Speaking with a number of photographers, both locally and across the country, I’ve learned that the number of wedding inquiries is up… way up. And the number of bookings is going way up, too. And I have a theory.
A lot of people wanted to get married last year. 2009 wasn’t a great year for a lot of people… a depressed economy puts of a lot of purchases, and sometimes weddings. Because there’s a lot of buying and renting for weddings, I think a lot of people put off their weddings until 2010. Hence the high number of inquiries and bookings.
Since January 1, we have received 28 inquiries for weddings in 2010 and 2011… I’ve even gotten one for 2012! Most of our consultations started this week, a couple of weeks after a bridal show. We’ve had consultations every night this week except Tuesday. One of them called at 3:45 and was there by 4:30 and booked before 6pm. It’s crazy!
In a good way. 🙂
I have at least two more consultations on Saturday. I’m hoping to book them both. I have two other wedding consultations that are getting back to me with their package decisions.
But here’s the point (isn’t there always one?): If you want a good photographer for your wedding, you’d better contact them now. Don’t wait until a few weeks before your wedding. You might end up with the family uncle with a point and shoot camera! 🙁
Enjoy the weather.
Because of a change in work schedules, one of our Valentine’s portrait sessions cannot make it on Saturday. So, we have an opening! It’s a great opportunity to give your special someone a unique gift.
The $99 session fee includes a complete makeup session from our makeup artist, and a hair styling by our hair professional. After that, pictures! We’ll match your outfit(s) and mood with the lighting, background and props to create a unique look just for you.
Please call now to reserve. This spot is going to go fast!
304-263-3100
What the…?
Confusing, eh? 🙂
Those are the four dates NEXT year that will become the most popular wedding dates of the year 2011. They are, in order:
1 1 11 = January 1, 2011 (Saturday)
1 11 11 = January 11, 2011 (Tuesday)
11 1 11 = November 1, 2011 (Tuesday)
11 11 11 = November 11, 2011 (Friday)
It seems over the last several years, people have flocked to the numerically sequential dates, or those which have familiar numerical sequences. The most popular days of the week are Saturdays in the United States, and in 2008 more people got married on the single date of June 7, 2008 (6-7-08, a Saturday) than any other single date that year. And let us not forget another popular wedding date this past decade, 7-7-07 (also a Saturday).
While the trend continues unabated, the message here is to book early if you want to reserve those special dates in 2011. As of this writing, our calendar is open that date. 🙂
By the way, 10-10-10 is a Sunday.
We’re open then, too.
During the summer months when we are doing 10-15 seniors a week, we hold senior consultations. This gives people a chance to get to know me, and me them. During the late fall and winter, we don’t do them because we are only doing 2-3 a week at this point and people are too busy anyway. So when a senior comes in this time of year, we get to unveil our personalities in a shorter time span and try to work through the uncomfortable moments of them thinking "does this guy think he’s funny," and me with "what is up with that hair???"
But Jessie and I seemed to click right away. There are a lot more images I’ll post later, but here’s a couple we did from today’s session.
Funny thing… well, depends upon your perspective I suppose. Larry’s father is also Larry. So Larry (the son) is a junior. But Larry (the son) is also a senior… in high school. I knew you wouldn’t understand. Here’s Larry.
The first baby of the contest always gets me in the baby mood… no, not the kind where I want to HAVE a baby, but where I want to photograph more of them. She was so much fun… her name is Noellia, and she would laugh at just about anything… 7 months old.
There will be a LOT more baby pictures to come.
After the private boudoir party we held last weekend, and it’s ensuing success with all the participants, and of course the post Details, where we outlined some of what happens at these things, we got more inquiries about doing "just one more" before Valentine’s Day.
So we are.
January 30 is the date. Here’s how it works:
1. Call our studio (304-263-3100) and ask for the Valentine’s Day of Beauty session. The cost is $99 per person, or $75 per person if you bring a friend. The session must be prepaid. There are no refunds on the sessions, since we also limit how many we can take (a day is only so long, ya know!)
2. Get together the outfits you want to use during your session. These sessions range in scope from fully dressed to almost completely nude, so bring whatever you like. Most people bring 2-3 outfits, and we can also suggest a few props and ideas in case you don’t have anything you really want to use.
3. Show up on January 30. We usually set a time frame to work within, but most people arrive between 10-11am.
4. Our make-up artist will take care of your face, eyes, and lips. She knows your look, discusses what "look" you want, and works with your natural coloring to bring out the best in your appearance.
