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Pre-Wedding Preparation

Lesson 4 from: Wedding Photography

Marcus Bell

Pre-Wedding Preparation

Lesson 4 from: Wedding Photography

Marcus Bell

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Lesson Info

4. Pre-Wedding Preparation

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Lesson Info

Pre-Wedding Preparation

We've been going through a lot this morning it's a lot about, you know, bringing your heart to the wedding and understanding who decline is, you know, making connections, so make sure you watch the re watch to, you know, go through that important information that we've already gone through today so just really, you know, going on from that lasts section just before we get into that preparation that's so volatile you know, for a wedding day is that I want to go through the final one o one lessons you know, I was talking earlier before the break about making sure you have the basics done you don't I mean, you understand them you go back to the basics and, you know, apply them, you know, because it really will get great risk results but you know, to some really the whole morning sessions are experience the moment, you know, feel the moment you know, and capture the mind, you know? And this is what we train ourselves prepare ourselves and for moments like the wedding just about to show you...

because, you know, like a lot of couples they book out, you know, twelve months in advance, they're planning everything to a tape, everything is going perfect, this is a dream, you know? And sadly for some couples, they have to change things around they have to move it and cheryl you it was one of those couples where sadly she found that a mom had a terminal illness and that she had to rather than you know, weight to the original date yet to move it and we move things so we could still photograph that day and what it's a weird feeling knowing that you know you're photographing history of this family and that history is going to re change very dramatically in the weeks to follow the wedding you know? And this is what I'm talking about the responsibility that we have as wedding photographers and the seriousness you know is that I went along with this wedding just knowing this added importance to it you know, but we should always think about every wedding we doing is having that same importance and so knowing this this was some of the images that I think about this is, you know, sheryl she's gorgeous gorgeous bride you know, I'll show you like, you know, this afternoon how I love using window light and you see that the placement of the mom and dad in the background and his other images where, you know like I've got them in focus, you know and you know suri out of focus and sorrowful but it was just having that dimension off having the someone that's so dear and important to cheryl, you know, in those photos you know and it can be they're terribly hard knowing that you know it's sadly like a mom wouldn't be around forever but in some ways all of us are going to be around together, you know? And sometimes we have to you know, have that idea and think of that and have that at the back of the mind when we're photographing how important you know this is you know, I hear from some couples and some people that have had their wedding photos and that they don't get the reception covered you know, the you know that because of all the photos supposed everything's finished that six o'clock so the photographer gets to go high you know, I can't believe that can't believe photographer would go hein you know when probably the most important part of the day is about to start to happen you know like it's incredible like how much the reception is is for time is that that's a cz long as the rest of the day put together and that's when people start relaxing celebrating you know all these incredible things and this is when this moment happened you know late into the night you know, show just went over to a mom and this gerald tommy this is one of a very short time fair referred us from the wedding day because of what it meant to her, you know it's a further journalistic moment off the two of them interacting you know think about like you are in moms you know what it was like on your wedding day you know, imagine knowing that could be the lost moment that you're experiencing think how powerful that is you know and this is what we get to do you know, this is the gift that you're given to be a great photographer is that you get to go out and enjoy people's lives and make sure you go out and you enjoy it make sure that enjoying every minute because you're able toe intuitively and practice and how in your techniques to be out of three prepared for that moment how crazy is this if I put that on the awards if I put that image on facebook for total physical what what's that was a guy with that image it's nothing you tell cheryl that you tell cheryl that images nothing you know and this is what we gotta remember here were photographing for so please you know, go back to what I spoke about you know, in the previous sessions he'll get to understand it you know, experience these moments you know, into able to do that what helps is being prepared and that's what we're going to talk about now you know it's really important so we can provide and receive instructions we've already talked about that you know, there's little things that we can do and we also this year create forms and processes that allow us to do that and b I would to collect it, and as soon as the wedding comes around, I'll show you how we do it. We have the forms and then we just transfer me to pds, we put them on their fines, we put him one of my many ipad and they're ready to use and always have a hard copy as well, you know, so there's a whole list of things that will just go through it quickly, so revised timings when then is really important, you know, and provide an example. So I give a couple example timings to say this is what most couples do now I'm listening to them as well remember, I am not