Raymond Lin's Wedding Thread of 2010

Raymond, how would you get most of your enquiries? 80% client referrals, 20% natural search online? Or different?

so far, for this year, i have 7.

5 are referrals
2 are off forums (one of which a member from another board recommended me to the bridesmaid who told the bride).

I got like a few off a single Bride (Ruth, remember her?), I met up with her last week to catch up as she has just had a little baby girl. She emailed me out of the blue to ask to meet up and in the email she asked if i do family pics. I was going to email her to congratulate her on her little girl anyway and surprise her with my offer of a free shoot....so since she asked, I said I would do a photo shoot for her and her baby girl as my gift to her. She has been a great client, the best a photographer could ask for, even AFTER the wedding. So I would be glad to photograph her family. Only not yet, as the baby is tiny at the moment, I said wait until she can sit up by herself first, it would make the photos more interesting. I believe in Karma, and it is also the least i can do.

For 2011, and in the past couple of months i have had quite a few inquiries. turned down 1 (indifference, gut feeling foresees trouble), 2 clashes/potential double booking, turned down another due to a prior engagement (not wedding related). But I have met 2 brides already, 1 signed, 1 about to sign, and should have 2 more, so 4 i am hopeful for so far.

But for 2011, i have had quite a few randoms, as for 2010, most of those have been a friend of a previous client but for 2011, some inquiries just straight off my site with no reference of previous clients. Like yesterday i got one asking for pricing for 2012 with no reference of where the wedding is and how she found me.

Side note, Bride Magazine called me back in March ! They wanted to do a feature, like 1 tog per county to go on their cover CD for June/July and they picked me for my area, all sounded great until they asked for £300......sales call alarm bell ! So i politely declined. I also got random bookmakers calling me to be my supplier too, and the local Ad Mag called last week! All this without advertising!
 
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so far, for this year, i have 7.

5 are referrals
2 are off forums (one of which a member from another board recommended me to the bridesmaid who told the bride).

I got like a few off a single Bride (Ruth, remember her?), I met up with her last week to catch up as she has just had a little baby girl. She emailed me out of the blue to ask to meet up and in the email she asked if i do family pics. I was going to email her to congratulate her on her little girl anyway and surprise her with my offer of a free shoot....so since she asked, I said I would do a photo shoot for her and her baby girl as my gift to her. She has been a great client, the best a photographer could ask for, even AFTER the wedding. So I would be glad to photograph her family. Only not yet, as the baby is tiny at the moment, I said wait until she can sit up by herself first, it would make the photos more interesting. I believe in Karma, and it is also the least i can do.

For 2011, and in the past couple of months i have had quite a few inquiries. turned down 1 (indifference, gut feeling foresees trouble), 2 clashes/potential double booking, turned down another due to a prior engagement (not wedding related). But I have met 2 brides already, 1 signed, 1 about to sign, and should have 2 more, so 4 i am hopeful for so far.

But for 2011, i have had quite a few randoms, as for 2010, most of those have been a friend of a previous client but for 2011, some inquiries just straight off my site with no reference of previous clients. Like yesterday i got one asking for pricing for 2012 with no reference of where the wedding is and how she found me.

Side note, Bride Magazine called me back in March ! They wanted to do a feature, like 1 tog per county to go on their cover CD for June/July and they picked me for my area, all sounded great until they asked for £300......sales call alarm bell ! So i politely declined. I also got random bookmakers calling me to be my supplier too, and the local Ad Mag called last week! All this without advertising!

Very interesting Ray, thanks for taking the time to post. I'm assuming that those referrals have been referred to your website though, so I'm guessing that is a fairly important part of things?

The reason I ask is that I am nearing completion of my site, and I just wanted to make sure all the effort was going to be worth it. All of my interest (bar one) has been through a girl I used to work with, she has been recommending me left right and centre!

I expect I'll be bombarding you with questions over the coming months :)
 
Very interesting Ray, thanks for taking the time to post. I'm assuming that those referrals have been referred to your website though, so I'm guessing that is a fairly important part of things?

The reason I ask is that I am nearing completion of my site, and I just wanted to make sure all the effort was going to be worth it. All of my interest (bar one) has been through a girl I used to work with, she has been recommending me left right and centre!

I expect I'll be bombarding you with questions over the coming months :)

About 2 of those have been throuogh facebook, The rest they contacted me through my site.
 
I have finally finished Sophie's wedding photos, and noticed this photo. For those who wonder how far away I was for No. 31.

This is the view from 24mm at pretty much the same moment. This is where having 2 bodies pays off massively.

No. 31 was taken with the 135L.

See the little boy in the distance leaning over?

41.

 
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Seeing these makes me really sad.

I got married in July in Malta and the photographer came highly recommended, and portfolios in her studio were great.

Photos arrived last weekand OMG. It says something when a guest with an iPhone took better pictures, both in composition and in quality. I have a passing interest in photography and I do OK with my Ixus 900, but I take better pictures than these.

There is about 600 pictures and not a single one of us together is worth printing. Absolutely gutted.
 
Seeing these makes me really sad.

I got married in July in Malta and the photographer came highly recommended, and portfolios in her studio were great.

Photos arrived last weekand OMG. It says something when a guest with an iPhone took better pictures, both in composition and in quality. I have a passing interest in photography and I do OK with my Ixus 900, but I take better pictures than these.

There is about 600 pictures and not a single one of us together is worth printing. Absolutely gutted.

Sorry to hear about the mess! Did you get to see a entire set of photos from 1 single wedding? That is the important part. So she doesn't get to pick the best of from the last year or the last 10 years.
 
No not entire sets, but large numbers (200 ish) from a few weddings. Granted there were a few iffy ones, people stepping in the way or errant balloons etc but generally of a good standard.

But ours are just plain awful. If I had not seen her take them I would have sworn it was some randomer off the street, not a photographer with over 20 years experience!
 
I got married in July in Malta and the photographer came highly recommended, and portfolios in her studio were great.

Where'd you get married?

I was over in Malta in July and saw all the photos of my second cousin's wedding from earlier in the year. Wedding + Malta = Picture Perfect!
 
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