5. You’ll also visit with our hair stylist, who will style your hair just for your special look. Please note, that wash and cut is not done, and we suggest that you come ready for a styling.
6. On to the pictures. We have a number of sets, backgrounds, props and more to give you a unique experience and one-of-a-kind images that are suited to your particular tastes and needs. Tony’s masterful lighting skills and persuasive posing techniques will make sure your best gets captured on camera.
7. Finally, Diana takes charge with her special brand of "Boudoir Art". Finishing the images (along with leaving a few "as is" so you can have a choice) is part of the final product.
So… You need to call. We’ll take it from there. We have plenty of satisfied clients, and look forward to including you among them.
So, you’re planning your wedding. There’s so much to think about and do… so much to plan and consider. So many people to involve, inform and induct into your wedding world. Fun, huh? 🙂
Over the years, I have worked with some amazing vendors, from bands and DJs to caterers, venues, florists, and napkin makers. I’ve seen the worst of DJs who would rather hear their own voice than play the music you hired them for. Caterers that forget basics, like silver ware. Venues that get the date wrong. Florists that deliver the flowers with the wrong selections in them. I won’t even go into what the napkin maker did (you really don’t want to know).
One thing that seems to be a recurring theme throughout the wedding vendor industry, at least one that appeals so greatly to my sense of "what a great vendor" is the element of customer service. I have long been the ultimate proponent of throwing anyone out of a service organization that delivered poor customer service. The client is your lifeline. Without it, there is no business. But some go above and beyond.
I recall a caterer who had prepared two dishes incorrectly and that were not ordered by the bride’s family. Ordinarily, they might have accepted the meal "as is" and taken a discount later, but they couldn’t accept the meal because it would have triggered an allergy in about 30% of her family members, including the groom. Shellfish allergies seem to run in the family. Instead of throwing up their hands and saying "there’s nothing we can do," the owner called two of his own family members. About ten minutes later, some more appetizers were delivered (people were hungry!). Thirty minutes after that, six big trays of a new dish was delivered, enough to feed twice the people there. Now, that’s customer service.
Everyone makes mistakes. There’s just no exception to that. The ability to recover from those mistakes and give you a good attitude at the same time is the measure of good customer service.
I personally take pride in the level of customer service provided here. I have never argued with a client. If they are upset about something, I listen to their entire situation before responding. And in almost every case, we have worked out a reasonable solution for everyone. Of course, with only one situation every year or so, you’d think we’re out of practice. 🙂
The important part for you brides to be is to remember that a) we’re human, and we will make mistakes, b) if you give us the opportunity to fix a problem, it will probably be taken care of quickly, and c) only the best of professionals will always provide great client service.
Good luck with that wedding planning. 😉
Our studio was turned into a boudoir party for a considerable part of Saturday. I told the ladies in attendance that I would post their photos by Monday, in a private gallery of course. Since they all mostly knew each other, it meant that they were very encouraging in such a way as to not only be supportive, but also to dare each other into doing more than they originally thought. These are NOT your typical boudoir images. They reflect each lady’s personal wish for the Valentine’s Day gift they are intended.
The good thing about doing this with friends is that there’s very little they need to hold back. And it shows in the images.
Which I’m not going to show you here.
But what I CAN show you is a peek at some details. Each of the eight images posted here is a very tiny piece of the entire image. Let your mind wander.
A few posts back when I was talking about Sara B, there were some images in there that we did, both in the studio and outdoor in 20 degree weather. She was quite a trooper, braving cold AND wind to get these photos done.
Today, Sara and her mom Lisa were in the studio to review images and pick their faves. After about an hour, they had narrowed the selections down to 12 images. The objective, apparently, is to create a portfolio for Sara’s upcoming auditions.
When we were reviewing the images, I realized that I neglected to show one off that we all just raved over. The reasons why they like it are pretty apparent. But the reason why I like it is a little different.
First, all of the images we shot outdoor were shot with indirect on-camera flash. My assistant for the day, Kaila, was holding a 2×3′ bounce reflector about four feet away on camera right. I had the flash pointed toward the reflector, and Kaila "aimed" the reflector toward Sara. She managed to do this very effectively for most of our outdoor shots.
This technique, and many more, will be taught in my upcoming Lighting & Lightroom Essentials Workshop. Sign up before January 31 and you can get $100 off the workshop price.