telling them this is how we do it it's a collaboration, is it what I want is I wanted to know what's important to them, but I also I want to know, you know, and give them my knowledge of the last ten years of experience, so they know, you know, how have the most amazing wedding day so they don't feel rust too often, you know, when something doesn't go to plan that gets so rushed, they all get, you know, hot and I like freeze up and it's even harder to get portrait ce so I know my job is going to be easier if I've got them relax that's going to relax me I can just concentrate on doing what I do best so this is where preparation is key so what I do is I talked him clearly about the hair and makeup because that's key and you know like mice andi have to really write that to the hair and makeup people and make sure I can this is the time we want and maybe also have like a little bit of buffer but what we gotta tell the hair and makeup people as well is that they understand why fortunately most of time like I worked really great professional hair and makeup people you know and so they know it they understand it but if it's something new and this is where some of the questions that you might ask your bride is do you know how much experience your your hair makeup person has doing weddings you know, one of the best hair and makeup people that I work with work on tv stations because man they have to be on it you know, like you know like can you imagine this six o'clock news and the high season of ready man they get their butt kicked you know bigger than that I'd be fired you know and unfortunately we could fire the hair and makeup person but then by then it's too late you know I mean not us but the bride you know what I mean and get upset about it but then it's too late she's already running running like for the day and it's putting pressure on her that didn't need to be there so working out timing is really important one of the things is like just asking her toe have all the things out on the day so I'll just say, you know, like all those special things that you've organized what you're going to be wearing all that do you mind just having them out some way you know and she'll lay them out everything and then I don't have to go searching for long it's really great and also its but still she's laid things out just make sure there's not other things so have in your mind what possibilities you might see something and then you can ask the question this is beautiful and she might go our year young in a way that a little bit later but she didn't have it out with the other stuff so make sure you ask questions as well. So personal prep is like, you know, really important like, you know, the documents that the timing shed and everything like that and how much time for locations you know is really important to so I read invitations as well make sure all the information is correct run sheet from planners are doing across ship check without run shape and this is what important is that often I'll talk to the planner as well and just make sure that I've got enough time that I think she's doing the right thing by her client as well we'll just crosscheck ideas and so I understand and you know and get a better picture what she's expecting on the day as well so again, all these little things are really important and a lot of the other note on the slides are available within the purchase so you get they say don't panic if you're not writing them down on everything we do is scout locations so one of the things like I've seen in the past have done is I've gone to the location where we're going to be shooting and I'm not as like a concert has gone up in the park next to it you know, if I didn't go on do that how embarrassing I rock up there and traffic was terrible, you know, delayed the wedding by an hour we didn't get any photos and things like that, so doing your planning and checking is really important and scouting locations it's great, you know, sometimes people go you know, like you get to shoot in these amazing places well, because I go look for them, you know, this is no way need the wedding venue it's about a fifteen minute drive but so I found the locations nearby that suited the couple best and would be amazing, you know, you try to stay within a certain distance of looking like and if I'm looking for locations, I try to make sure that it's in line with between the ceremony and the reception place so rather than go off one way and have toe double back and incoming, I'm trying to choose locations that sort of really just blend with the flow of the day so very, very important, so yeah, you know, like so don't make excuses, you don't I mean, you might say, you know, look, it's like a really bad reception place or it's this and that and there's all these things that, you know, challenging you so you don't have to shoot there, do your homework, you know, look for great locations, his party a responsibility, then sell that idea to your customer, get them to understand what that that's what they're paying you for us well is to go out and pre look for locations for them and that's part of your costing a cz well remember you're costing is not just the wedding day, you know, it is everything before and after a swell yeah, when do you start scouting for locations? You know, like I'm already thinking in advance it's the wedding and then you already thinking yeah and it's always based on the couple because like, you know, what what's important is that like, I'm finding a location that suits them and makes sense to the couple you know, some couples actually get married near the beach but I see don't like the beach you don't mean and so here I'm thinking our beautiful beach location and if I showed him that images and say this is where they're going, I'm going to disappoint them so I'm asking the question on making sure it's a perfect fit, you know, and also I'm showing them something that would be a little bit off skewers sometimes like I'll take him to a railway underpass it's so green ji dirty there's a grease everywhere you know