Resolve
A collaborative online community that brings together photographers and creative professionals of every kind to find ways to keep photography relevant, respected, and profitable.
Have an idea for a post?
Want us to find an answer to your question? Interested in becoming a contributor?Email us
CATEGORIES
- Aerial Photography
- Business
- Featured Blogger
- Featured Website
- Fine Art Photography
- Ideas
- Industry Events
- Inspirational Work
- Meet the Team
- Networking
- New Features to LB8
- On The Calendar
- Philanthropy
- Photography
- Adventure Photography
- Advertising Photography
- Animal Photography
- Art Photography
- Beauty Photography
- Celebrity Photography
- Commercial Photography
- Documentary Photography
- Editorial Photography
- Fashion Photography
- Food Photography
- Hospitality Photography
- Interior and Architecture Photography
- Landscape Photography
- Lifestyle Photography
- Nature Photography
- Photojournalism
- Portrait Photography
- Science Photography
- Space Photography
- Sports Photography
- Still Life Photography
- Travel Photography
- Wedding Photography
- Wildlife Photography
- Wine Photography
- Playlist
- Playlists
- Social Media
- Tuesday's Tip
- Video
- Webinar
- Website Tips
When working with consumer photographers (anyone who markets directly to the public), I always like to encourage them to show images that will make their potential clients believe that if they hire them, they’ll create that same MAGICAL moment for them. Those magical moments are why a consumer client hires a photographer. Regardless if it’s to capture their baby’s first year, their family portrait, or especially that bride’s special day, they want to believe you are the person to make that moment happen.
These are my recommendations for putting together a website of your wedding photography, which have helped my wedding photographers increase their bookings from 25-45% to 50-100%.
DOs:
- Make your galleries quick and easy to look at (15 – 25 clicks per gallery)
- Tell a story with multiple weddings –- the start of the day to the end of the day. Example: Bride getting ready, father seeing bride, bride walking down aisle, the I Dos, the kiss, the bridal party portraits, reception vignettes (flowers, table cards), the first dance, the father-daughter dance, people having a blast at the reception, the cake cutting, and finally the cliché end of the night moment (holding hands walking off into the night). Yes, you heard it right, that cliché moment gets a bride every time.
DON’Ts
- Have 10 galleries – each titled: “Joe & Sarah,” “Marc & Beth,” etc. that only show the best photos from each of their weddings
- Show a bride or anyone at a wedding at their worst moment. Some photographers appreciate a photo for its caught-moment approach. I appreciate that too –- but if it’s on your wedding site, a bride will imagine herself in that photo every time. If a bride looks too heavy or someone is causing trouble, she will think the same will happen to her if she hires you. I know this sounds elementary, but every client I work with has at least one photo that MUST be taken out.
GALLERY IDEAS:
- Have one gallery showing the entire day from start to finish, drawn from different weddings
- Have multiple galleries (no more than 3-5) breaking up the categories, such as, Getting Ready, I Do, Group Shots, The Reception, and Bridal Portraits and/or Engagement Photos
Finally, remember you are being hired to help capture that special day (a.k.a. that MAGICAL moment). Everything — including your website, portfolio, and personal presentation — has to convey that you are exactly the right person to do that.
7 Comments
Leave a reply
FREE EBOOK
Learn how to engage your audience and
build brand recognition across social
channels. Learn more...
READY TO GET STARTED?
Pick your package. Pick your design.
No credit card required.
March 23rd, 2009 at 7:59 am
Best Wedding Photographers » Blog Archive » Dos and Don’ts for Editing Your Wedding Website
[…] When working with consumer photographers (anyone who markets directly to the public), I always like to encourage them to show images that will make their potential clients believe that if they hire them, they’ll create that same MAGICAL moment for them. Those magical moments are why a consumer client hires a photographer. Regardless if it’s to capture their baby’s first year, their family portrait, or especially that bride’s special day, they want to believe you are the person to make that mome Source: http://blog.livebooks.com/2009/03/dos-and-donts-for-editing-your-wedding-website/ […]
March 23rd, 2009 at 8:37 am
J Sandifer
Multimedia is a great way to showcase a full wedding with more images than may appear in a portfolio, which would be your signature images from different weddings.
Using video to relay who you are and also how you shoot is a good idea and new trend. Video testimonials allow your ambassadors to talk directly to potential clients and give so much authenticity to your testimonials. Both of these will go far in gaining the trust of a potential client, before they even contact you.
Check out how these techniques have been applied on this Maine Wedding Photography site.
March 23rd, 2009 at 8:45 am
Hijack : Dos and Don’ts for Editing Your Wedding Website « J Sandifer
[…] Dos and Don’ts for Editing Your Wedding Website Posted by Amanda Sosa Stone […]
March 23rd, 2009 at 11:03 am
The Wedding Times » Dos and Don’ts for Editing Your Wedding Website
[…] When working with consumer photographers (anyone who markets directly to the public), I always like to encourage them to show images that will make their potential clients believe that if they hire them, they’ll create that same MAGICAL moment for them. Those magical moments are why a consumer client hires a photographer. Regardless if it’s to capture their baby’s first year, their family portrait, or especially that bride’s special day, they want to believe you are the person to make that mome Source: http://blog.livebooks.com/2009/03/dos-and-donts-for-editing-your-wedding-website/ […]
March 23rd, 2009 at 1:02 pm
Channing Johnson
Hi Amanda,
Great ideas. I’ll be taking some of them.
I was curious why you suggest not to have galleries of single weddings. Especially if these are portfolio-worthy weddings where all the pictures are great from the entire day. Aren’t consumers interested in seeing consistency through an entire event. Should I be waiting until someone asks to show that?
Thanks!
– Channing
March 24th, 2009 at 6:51 am
Amanda Sosa Stone
Channing –
HELLO THERE – hope you are well!
Being a viewer (and once a bride) I found seeing just one wedding on a site never gave me the sense what a photographer could really do. And then having to view 5 – 10 different weddings become boring. I want to see things quickly and know I have found the right person for my wedding and see their BEST of the BEST right away. If you are set on showing a whole wedding – do a section called SAMPLE WEDDINGS – but don’t make that the first thing brides have to see on your site.
I do recommend doing a sample portfolio (similar to my post for your printed portfolio) for your in person meetings – but this is a time to show a sample album of one or 2 weddings to the bride in person.
GOOD LUCK!
Amanda
March 24th, 2009 at 12:53 pm
Channing Johnson
Thanks, Amanda!!