I am confident enough in my photography as well as my discipline and productivity that I feel like I should be starting out working with higher-end clientele. Seriously, not so much for the monetary reasons, but because they typically have the most decorated and elaborate weddings. That's what I want to shoot. My only problem is I can't figure out how to get to these brides! I've posted in The Knot NYC/Long Island boards and I've e-mailed wedding and event coordinators that specialize in the big NYC/LI events, but there have to be other ways, right?

I probably sound like I'm jumping the gun, hah, but I simply know what I want to shoot, and I know that I can provide the service and talent despite being brand new in this world of wedding photography.

Any advice/help is appreciated.

Mike Colon has the answer for you

http://www.mikecolon.net/?page=store&cID=1&pID=4

You have to be aggressive. E-mails don't cut it. I'm sure you are not the first person to e-mail a high end planner and say, hey check out my site with middle end weddings. You also have to have the work and product to back it up. Planners see through that (esp high end ones) and I don't think a $300 template is gonna cut it.
~Alisha

Buying it! Thank youuuuuuu.

I think you're also going to find that the majority of these folks don't look online for photographers or vendors, but rather rely on word of mouth/referrals. Emailing a wedding coordinator probably isn't going to do it - you've got to find another way to make a connection, I'm guessing. It's not just about the quality of the pictures, but about the relationships, discretion, and other things.

Ultimately you need to figure out which type of client you want and how you are going to reach them. It might be through wedding coordinators, it might be through a great website and brand identity, it might be through excellent marketing and advertising or it might be through word of mouth marketing.

I have a totally different approach to this than most people, which is to build relationships with friends outside of wedding photography.

You will not get a very good response if you just go to a coordinator and say, "I want to shoot a few of your $500,000 weddings, what can you do to help me?" Some people can pull that off but you and everyone else is trying that (ineffective) method. Sure... you can get your name on their list and your album in their hands but you are replaceable.

My thought has been to meet with my friends and their friends (the 'right' people) outside of weddings and provide immense value to them so that I am a friend first and a wedding photographer second. If you can consistently prove to be a great person who stays true to your word you will be invited into the right social circles which will lead to the referrals that you want. I have always found that a casual referral between friends is stronger than a business referral through a vendor.

If you take my approach you need to be patient and be introduced to people instead of approaching people. You only get one chance so don't be pushy. Everyone wants to be friends with the millionaires and billionaires and they know it. Spotting someone who is just trying to take for their own benefit is really easy and word travels fast so you'll be shut out.

I'm going to go against conventional wisdom and tell you that a nice website, great business cards, a catchy name, nice packages and similar things are worthless if you are going for my type of upper level client. Those things are highly effective for certain types of high end clients so figure out if you need them.

Fortunately, there are many types of clients so enjoy Mike Colon's DVD but don’t think that is the only way to 'reach the high end bride'

You happen to live in an incredibly wealthy area so start connecting. If you want I'll talk about it when we all meet in Seneca Falls .

Like Brady said - the quickest way is to buy a $5M dollar house in a good neighorhood and invite the neighbors over for coffee.

My middle-end weddings are better than nothing, and what's wrong with my site? I don't have the funds to shell out $4000 for a custom flash site.



I like the way that sounds, haha. Easier said than done.

I definitely know what type of client I want, but I do not know how to reach them. I'm a sincere person, I'm a genuine person. I don't want to try to be friends with people and pretend to offer them value just for my benefit... I have honest relationships, and that's how I want it to be in my business, as well.

How do you know if your friends' friends are the 'right' people? My close friends are younger than me and are all still in college. Nobody is marrying yet, even their friends of friends. And if they are, they can't afford me.

You really feel that Central New York is an incredibly wealthy area? I have always thought otherwise. I mean, I had always heard Rochester was wealthier than Syracuse, but I thought that the amount of wealth was still pretty small. Interesting...

I'd really love to shoot some weddings downstate, in the Adirondacks or in Alexandria Bay. So beautiful.

You don't need a fancy site. People like Colon and Buissink don't book through their sites.

The catch-22 though is that you really need not just good photos - but good photos from high-end weddings. (That's where second-shooting for a high-end photographer comes in.)

Oh, man. That sounds to me like you hit the spot. I have really good photos from middle-end weddings (actually, the two weddings on my site I shot for free), but I definitely don't have any photos (yet!) from high-end weddings.

Jennifer -

When you figure out how to reach the high-end wedding planner in NYC can you let me know? They are a tough nut to crack. First of all, most of them are dinosaurs who have been using the same photographers for 10 years. Second - they dont do email, remember they are dinosaurs.

Seriously though. NYC is a tough market when it comes to wedding planners. Most of them want a serious kick back which I refuse to do and dont take their clients into consideration first. Like Brady, I value my relatiionships with me clients FIRST, and the referrals come from there. Not all of them are this way, and there is a new breed emerging which is refreshing to see. But - they are a small group...

I think the best way to "move up" is to make YOUR weddings look like million dollar weddings, and second shooting for other photogrphers to improve your portfolio will help too.

Finally - if you really want work for a high end planners, take your prices down. That is the first thing they will look at. They will see yours and immediately cross you off their list. High end wedding planners wont hire someone for less than 10G's a day in NYC.