what I mean? But it could be an architecturally amazing or grungy location that when you combined everything to give up its spectacular, you know, and if you originally soul that you know, like I remember walking up to one wedding and already photograph one of the brothers before and the frame was driving this brandy bentley, you know, it was like beautiful car and I take him to this really dodgy spot and and he's looking at the grain and the green goes guy, don't worry you won't say, you know, like because the green believed in me he knew exactly what I was doing that we're in a dodgy you know didn't look very great like onto the eye but in photos and bringing everything together it was spectacular and he had complete trust in me, you know? And then when the guy who you know in the barn bentley said he goes you're a legend like you know what I mean? So it's like it's just incredible, you know? And this is about doing homework being prepared on dh this is where your ex elling you know, where people's expectations and in business that's what you've got to do it's the experience and the wealth factor you know, I mean so many people coming into our industry left right and center you don't mean you have to defer enjoy yourself you have to get people talking about you and these a little thing things that you could do and you think I don't know about doing some preparation I'll just look up on the day but you want to create that well factor and that well factor begins with the preparation as well. So you know, this is what I'll do, you know, he's like I'll go in and look at locations this is right where the ceremony is it was a short distance between the ceremony and the reception was like a fifteen minute walk so rather than use cars we decided to walk to the reception and uh and then when what happened is that like, I just sort of think about it like I'm like day dream I might sketch it out and I'm pre visualizing you know what if the couple were walking just down and I'm up high and I can get them to go through walking down those stairs, you know, on that balcony he might be just leaning up and you know, and she's leaning in and and because I created the environment and I because I'm not having to conscious right on that I can just concentrate on them just being themselves and then all of a sudden it becomes really, really personal, you know, like they just khun feel it and that's when the magic happens, it really does so and everything you need to know is where the sunset times really important so and look at where the light should be and also be prepared remember having backup locations because the light, how you thought it would be a could be completely different to the way you sort yesterday, you know, when you're doing your preparation, so a lot of the times I'll go to the planning one thing you can really do is like, you know, every couple has, like, a rehearsal for the ceremony, you know? I mean, you know, offer to go to that rehearsal you know, one time I don't know what I was thinking I went to that rehearsal I didn't have a camera with me the whole thing was so emotional there everyone's crying you know I mean and I'm known and it's I pull out my iphone to start taking photos because I realize that nothing and you know and I learned lessons you know I make mistakes all the time, you know? I mean but I make sure that the next time I got my camera with me when I met the rehearsal and then I realized oh my goodness is what a great opportunities for photography as well because the parents of their you know, generally and the people and the friends and there's lots of laughter lots of joyce and all that but then is this reality that tomorrow they're getting married you know? I mean, it is excitement and mom jealous that's crying and you know, it's beautiful, you know? And so we can actually go ahead and, you know, add even another service you know, like you could add betting teo, you know, your pricing to say look would like to come and just be there at their rehearsal, you know, we don't tell him why you know what I mean, but also it gives you the opportunity to meet every person that's going to be at the wedding day hackles that like you know like before you know next day when you actually turn up you know for the wedding day you already know each other on you know people are going hey marcus how you're gone you're really good you know did you have a great party last night yeah you know you it's good conversation going people were relaxed your relax you're able to get great shots and in fact that's what I love about destination weddings is often because the event isn't just one day you know I'm there for three days you know, gently photographing the day before the day off and and sometimes that the day after a swell so we're gonna have like a back up plane you know this is really important you know and we don't have the equipment to you know I mean if it's raining you gotta have set parameters you know, some couples you know won't want to get wet of a couple's my mind you know I mean but you need to have an umbrella you need to be protected as well I remember this wedding it was pouring down you know what they said it's our wedding day we're getting these photos let's go out you know I'm gone it was winter so like winter in australia where I live is nothing like went to hear you know like it was probably twenty three degrees you know it was actually probably hiding to graze so see it's not very nice and anyway, like it was just drizzling, I was wearing a suit, I always wear a suit or probably wear suits mars just show you what, how I look at a wedding and and then it poured down, I got trenched literally drenched, but the couple's, they really dried, and the most important thing is they got the photos that they wanted, they loved it, you know, I went to the reception and cold up in front of the fireplace and took my jacket off, and hopefully, you know, got a little dry and all that, and but I did what I had to do, but being prepared is important. Now I have, like, a poncho jacket that stays in