Off season wedding photography
It’s Ohio and wedding season slows down a bit during the winter months. For me it is a time to focus on more of the business side of wedding photography. The number one thing any photographer can do is look over their website. I pulled in some outside resources to help me out. While some know I also own a marketing design company I wanted to get someone in the industry to give me a different view of my site. I also wanted a female perspective too. So Melissa Jill helped me out tremendously with a couple Skype calls. I personally build my websites using wordpress so design changes can be made rather easily. I was able to launch the new site just after the holidays. Checkout the new home page here.
So maybe you have a website what else could you polish up a bit?
Wedding Photography Techniques?
If you have not visited Kelbyone or creative live it is a must to look over. The classes are anywhere from basic to advanced. For advanced photographers you may find yourself skipping ahead sometimes. I loved downloading these and watching while my son had swim practice. I think you learn a few things and it can keep the creative juices going.
Work on your lighting skills.
Number one issue I have with new photographers is lighting. So many wedding photographers don’t have the skills beyond natural light. The answer most have is crank the ISO and shoot wide open. Works great for the first dance when the only thing in focus is a shoulder (insert sarcasm). Key is to setup somewhere you can practice and try somethings. Walk through those dark receptions and see what you could do differently. Experiment with off camera flash!!
New Gear!!
Yea love this one, who doesn’t. Get your gear now so you have time to practice and play a bit. Also now is a great time to rent some gear and see what works for you. Lighting might be an issue and now test out what lights work for you. Plenty to choose from but not all are affordable or practical for a fast paced wedding photographer.
Cleaning time.
I always send my gear in for a good cleaning and inspection. Don’t just do a sensor cleaning, ask a repair shop to inspect too. Tell them to look at the shutter and see if anything is loose. Better to repair a shutter now and not during wedding season.
Enjoy the downtime you do get because some years it is really sparse. Take advantage of what ever you need whether it is business or family related.
