On June 13th-14th, I'll be hosting a wedding workshop right between Pretoria and Johannesburg.
The video below is a quick breakdown:
The workshop will be a two day workshop.
Day 1: Shooting
Day 1 will be all about the actual photographic aspect of wedding photography. We'll have everything we need to give you an idea of what a wedding day feels like, from the makeup while the bride gets ready, to the speeches at the reception. I'll teach you how to keep everyone around you as relaxed as possible, and how to get the couple you're photographing to feel comfortable and relaxed as you take photos of them.
Artificial Light
Flash is a very big part of how I shoot weddings. 99% of the images I produce at a wedding have some form of artificial light. We'll go over flash, why it's so important, and how to use it at a wedding. I'll teach you when and how to use your flash(es), and how to balance them perfectly with the natural light around you. I'll also teach you how to do that balancing in a matter of 30 seconds.
You'll also learn to light rooms in a way that makes sense. Dark reception halls are a common thing, and you'll learn how to light those with ease. If you're still scared of your flash, that's going to change at this workshop.
Creating Work with a Photojournalistic Feel
I'm not a fan of wedding photos that feel posed, rigid, and forced. I've never been. Creating natural looking work can be a challenge, especially if your subjects are somewhat aware of your presence. We're going to spend time talking about how to shoot the wedding day with more of a documentary approach.
Posing
I have no idea how to pose couples. I'm awful at it. I always have been. My solution to that problem was to find another way to get couples to give me the feeling I wanted in the images, but for the couple to do so themselves. The way I do this is by leading the couple into a mindset that will naturally create these beautiful moments between them. When these moments come naturally, it's instantly visible in the photographs. I'll teach you all the little tricks I've learned on doing this.
Gear
We'll go over the gear that you need at a wedding. This won't be a workshop that you'll leave worried about the future condition of your credit card. I'll show you how you can shoot weddings perfectly on far less than what you expect.
Day 2
Day 2 will be all about editing, business, and life.
Dealing with Clients
As a photographer, people skills are probably just as important as actual photographic skill. Your entire relationship with a potential client is riding on whether or not they like you as a person. If they don't, you won't get the job. Simple as that. If they enjoy your company, you're far more likely to get that booking.
First Meeting
After all the emails back and forth, you'll likely get a chance to have a meeting with a couple before they book you. This meeting is the most significant point of contact with a potential client. If they're willing to sit down with you for a meeting, they're usually pretty sure that they'll be booking you. If a client doesn't book you after this meeting, it's probably because you've done something wrong. Your client needs to leave this meeting informed, with no question, and with full confidence that you're the right person for them. In fact, if a client chooses to have a meeting with you, even though they're not sure about you, this meeting is the meeting where they should realise that you're the right photographer. I can't stress how important this meeting is.
I'll teach you how to turn that meeting into a booking, 99% of the time.
Building a Portfolio That Makes Sense to Clients
Your portfolio is the first thing a potential client will see. Screw this step up, and you don't stand a chance. Your portfolio needs to answer a client's questions. It doesn't matter if the portfolio doesn't make sense to other photographers - they're not hiring you. Your portfolio needs to speak to your clients.
Booking the Weddings You Want to Shoot
Working with a couple that's got a different vision for their wedding photos to you, if a difficult, unpleasant experience. It's an awful experience for both the client, and for you. You have a taste, a style, and you only want to shoot for couples who share that vision, otherwise there will be disappointment for everyone. I'll teach you how to ensure that every wedding you shoot will be one that allows you your own creative freedom to shoot the wedding as you please.
Editing
Post processing is a key aspect of what we do. I can remember spending entire days, a few of them, working on just a single set of wedding images. Over time, I've build a workflow that allows me to edit an entire set of wedding images, from start to finish, in 5 hours. And 5 hours is generous. I'll be teaching you exactly how I do that, and how I do that while keeping the high standard I have for my images.
Marketing
Marketing is an important part of your business. If people aren't seeing your work, you won't be making any bookings. Beyond that - if people aren't telling their friends about your work, you're missing out on the most powerful advertising of all - word of mouth.
Actual Grown-Up Business Stuff
Tax, Receipts, mileage tracking, etc. You need to know this stuff.
Efficient Admin
Getting stuff done as quickly and efficiently as possible is the difference between you having a life besides your business, and you spending 18 hours a day behind your computer. Do you like the idea of running a successful business and still having time every day to have coffee with your friends/family? I've learned how to manage this, and I'm going to show you how.
The workshop might leave you with a couple of questions that'll show up a week or two later. So I'll include a 1 hour, 1-on-1 hang out, where we can talk over any final questions you might have about wedding photography.
That's a breakdown of the workshop. In a nutshell:
- A chance to learn and grow with other photographers
- This will all be taking place at a beautiful location between JHB and PTA
- How to shoot the wedding day beautifully
- How to edit that wedding in no time
- How to treat your clients
- How to run your photo business
- ow to have a personal life outside of your business
The cost of the workshop is only R3500.
Should you feel that this workshop is something you'd like to get involved in, please follow the link below:
Click here to make your booking.
Please not that there are only 12 spaces, so once they're gone, they're gone.
If the weekend of the 13th and the 14th doesn't work for you, I'm considering hosting a second workshop the following week, on the 17th-18th of June. If I get 12 people wanting to attend that workshop as well, I'll host it.
Click here to book for the weekday workshop.
I've got to tell you - this has been a long process. I wanted this workshop to be something special for the attendees, and I believe it will be.