the car, so in my bag that I know I could just slip on. I'm always confident about my cameras because they're designed to get wet, you know? So I'm not worried about them, you know, like I have two cameras and this soaking wet, and I know that they're ok, and I will go through that in a little while, but this isn't like another option opportunity to be prepared if it was just ahead five minutes, and I already pre saw our location that we didn't get to use it was on the beautiful live I saw the hey you want to do and go practice your dance over there you know? And I just say when you go practice your dance you know and are better walk in and I said yeah, we've got nothing to do five minutes let's do that and then I got a great series of shots so always thinking about opportunity as well can we really go? Yeah, marcus are th images asked how many different locations do you typically plan for one wedding? How many planes like, you know, like um sometimes like maybe six, seven, eight locations but sometimes there be locations within locations jeremy so you always need to also have to back up planes you need to have a weather plan for wet weather and so I would imagine here is the same in a australia where I live there's lots of we get monsoon rain so jimmy there's a lot of warnings you know, I have a buildings around buildings, you know you can work still outside but still stay dry you know if it's raining, you know, but then also finding places inside and it's where like having skills on dh knowing about lighting and different lighting helps because you might normally have photographed outside for all the weddings all of a sudden it rains and you find yourself inside, so what do you do what if you do if you never use the flash or you've never been under those sort of challenges so you need to prep yourself, you need to actually educate yourself and in due course is like, you know, creative life, you know, to find out what to do in those situations, practice, um, and then when the time comes, the greatest thing, you're staying calm, you know what to do, and so it just works. I would follow up. I'm sorry. Hold on one second, I just wanted to know, out of those six, seven, eight how many of them work out money to, you know, like, you know, yeah, yeah, do you mean, like, in working out is, like, what we might go ahead and use or, you know, how many, how many of those did you actually get the image that you want it out of the locations you're definitely like, you know, like, the preparations here, I would be having maybe six or so locations in mind, we're probably only going to get two of them now within that one of those locations, maybe three sort of different spots that we could go to, you know, I mean, and out of those three, maybe only two out of the three worked and one was still photographed in it because I said it was gonna be great anywhere and just wasn't you know I mean but the couple didn't know that you know what what was really good is that they notice and highlighted the other images you know I say yeah yeah so you had a year you really hot with south it's really you have ever run into that issue than making preparations for that type of stuff yeah definitely all right it's a really hot weather and I actually told my groom's issa's well bring extra shits you know? I mean what I always try to do is I'll still try to wear a suit so important to be fitting in on the wedding day you know? I mean so you need to know what the the uh the guests are wearing a swell so if they were wearing suits and you don't want to be wearing a suit you know, so like sometimes in bali weddings that I'm photographing I'm wearing like nice slacks and and maybe like a t shirt like this but it's still look nice, you know? But and I'm simply dressed to what other people where I wear black a lot only because I want to blend in I don't want to stand down, you know, and uh and I'm trying to dress like them so but you know what like there's been times where like really sweaty you know, like I feel terrible to have like a little tao that you can wipe yourself and what your brow and things like that in your back and have an extra t shirt so I even for wearing a suit I just take my jacket off the jacket maybe really sweaty and everything like that but I put a fresh t shirt on I feel great again but I still look good that's the thing like there's no excuse just because it's really hard that you should look terrible you know? I don't know you know, I don't know you're saying that like it's a really important point that that I think I see I got to see have a wedding for turf is working and they're not dressed appropriately you know and I remember you know, you got to be really experience and you know, um and professional and it's a big thing bridal party brought up but it's hard for me look greasy, nasty people moving right yet but uh the wedding party I mean sometimes it's so hot in mississippi you like going outside what's wrong with you? Um yeah do you try to get him to push through that or yeah, you know what? Like timing of the day really important? You know what I mean? I'm not going to try to take them out in the middle of the day and change up the timing you know I mean sometimes like you know like, you know, they might have this beautiful outdoor ceremony at night and you know, there's just over here you're in a field and you say you know what during the reception, why don't we just take five minutes out just to walk out in the field and you know, and it's really the cool of night still be delight in the sky and you could do something there another time is like just like in that for a little bit we'll just take the bride and groom you know mean and leave the broader harding and air conditioning but still, you know, I talked to you your couple and ask them what they're expecting what they would want and again like say for instance, is if a lot of the images that they see are indoors well, maybe the clients are just expecting to have the images indoors anyway and so it's not a really like a concern so yeah, every great