Wedding Photography: How to Become a Successful Wedding Photographer

Once in while I receive e-mails or phone calls from aspiring or beginner wedding photographers asking me for advise on how to become successful in the wedding field. My first question is always what their motivation is to become a wedding photographer. Some will reply that they heard from somebody that it is easy money, or that they got a cool camera that takes great photos or that they would like to make some money on the side etc. While it is true that wedding photography can be a very profitable business achieving success in the wedding industry is not just a matter of getting a camera and start shooting. Wedding photography involves artistic talent, human sense, complete mastery of photographic techniques, business knowledge, and a strong desire to learn and deliver the best to the wedding couple.

Here I have summarized some points that I believe will guide beginner wedding photographers:

1. Learn photography before anything else. A wedding photographer is expected to be a master of the craft. You will be in charge of capturing people's most precious life moments. The wedding day is not the place to learn photography.

2. Just because you got a brand new camera it does not automatically make you an effective and reliable photographer. Photography goes beyond cool toys and gadgets. Learn composition and develop a unique artistic vision. Some of the great photographs of all time were taken with manual cameras.

3. Master the digital workflow, including color management, digital image processing, file management and image correction and enhancement.

4. Learn to love photography more than anything else. Don't come to the wedding photography field with just dreams of making money. It is true that there are many successful wedding photographers that make a lot of money. However according to the Professional Photographers of America the average photographer in America makes about $24,000 a year.

5. Focus on delivering quality more than quantity. Seek with all your heart to capture unique photographs.

6. Develop a style that is recognizable and unique. Don't try to be like somebody else. Clients look for unique photographers, with a unique vision.

7. Give wedding photography all your heart and effort. Long when you are gone your photographs will last forever. It is a great way to be remembered.

8. Open your heart and your mind and great photos will happen. Concentrate on the human aspect of weddings, the details, and emotions and be ready to capture them. Let the camera become an extension of you.

9. Share your technical knowledge and make connections with other wedding photographers.

10. Participate in wedding photography image competitions. It will give you the opportunity to have your work evaluated by peers and the motivation to improve your work quality.

11. Learn something new everyday. Take advantage of professional photography organizations such as Professional Photographers of America (PPA), WPPI, etc. Attend their seminars, workshops. Participate in Internet wedding photography forums and learn and share tips, tools and techniques.

12. Don't neglect the business aspect of wedding photography. Learn to manage your business effectively. Take business courses and seminars.

Juan Carlos Torres is a very respected and awarded wedding photographer in Oregon. He has a Masters Degree in Remote Sensing with a strong background in digital image processing and photography. He is a member of the several professional photographer organizations including the Professional Photographers of America, the Professional Photographers of Oregon, the Wedding Photojournalist Association,and the Oregon Wedding Photo Guild. His wedding photographs are unique and very artistic and have been featured in national and international magazines. For a sample of his works please visit Portland Oregon Wedding Photographer and Eugene Oregon Wedding Photographer

For a discussion on wedding photography see our Blog at Oregon Wedding Photographer

---

Canon-Powershot-A80 Review

Last month we bought the Canon Powershot A80 online for... Read More

How to Buy Wholesale Disposable Cameras

Wholesale disposable cameras are disposable cameras bought in quantity. Bulk... Read More

Understanding Digital Photography

Most serious photographers and all professionals use a Single Lens... Read More

Camcorder Techniques: How To Make Home Movies Your Family And Friends Will Be Excited To Watch

Pre-Production:It's all got to start somewhere, so before you even... Read More

Using Film Speed Effectively (Black & White Film Thoughts)

It's hard to find sometimes but it's making a resurgence,... Read More

Digital Camera Metering

Looking at the most intricate details of the digital camera... Read More

Passionate Organizing: How To Create A System To Organise Your Digital And Traditional Photos

Digital photography promises much. Store your photographs on your computer,... Read More

Inspired Vision

A picture is worth a thousand words, so goes a... Read More

Picture Framing for Photographers - Part 2

There are two sources for obtaining the moulding for making... Read More

Nikon Digital Cameras - Cool(pix) and Functional

Even though Nikon entered the camera world by 1948, today... Read More

Digital RAW Workflow for Beginners

Having an efficient work flow is essential for photographers. In... Read More

Safari Wildlife Photography Top Four Tips

I've been practising wildlife photography on safari for over twenty... Read More

Photography - Things to Consider Before Buying a Camera

Before you are able to take the kind of photos... Read More

The Naked Truth on Shooting Nudes

There are major obstacles to overcome to get into nude... Read More

Photography Success Without School

What I learned from a mentor that enabled me to... Read More

Elephants in the Sky and Four Poems

Elephants in the Sky[1980s, Lee Evens in Mali, Timbuktu/Africa]Advance: Lee... Read More

Cropping Digital Photos Into Shape

Did you know that in many cases digital photos are... Read More

The Truth About Pixels - Part I: Digital Cameras

Most digital cameras today boast of greater resolution and picture... Read More

Light Meter Readings for Film and Digital

Reflected Light Readings for Film and Digital ImagesIn order to... Read More

Photography Poses ? The Missing Ingredient

You've read all the "best digital camera" articles, got the... Read More

Choosing The Right Digital Camera

Let's get something straight right out of the box. If... Read More

Easy Tips for Digital Photo Touchups

Using a digital camera to take pictures is great. It's... Read More

Photography Business: Taking Baby Photos - for Professionals & Families

Babies make the best and the worst subjects to photograph.... Read More

Why 1.5 Megapixels is Enough

Dots Per Inch is a useful measure of relative resolution.... Read More

Removing Spot Scratches in Your Treasured Photos ? 5 Minute Digital Fix

Probably one of the most common problems you will be... Read More

Photography 101 Part 3

ContentEven if you feel that you already know what kind... Read More

Types of Digital Cameras

If you are in the market to purchase a digital... Read More

Specialized Styles of Photography

Outlined below is a list of genres that call for... Read More

Buying Your Child A Digital Camera - What You Need To Know

Purchasing any gift item for your child is a mind-numbing... Read More

10 MORE Ways to Make Money with Your Digital Cameras

1. Pet photos - advertise a Pet Photography business where... Read More

Sepia Toned Prints from Your Colour or Black and White Photos ? 5 Minute Digital Fix

Quite often I will have clients bring in old photographs... Read More

Video Camcorder Formats and Media

There are way too many tape, disk and stick formats... Read More

The Paradigm: Going Digital

As you might imagine the paradigm shift from traditional film-based... Read More