Etienne - Profitable Wedding Photography

I WOULD LIKE TO THANK THE ENTIRE WEDDING PHOTOGRAPHY business, from the vendors and coordinators to my assistants and the clients who had the faith to hire me. Sounds corny, but its true. I never imagined I would shoot weddings. In fact, I never really wanted to in the beginning. I was pursuing the career of an editorial portrait photographer (I wanted to be the next Annie Leibovitz, shooting rock stars and celebrities, wearing a lot of black and parading down Fifth Avenue in New York, carrying a big portfolio!). I never imagined the wonderful people I would get to meet and the priceless production skills I would acquire over the years by shooting weddings.

I would especially like to thank celebrity event coordinator Colin Cowie and his team for giving me some incredible weddings and events to capture. Not only is it a dream to work with his seasoned staff members like David Berke, Jodi Cohen, and Sarah Lowey, but I learned the significance of careful production planning, hiring the right people, and always wowing your clients beyond their wildest expectations. Like Oprah Winfrey says, No one throws a party like Colin Cowie!

Running a wedding business has taught me how to balance my left and right brainmy unstructured creative side with my structured business side. Shooting weddings has opened doors I never knew existed. Preparing my body, my mind, my equipment, and my assistants has pushed me to be a true leader. Shooting the weddings under diverse conditions and circumstances has taught me how to think quickly on my feet, work spontaneously, and always have an alternate plan in place. Working with couples from every ethnic, cultural, religious, financial, and demographically diverse background has enabled me to see the world, sometimes without even leaving my hometown. The wedding photography business has given me a palette to grow, and it expanded my heart and soul in ways I would never have imagined.

I also want to thank Eve and Dan Lenon, for allowing me the opportunity to shoot my first wedding (theirs!), launching me headfirst into the wedding photography industry. I would also like to thank some of my other wedding clients: Felicity and Jack Van Der Hidde, Elizabeth and Jonathan Sobel, Elena and Joeseph Abramson, Jennie and Lawrence Busch, Ashley and Michael Rice, Cliff and Rachel Martin, Esther and Juan Reyes, Janellie and Luis Lopez, Jim and Peggy Sheriffs, Tommy Delany and the boys, and Andrew Gibb for allowing me the use of some of the images I captured during their spectacular weddings.

A very special thanks goes out to my assistant Adam Ottke, for his endless hours of reading and rereading the manuscript of this book. He asked me all the right questions his young inquisitive mind could ponder, and hopefully my answers made this book even better. He is a growing talent who is sure to become a shining star one day.

Allworth Press is an imprint of Skyhorse Publishing, Inc. Selected titles are listed below.

The Art and Business of Photography
by Susan Carr (6 x 9, 224 pages, paperback, $24.95)

The Photographers Guide to Marketing and Self-Promotion
by Maria Piscopo (6 x 9, 256 pages, paperback, $24.95)

Business and Legal Forms for Photographers, Fourth Edition
by Tad Crawford (8 x 11, 208 pages, paperback, $29.95)

The Professional Photographers Legal Handbook
by Nancy E. Wolff (6 x 9, 256 pages, paperback, $24.95)

Licensing Photography
by Richard Weisgrau and Victor S. Perlman (6 x 9, 208 pages, paperback, $19.95)

Digital Stock Photography: How to Shoot and Sell
by Michal Heron (6 x 9, 288 pages, paperback, $21.95)

Legal Guide for the Visual Artist, Fifth Edition
by Tad Crawford (8 x 11, 280 pages, paperback, $29.95)

The Law (in Plain English) for Photographers, Third Edition
by Leonard D. DuBoff and Christy O. King (6 x 9, 256 pages, paperback, $24.95)

Selling Your Photography: How to Make Money in New and Traditional Markets
by Richard Weisgrau (6 x 9, 224 pages, paperback, $24.95)

ASMP Professional Business Practices in Photography, Seventh Edition

by American Society of Media Photographers (6 x 9, 480 pages, paperback, $35.00)

The Business of Studio Photography, Third Edition
by Edward R. Lilley (6 x 9, 432 pages, paperback, $27.50)

The Real Business of Photography
by Richard Weisgrau (6 x 9, 224 pages, paperback, $19.95)

How to Succeed in Commercial Photography: Insights from a Leading Consultant
by Selina Matreiya (6 x 9, 240 pages, paperback, $19.95)

How to Grow as a Photographer
by Tony Luna (6 x 9, 232 pages, paperback, $19.95)

Starting Your Career as a Freelance Photographer
by Tad Crawford (6 x 10, 256 pages, paperback, $19.95)

Pricing Photography: The Complete Guide to Assignment and Stock Prices
by Michael Heron and David MacTavish (11 x 8 1/2, 160 pages, paperback, $24.95)

Profitable Photography in the Digital Age: Strategies for Success
by Dan Heller (6 x 9, 240 pages, paperback, $24.95)

To see our complete catalog or to order online, please visit www.allworth.com .

The Wedding Photographer

Photo technician, production manager, artist, director, and therapist

CONTRARY TO POPULAR BELIEF, NOT EVERY PHOTOGRAPHER CAN BE A good wedding photographer. A fine art, nature, fashion, sports, food, portrait, or even a photojournalistic photographer doesnt necessarily make a great wedding photographer. Expensive photo equipment, while it certainly helps, doesnt necessarily guarantee youll be a great wedding photographer either. After many years shooting all types of photography, Ive come to the conclusion that shooting weddings is a totally unique skill set altogether.

Some years back, a fellow photographer friend contacted me wanting to pick my brain about shooting weddings. Unfortunately, I was racing out the door to a meeting when he called. He told me he had booked a wedding the following weekend and was pressing me for a few quick tips. Apparently, he had heard rumors that wedding photographers could earn big bucks, so he thought he would take a crack at it. He was a celebrity portrait photographer who had shot dozens of famous faces for magazine publications. Surprisingly, he complained that the pay was lousyno more than a few hundred dollars per portrait (I was shocked!). Apparently only few celebrity photographers earn top dollar. He figured since he was so skilled with all his high-tech strobe equipment and dealing with high-maintenance stars, shooting a wedding couldnt be that hard.

While I wanted to spare him the heart attack he was about to endure, I simply didnt have the time to give him all the necessary tips (like the ones this book includes) in the five-minute phone conversation. All I had time to tell him was to be sure to scout the location, make a shot list and a photo timeline, and pray.