so yeah, like so let's think about like, you know what else there is about pre visualizing you know, this is what I used to do a lot, you know, especially when I was starting out because you know what? I was just nervous as hell like to go into a wedding day and just sort of be worried about what I'm going to teo how I'm going to perform for this couple and especially in the early years so what I found myself doing is taking like the afternoon after day before and just sitting somewhere quiet and going through my mind you know, a bit like playing little movies in my head okay? They're going to do the ceremony she's going to walk down this way I'm going to take this fight I'm going to take that photo when we get to locations and I already know the location is that they're going to walk down here and walk down there now sometimes like I may not have ever used those ideas but because I got into the creative zone then I just believing myself I back myself and something eventually happens that I never expected before and again because I did the preparation you know? So it always comes back to you know, preparation as well so he is like an example, you know, this is actually near our studio like we've got lots of little lane ways which were right to shoot and we do a lot of portrait and so really, you know, use it on a wedding day but this just made sense in this day because it was along the route from the ceremony to the reception venue and this is what I previously allies but on the day itself this is what I captured you know, it was just an extension of what what happened and I already just said to the couple, why don't you just go hang there? I went across the road or into the middle of the road and just sort of started, you know, doing things so they forgot about me so it's just a really natural moment I started laughing now the bridal party they actually thought that out of shot, you know? And they actually posed themselves they're they're just sitting there chatting because I don't even think they needed the mom said it taking a load off from relaxing and that's how it all came together, you know? But you know and it seems so so natural but it was planed from my spot is that I planned this is that I allowed the environment teo allowed the couple just to be themselves in the broader party to be cells, but I created the environment where I thought they should pay and that's what I call like, I guess a lot of creative editorial because it's not further journalistic and it's not candid and it's not a portrait but it's really creative editorial where I've had import into the area and that's where, you know, I spoke out about that earlier and the images like on the wall that you see here and he was just on my website you think it looks so natural you know and it's because they are they're just doing their own thing you know like because they could so much easier for them to make a connection to that emotionally because imagine what they're remembering the joke or the moment that they're talking about or the part of the ceremony that I can't believe that so that moment takes him back there so too often I see you know, wedding photos that reflect mohr who the photographer is then here the couple is don't you agree? You know it's an extension of who that person is but you know, like the people that we photograph for individuals you know they have their own story their own wants and so you need to really you know understand that you know instantly at some points of the day you know it it's okay to do some really great creative portrait's that you think will be really, really cool and see if the client connect with those but definitely understand is make sure the whole wedding or the majority of the wedding is not about you make it about the couple and that's where I find the creative editorial work that I do work so well for both me and the couple because I'm still being really creative I'm thinking about the locations and everything but I'm letting their moments be riel letting the connections burial and that's I think a point of difference so here's another example where you know just like a beautiful next to customs house I love this this pinion just fabulous and shut during the day and I knew we were going to shoot you know at night but that's not going to stop me this is all available line just a valuable ally you know? And these techniques that I'm employing is that you'll see you know, over the debt over the next couple of days is that sometimes you go well is he really shooting that you know, that light doesn't seem right but what I'm seeing is a sudden illness in the lie that is happening that I know that I can bring out and then I'd know I need to balance so you know this afternoon will probably, you know, be thinking about looking at light and sometimes you know, like I'll expose for somewhere in the middle and sometimes the center of interests is dhaka, then the rest of the same and we need to change that and that's where I learned very early on and all the masters of photographers do it, you know, eliot oh akari bersani even james notch way you know, they get into a dark room and they light in the area, they really communicate the story, you know, they set a scene, you know, especially from a journalistic you don't have control sometimes over the light you know you just got to capture that moment, but that doesn't mean you have to stop there and say, well, I tried but we can do is now come in and dodge that area, you know, use very, very basic techniques, very subtle techniques and then dark the upper part, you know? And I'm not saying, but in this the manger could have been that this was really brought up the top in the couple early dark, but the light on them when you go into the image is still beautiful we just need to bring that beauty out balance it and it's what? I guess I called crafting the image and shaping it, you know? And you noticed like I used to move my hands it's because that's how I learned I was blessed a learned in a black and white dark room by one of the best printers in