Photographers
11:42 4Shooting Philosophy
09:22 5How to Build a Shot List - Bride, Groom & Formals
22:42 6Tye the Wedding Story Together
07:19 7Capture Stories in Wedding Pictures
05:53 8Get the Right Exposure
16:20The Theory Behind Lighting
10:19 10The Power of Short Lighting & Backlight
30:08 11Shoot with Low Ambient Light Indoors
05:25 12Seven Fundamentals of Pose
13:56 13Continuous Light Sources for Indoor Photography
25:36 14Use Available Light for Indoor Photography
35:06 15Flash for Indoor Photography
18:59 16Outdoor Photographing with Available Light
20:27 17Group Posing & Lighting Techniques
12:22 18Groom and Groomsmen Posing & Lighting Techniques
11:43 19Couple Together Posing & Lighting Techniques
16:21 20Creating a Memorable Client Experience
12:40 21The Power of a Same Day Slideshow
12:07 22What do Couples Look For in Wedding Photographers?
05:51 23How to Successfully Interview a Couple
05:11 24The Importance of Wedding Photography
09:07 25Example Couple Interview
22:49 26A Workflow That Works in Lightroom
09:34 27Workflow Overview in Lightroom
19:28 28Manage Wedding Images in Lightroom
21:30 29Export Pictures to Animoto
04:28 30Color Correcting Images in Lightroom
14:09 31Optimize Images Through Lightroom
13:35 32Color Management in Photoshop
03:04 33Rocco's Skin Retouching Technique
33:27 34Image Toning to Create Distinct Looks in Photoshop
24:27 35The Value of a Wedding Album
05:27 36Traditional Design Elements in a Wedding Album
19:05 37Magazine Design Elements in a Wedding Album
20:04 38What Makes a Good Wedding Album?
07:47 39How to Sell the Wedding Album to Your Clients
10:37 40Wedding Album Workflow
08:13Lesson Info
The Importance of Wedding Photography
Again, it's about educating and educating them, again on the importance, we'll bring this up again because we spoke about it in earlier sessions but the importance of photography. And yes, most of the couples who'll come in and see us are genuinely interested and have already an idea of the importance of photography but it's our job as photographers to remind them again. To remind them that what does photography do? Accurately documents the history, it memorializes their lives at this point in their lives. And up until this point in their lives, this is probably the biggest event that has happened as well. It's the biggest event where the most amount of people from their families have combined and come together. So it's important to have that documented. Yeah absolutely, and I think, as you were saying, you know, it's important for us photographers to understand it but it's important for us photographers to make our clients understand it. Definitely. And the education process is ...
extremely important. Yeah, keeping us in touch with the past and I always bring this up with my clients and I may have alluded to it in earlier sessions that, you know, who remembers that time when they were a toddler and they were at the beach with their family on a family holiday? Most people go, "Yeah, yeah I do remember that. "I do remember that." Probably you don't remember it so much as that it's the triggered memory from a photograph and actually I use that example, day in day out with my clients. So that it really drives home the point of what I do is very, very important to them. I also say to them, "Guys, this is a big day. "You're probably gonna spend a lotta money yeah? "Most people spend a lotta money on a wedding. "Would you chance that? "Would you chance that to someone with less experience? "Because all we've got is one chance "in one very confined piece of time to get this right. "And there's no redo." I say to them, "I would hate to think "what it would cost you again, to redo your whole wedding." So that point really needs to be drived home. It's not to scare them just to educate them. Yeah but also, you know, it's like you said. It's not about scaring them but it's really making them understand that the importance of picking a real professional that is able to deal with the changing aspects of the day. Whether it be weather, whether it be time constraints, whether it be you know, things going on with the location that they've actually picked. You know, these are all things that a professional overlooks and still comes back with the goods. Okay and this is one very important note, that they need to understand. So essentially we're not putting the fear of God in them but we're just stating fact. Yeah, just pointing out the facts really. Yeah, and it's hard for us photographers in this day and age as well because, really we're an ungoverned profession aren't we? We're an ungoverned profession and it's hard to stick out as a true professional. You know, 'cause there's no rubber stamp at the end of the day that makes us, you're a true professional. Yeah. So you've gotta have all of these things in your arsenal to educate your clients with, to really drive home the importance of hiring me because I am a professional. I'm telling you, that I am a professional. And that's all we have really. That's all we have. Okay. Absolutely. Alright. Okay so, one of the other very important aspects is getting this message across. Your ability to work with couples. And it's a very simple statement that you can make. John, Mary we work closely with every couple to achieve that ultimate result. What have we said? We wanna work with you to get that ultimate result. Don't assume that they know that this is, you're gonna work with them. They might think that, you know, have the perception that you're some sort of you know, Pose Nazi that you wanna control their day but it's about working with them to achieve that ultimate result. So once again, you're stating fact but don't assume that they know it yeah? And then educating them on a service level as well to a timeline of events. So letting them know, at exactly what times you're gonna meet with 'em again. How the day is actually gonna run, so a timeline of the events on the day, then a timeline of events after the wedding. So how long it will take to get their images. How long it may take to get their album. What the process is for all of that. I think if the more you can state to them, the more you can tell them, the more they can trust you. Yeah, because they're really getting a good idea of everything that you do. So at this stage the interview would've spent, probably half an hour to 40 minutes and we still haven't discussed price. What we've done is connected with the couple, made them feel absolutely amazing and then we start to get to products okay. And the products are all about, the most important aspect is show them what you want to sell. In the next couple of sessions when we talk about albums, one of the most important points about albums is that if you wanna sell big albums, you gotta show them big albums. There is no point showing them a 20 page album and wondering why you don't sell 60 page books. 