If you're involved in wedding photography, you already know that it's one of the most competitive genres you can choose these days. Not only do you have to compete with every couple's friends or family members just to get the job, there are so many photographers working in the field that you may already have had to adjust your pricing just to keep the work coming in. Whether that's the case or not, though, making sure you get the greatest possible profit for your efforts is important to the success of your business.
Thanks to digital imaging, the game is changing for all photographers and deciding what to include in a wedding package for your clients involves more careful thought these days. Because each provider/client relationship is unique and the matter of rights to the final images is up to you and your clients, I won't be dealing with that in this article. I will say that most professionals prefer to retain both the original images and the rights to those images. There are good reasons to do so, and the steps I'm about to outline are a good example. Let's take a look.
Open a KeepSnap account.
For those of you who “had a feeling” that name was going to come up, congratulations! You already know about this service and hopefully you're already using it. If so, please read on anyway, just to be sure you're not missing something in the way you're using your account.
For those of you who don't already know, opening a KeepSnap photographer's account is free and is changing the game for photographers in its own ways. Sign up before you shoot your next wedding, set up a profile and be sure to print out your business cards with the scan code.
Set up a private gallery with a PIN.
Create a private gallery for your next wedding shoot. When you create it, a PIN will be generated, which you'll want to give to your clients and write down on your KeepSnap cards to be handed out at the wedding and reception. You'll need to set a price for the photos in the gallery; this will be what people other than your client will pay for each photo. When you give your clients the PIN, explain that they can pass it on to wedding guests, the wedding party, family and friends to let them purchase their own photos directly, saving them the trouble and expense of extra copies.
Shoot the ceremony.
When the big day arrives, take the shots and be sure to give your KeepSnap card to anyone interested in photos of the ceremony as well as to those who may want to hire you for their own wedding or other event. Be sure to write the PIN on cards for those who want shots of the current nuptials. Voila! You've just created potential clients and opened a second income stream from the current job.
Edit the photos and upload.
Select the best of the shots, being sure to include everything you've agreed to deliver in your wedding package. Upload the finished photos to the private gallery. You can use the gallery photos as proofs for your client before you print and deliver the final package. Others who visit the gallery can purchase their own set, based on the price you've set.
That's it! You've proofed the photos for your clients and set up a way to earn more from the job, while saving your clients the trouble of delivering photos to everyone. What's more, all the photos can be set to stay online for up to 3 months, so the PIN can be passed on to other buyers as needed. Photos that sell will remain on the KeepSnap servers indefinitely.
With the simplicity of this system, it just makes sense for any wedding photographer to utilize it, both for convenience and the potential of more sales