australia and it was a fine art printer and he taught me how to dodge and burn and that's where I've got those free actions for you is that one in one of those is a dodge in bern and we use it every image and I'll show you how you do it but I just got the action ready for you so you can just go on do it it's just free, but I want to show the importance of using dodging and burning your prince because it makes everything that you want your vision come to reality and your client's going to love it you know, like one of the things is uh we never ever show a client anything straight out of camera you know, even like, you know, like often on a wedding day like I might even pull out my iphone and doing instagram so if you go into my instagram feed, you'll just see images that were taken on the wedding day itself. Two questions for yes what is your instagram instagram instant crim handle? I don't know I think it's just marcus bell people can go follow you yeah, but secondly I wanted tio shout out where people can go to get those presets and actions that you were just talking about, which is photographers resource is dot com photographers resource is dot com just so they know how perfect thank you do that over the next year we're going oh I question what you're talking about so you say you let people oppose themselves a lot which I like to do to just go withem it's how much if ever do you do you tell them to? I didn't pay attention to their faces and it looked better if they move or do any that are worried about a year and when and this's what's great is what we'll see tomorrow or the next day when we get the opportunity whether dependent is that you'll see me like you know think of the environment but let them do what they're doing and then from there are career I'll change a different mind I'll go then mohr from a creative editorial sort of style into a creative portrait or you know, a classical portrait and I will start directing a little bit you know? Because you know sometimes that light's not right and I gotta made them well the hands not right you know, because and sometimes like, you know the guys you know like because that's guys sometimes like, you know, we're not really know what to do with their hands, you know? And so like we may have like, you know, hand and what I find really important if you got a couple clients is connection compositionally wise is really important so if you've got a hand dangling down here by the guy it's sort of like you lose that connection between the people so he needs to bring that hand up and jelly when it's a real moment guys, I just do that naturally, but when they're being paused, just do that and I'll say, you know, can you move your hand around her though actually move the hand already around her, you know and moved and I said no the other one you know and you'll see we probably do that tomorrow, you know, like and uh and another thing you're seeming do and this is a great here you know you're under pressure you know things aren't working you know I mean like you got the couple and they seem to be in this great location but they're not connecting have you ever experienced that yeah yeah we all have you know what I do is that I excuse myself I say hey, you know jimmy I just goto you know, just get something out of my bag um I just gotta change cards you know I'm just gonna grab another lanes I make an excuse yeah, I'm always prepared you know, so everything's perfect for my aunt but what I need to do is step away I just need to let them bay and you watch and be patient sometimes it's ten seconds sometimes it's a minute sometimes it's two minutes just go do something and you watch what happens is that they just start talking to each other it's so you just got to be patient and sometimes we get too impatient because we want to get to the next location and everything like that but you could go to ten locations and get ten ordinary shots we could stay in one location get one amazing shot and one amazing shot that day connect with remember it always comes back to them if they're not connecting, you know they're not going to kick necked with that image you don't mean and if it was your posing them and I feel uncomfortable well they may think it's the most beautiful creative shot but they don't really connect with it they don't want they don't want it they don't want it hanging on their wall but take that step further create something really incredible, you know like be really creative but let them be themselves then you got magic then you've got something really special, you know? And so that's what happened so I just sort of making excuses and just say, look, I've gotto and then you know what I do is that all gently actually put on a longer lands are put on my seventy two, two hundred and start shooting and then a little while after that they realize I've been shooting for a little while now and then they become a little bit more conscious again but there's a huge difference now they feel comfortable they're not worried about you being there and then you can go and start posing them again and it was like that and it just fixes itself you know, it was another thing that I said earlier today is that like, you know, if it's not working, you never say to him, you know, I can't get it you know, you just say that was perfect doesn't really get to the next one, you know, you know and then because otherwise they're going to feel that something wrong with them because you're the veteran you're the professional even if you find a photograph to weddings before and they're hiring you they regime that you're the professional so you got a pact that way you know I mean and so you see skills that that I'm sharing to make sure that you always make the couple feel really comfortable yeah so what were those photos from the beast that you said were so fantastic why aren't they here? I'm just honest I just say that was terrible you know but a new and at the same time I would just say look what we did hear you know and we couldn't have done that unless we went there first and I'll just