I'm a high end bride (OK just pretend)

Why should I let you shoot my wedding?

jenny,
I think your work is wonderful, and very creative. You can create a mood which is unique to you.
We all want high-end weddings! This do not happen over night as you know. I have photographed two high-end weddings in three years. They were a blast and the details were amazing. I have two more high-end weddings booked for 2007 so far. Though I do not believe I booked my 2007 high-end weddings based on my high end portfolio. A talented photographer can make a tent in someones backyard look like paradise. The countless lower end weddings that I worked so hard to make look like high-end are what helped book high-end. People never asked if I photographed a high-end wedding. They assumed that is all I did because my images never looked like I was in someones backyard/tent wedding.
Brady's reply is the real answer. Your relationship with everyone will get you work. My past clients are now my friends and they find personal joy in getting me work. They want to see me succeed.
Another point is that your brand is you. It is the sum total of all the actual and perceived images of you. When you go into the local coffee shop you need to BE a high-end wedding photographer. When you have dinner at a nice restaurant, you need to BE the high-end wedding photographer. Remember you need to BE the photographer that you are, not act like or suggest. These little things add up and if you are prepared for the opportunity when it comes along, you get the job!

I know my friends are the 'right' friends because they hire me . I don't want to get too materialistic but they drive Ferrari's, own private jets and have several multi-million dollar homes. The long time running joke in my family is that the average age of my friends is 50 . It's not that bad, but most of my friends are young professionals (like me) who are 25-40 and we help each other grow.

I know for a fact that WNY is an extremely wealthy area. Drive around Skaneateles Lake and Canandaigua Lake, drive through Pittsford, Mendon, Brighton, Orchard Park and Westchester... you will see heirs to billion dollar fortunes, CEOs of public companies, some of the country's largest real estate developers, international businessmen, former pro sports players and wall street investors. It seems like most of the people who are affluent in this area don't flaunt it... there are a lot more BMW 7 series cars on the road than Lamborghini's.

A lot of my local clients either get married on their own private estates or travel to NYC for the wedding. If you want ADK's and WNY's greatest weddings most of my clients getting married in that region come from NYC and travel there

You are 100% correct Jason, it is a small number of people who can put the relationship first. It takes years before any work comes out of it and by that time I look at it more like I am helping them by giving them great photos with no stress than they are by helping me by keeping me in business

Some clients are going to be attracted by catchy advertising and smooth marketing, some are going to want amazing web sites, some are going to trust vendor referrals and some are going to hire within their circle of friends. Go after your clients however you are most comfortable .

I think my method is the toughest but most effective. It doesn't cost anything, I make great friends and I can help people out by photographing their wedding. You have to be patient though and persistent and then you might be invited to a lunch or dinner where your value can show through.

Well said Brady. It is definitely a much longer road to sucess the way you explained, but the payoff is worth it. You create clients that are PSYCHED when you show up the day of the wedding. When your client feels that way you also get the cooperation you need to get those amazing shots. THAT will lead to nicer looking shots whether the wedding cost 50 bucks or 50 milllion bucks.

Also - based on the weddings I have shot with Luke - there is plenty of money up there!

In Skaneateles, the property tax is $1,000 for every $10,000 PER YEAR. That's just freakin insane. Someone told Luke and I that while shooting there.

Indeed, there is financial wealth throughout upstate new york. This is a beautiful place to live and it is kind of a secret. Though even more than the money, our residents value photography and art and have a vast wealth of resources in these areas. There are historical ties with photography and art upstate, and for many years it was the place to be.
I am finding that the middle class will pay more for photography than any other part of their wedding. This allows them to get high-end images, at there lower budget event. So the playing field is more even than in other parts of the country. Basically, if your part of the country values your service, and is upper middle class, you can get high-end rates.

I agree with a lot of what Brady said - if you weren't born into the high market, you need to listen to people who were because they know the social structure and how people develop relationships. I agree that you need to be genuine without being agressive. The pool of clients is smaller at the top and one false move can send you back down the ladder.

That being said - there is a high end market of brides and coordinators who care about the image you're presenting, and to be successful you need to be as appealing as possible to both the relationship type and the branding type. I agree that your website screams middle class at first glance. If you don't have high end clients now, make it look like you do. Find a high-end bridal boutique, a high end makeup artist, and a high end location and arrange to create free promotional images for the fashion, the makeup, and the location. If they're in need of updating their advertising and you have a beautiful model or models who will look fabulous in their ads, you have just created yourself a high end bride as well as a series of images that connect to your potential market.

This is just one way of going about it... not the only way.

Brady, this is fanatic advise. You should make a DVD and sell it for $249.00

This is an important question not to be overlooked. You need to know how your competition would answer this question too. (Do you know who your competition is? Do you know why people hire them?) Make sure your answer isn't the same as theirs. Why should I hire someone who has very little experience? Why are you worth your price? What do you have that everyone else doesn't have? What are you going to do that no one else does? Also.. promises don't mean anything if you don't have a track record of delivering to back up those promises.


Man.. do we sound mean or what?!
Good luck to ya girl - and when you make it, let us know how you did it.