'Cause the client hasn't seen one. Okay, you gotta show what you want to sell. Whether it be albums, parent albums, wall prints of different sizes, acrylics, canvas, art paper. I mean, there's so many different products out there. It doesn't mean you've gotta stock them all. I mean, in our businesses we stick to a couple of products and we do it well and we control the process. But whatever you choose to sell, it's gotta be on display and it's gotta look amazing so that they can relate to it and they can connect with it. Very, very, very important. One of the probably most important things that we're doing at the moment which is probably a little bit different to other people is that we will not sell our work without the printed product. So without some sort of tangible printed product. Whether it be albums, wall prints, art box with prints in it, we don't care. It has to have something that we have printed for them. What it'll do is it'll show them the difference. Yes, we still give them a USB. Yes, they still get all their images but it'll show them the difference as to why we like to print our own images, why we take them through this process, why our prints are so much more expensive. Now, it's because they can get a side by side comparison and work out the difference themselves. It's that blatantly obvious. The other side of the coin also, the minute you give a USB to a client, and you've spent all this time retouching all these beautiful images, they look amazing. That USB gets taken to wherever they choose to print and guess what? Digital files are open to interpretation. So all of a sudden, a professional photographer who's put his heart and soul into creating an image, that image will be printed on a three cent piece of paper. At Walmart, I can tell you now the quality isn't gonna be amazing. But that print, will get handed to the family. That first impression of who you are as a photographer is this. "Oh wow, who shot your wedding?" 'Cause the print is cyan, it's light, it's just, "Oh you know, Ryan did it." "Right, won't be going there." Your reputation is everything. So, if you have a printed component with what you do, whether it's a fine art box or whether it's an album, whether it's a series of prints that you control the quality of, then all bets are off because the client knows what you can achieve and those prints will be displayed in their environment at home. So guests coming over, friends coming over will see these amazing you know, prints that have been shot by Ryan or Rocco, whoever. But the minute you don't do that, then a USB is just that. A USB that will be open for interpretation by whoever prints it. And never assume that the client's gonna go to a reputable place. You know, it's just not gonna happen. One of the things I've done to combat, 'cause I think a lot of people are still having the issue of people coming to them and saying, "I just want the USB. "That's it, that's all I want. "Sell that to me, that's it." Fine, and I had to combat that somehow because I still had and we still had that problem yeah? So, yes, we will sell you a USB only package if you like. Not a problem at all. But one thing I will do for them, is do them a fine-art print still. Framed, it's only small. Probably eight by 12. In an eight by 12 frame with a matte. Doesn't cost me a hell of lot of money but what it does is it sets the tone. It sets the tone for my prints. It sets the tone for the standard of my work. So, please if you do that type of work. Any USB, that's it only package. At least have something there for them that can prove your worth as a photographer.
Class Materials
Bonus Materials with Purchase
Ratings and Reviews
Jerry Willis
Ryan & Rocco, in my very humble opinion, are THE best wedding photography instructors in the entire industry! I've been watching their work for years now, which just so happens to win a most grand-scaled competitions, and they somehow continue to keep getting better! I first drilled Ryan at WPPI inquiring about what made his workshop different from all the others. His response, me paraphrasing, "If you're looking for tools to learn, come to my workshop. If you're looking for inspiration and smoke blowing, don't come." That's exactly what I needed to hear. Straight tools, no fluff. THE BEST photography workshop I've EVER taken, by far. You want the best photography education, learn from the best. This CreativeLive workshop is the PERFECT complimentary refresher and companion to what I learned! Thank you so much for having them! It's not the same as the workshop, which it shouldn't be, but they ARE reinforcing many things that have slipped my memory! I'm for sure buying this! :-)
Neeraj Arora
WOW!!! I have started a few CL courses but not finished as I got distracted by "life" and it took me a while to get back and finish them. But these guys!! They were simply superb. I finished this course really fast. Amazing artists, they explain things so well, Ryan is such a charmer and engaging teacher, Rocco is a fountain of knowledge. I am an enthusiastic photographer with aspirations to start my own business soon. I learn't so much from this class that will help improve my photography even if I don't become a professional wedding photographer. Great job guys, keep it up. I will need to come back to the lessons and I very much appreciate the key note pdf. All CL courses should include the slides like they did here. Thanks CL.
user-3a41db
I am a newborn photographer by trade, but I really want to venture out and photograph more weddings so I decided to purchase a wedding class on creative live. Of course when I typed in wedding, quite a few classes came up. But when I saw the image and title "capture the story" I was definitely intrigued. I've always been touched by the photographs that have emotion and that's what I'm passionate to photograph! Always a little nervous when you purchase a class because you don't want to feel like it was a waste of money, but this knocked it out of the park for me! Thank you to Ryan and Rocco for explaining so much, showing the pull backs, and moving your subject and explaining why! This has opened my eyes so much to how beautiful photographing a wedding can be and not so terrifying as I've been making it out to be. I'm really so thankful to hopefully being a great wedding photographer and making more income for my family, while having fun creating something beautiful
Student Work
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