say it was part of the creative process for us to get to this point and then I go yeah we love those images you know it's really good so you know what don't you like um so what do you tell me about your wedding photography experience? Well um my wife and I got married it was we had just started to get in the shootings I obviously don't know as much is we know now but we paid a good amount of money for our wedding photographer it was a photographer that was very well known and our town where you live down in florida at the time uh but he I mean we I just feel awful whenever we look at the pictures because they were not what we want it all he managed to not get a lot of things and focus that really should have been in focus for our six thousand dollars that we spent on them and the things that he got seemed so kind of formulate, he didn't really listen to what we wanted, he just kind of shot it the way he shoots every other wedding with senators, he shot every other wedding, and it wasn't even, you know, in the days of film, he was shooting digital, so he had that leeway, but control is not to use it. And still to this day, whenever we look at our wedding photos, it's just tough because it always makes my life really upset, she ends up crying and not in a good way over them yet so it's really difficult, not kind of really encouraged us to make sure that we ran a business where none of our clients ever had to experience that same thing that we did yes, you know, I agree, you know, and, like, you know, even just saying that it reminds me of a couple that you know, that I photographed and she hated her makeup, you know, like that she felt that the makeup artists destroyed the makeup on her wedding day you know and so I sensed there was something wrong and they tried to fix the makeup and but the makeup artist had to go and I promised her that I don't worry I will re touch it and I'll make it perfect now it you know, beautiful bride, you know, great heart but she felt her wedding day was totally stolen from her because of this makeup artist was a dream, you know? And it literally cost us thousands and thousands of thousands of dollars to retouch every photo so who make up was right you know, it was our responsibility to do that to make her happy it wasn't our problem it wasn't our foe but that's what we gotta do is photographers is make sure it's perfect, you know? And so what would you like say after learning a little bit about today? You know, what would you say like, you know, like you would bring in and more so what have you learned that you know, bringing in about that experience you know, to your business? And I think that like you were talking about earlier it's so important to listen to what your clients feel is important what's important to them about the day and to really make the photos about them and their day and their families and their experiences and not just go in shooting it toe capture what you want outshoot yet so I think that's really important, like you're saying, you need to shoot for the client and not for what other photographers might think looks great. I think we run into that a lot, especially, you know, now where we are now, where everybody is so connected through facebook and you, you know, going through my feet, half of its other photographers, and it seems like that's happened well, over half of the people that are commenting on most of my pictures and I find it hard sometimes not taken more of that than, you know what I should be looking at more of with looking what the clients think, what it is that they want and what is that they hired me for? Yeah, and and that's, what our focus needs to be on now, focus needs to be on the client and understanding what they want and, you know, what's great is that, you know, if you've only got shot five weddings before, you know, I mean, you knew into the game is that you could I go to every one of those clients and ask them to pick out there five or one or two or ten favorite images, and I understand why they're important our show clients that you photographed already those really, really important questions now, when you might even have twenty clients that you know, you've done or one hundred clients and do that for all of them, you know, and asked them and do a survey, you know, and to and you can reward them by, you know, when they pick out that one image, print it for them as a gift, because this part of the marketing is more priceless than anything else that you can do. Is that because you take those images and you take those images and you put them on your block, you put them on your facebook and you put them on your web site, they're what they're going to sell you, because then you're going to get like minded people, and the key is with the people that already love you, you know? I mean, maybe photographers, they're not going to love you that, but they're not, you know, what doesn't matter? You know, they're not your client, you know, there's people out there that you give yourself off and you sacrifice your saturdays for so that you can't be with your own family there that the most important people.

Class Materials

bonus material with purchase

Wedding Day Gear List
Keynote Part 1
Keynote Part 2

Ratings and Reviews

a Creativelive Student
 

Marcus is so passionate about wedding photography. Truly inspirational, definitely worth watching. He's really made me appreciate the value of wedding photography. To be honest I haven't found the sections were he shoots the 'pretend wedding' particularly good. But there is so much more in terms of the raw emotion and sentiment to be taken away from this course. You really will see wedding photography as a true art form after watching this.

a Creativelive Student
 

Marcus Bell is one of the best photographers in the world. I have really enjoyed watching this workshop. His way of teaching is simply the best. i Have admired his work for years and was able to meet him in person at WPPI Las Vegas Thank you Creative Live.

Student Work

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