Last week, I took a time out from work and attended a 2-day intensive workshop with Mike Larson, covering all aspects of running a wedding photography business, from shooting and post processing to managing client relationships and building a successful photography studio. Throughout the two days, he echoed a lot of things discussed in Dane Sander’s book Fast Track Photographer. If you haven’t read the book, go pick up a copy at your local bookstore!
Here’re some highlights from the session:
- Photography is rapidly becoming a commodity with the rise of digital SLR cameras, so to differentiate yourself in a market flooded with photographers, leverage your most valuable asset and what’s most unique about your business, you!
- Unlike photographs, an experience is something you provide that others cannot copy or imitate – it’s about doing something different, and not repeating what’s commonly done by other photographers.
- Build trust through showing genuine interest in your clients. Show interest in them more than your camera settings. Develop a personal relationship with your clients and be more than just a photographer – be their friend.
- Be a leader and delegate. You can’t do everything all the time! Develop a workflow that’s simple and scalable. The #1 reason why photographers fail is because of a “slow workflow.”
- Do what you do best. Do it with excellence!
There were so many more good points, just too many to list here. This has made me reflect on prior engagement session, realizing all the things that I could have done better! My goal in the next year is to not only grow a photographer and refine my personal style, but to start providing a unique, tailored experience to all my clients.
Below are some of the images shot on day one of the workshop:
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