Top 10 Mistakes made by Wedding Photographers

Here are my suggestions for the top 10 mistakes made by wedding photographers. I'm guilty of some of these myself from time to time. This isn't about basic photography errors, maybe I'll do another blog entry for some of those.

1. Being Rude.
It's amazing how often I hear from couples that have been to a wedding where the photographer was rude to guests or even the couple themselves. How do these people get bookings in a competitive market?

2. Not Listening.
In my view the customer is king, if they don't want to do a particular shot then that's fine with me. The client should get what they want, not what the photographer wants. Ideally the photographer should get to know his clients and help them to get the most out of the photography. Also, take an interest in the wedding itself and make notes of interesting things that are said or that happen.

3. Chimping and Showing.
Some digital photographers get so excited and absorbed by the photography that they keep looking at the camera or showing people the shots. Try to keep this under control, by all means show someone if they ask to look but avoid looking at the display other than a quick check on the histogram now and then.

4. "Straight-Jacket" Packages.
There are some advantages to a fixed package but try not to tie clients up in knots and make it difficult for them to purchase additional items or buy less if their budget is tight. A lot of photographers have essentially fixed the client's expectations, for example in terms of the album size, way before the wedding. What if you do a brilliant job and the couple want a much bigger album, if the package said a 30 page album is all they can have what happens then?

5. Forgetting the Business.
Don't forget that as a professional photographer you need to be aware of the business side of things and not just the photography. Avoid focusing too much on the photography and gear, the business aspects such as marketing, customer relations, cash flow etc. all need to be managed. A great wedding photographer is unlikely to be successful unless they can build a sound business too. If you're not good at marketing or managing, look to get other people in to do this for you.

6. Stagnating
Styles, equipment, customer requirements and techniques all change over time. It's important to keep learning and to keep up with trends. A great way to do this is by meeting with other photographers and learning from them.

7. Relying on Photoshop
Although Photoshop is a great tool and can rescue some bad images, it's clearly better to get shots right in the camera. The quality will be better and it will save time too.

8. Becoming Isolated
As a sole-trader many photographers can find themselves isolated. Try to connect with local businesses and other photographers to exchange leads, discuss problems and help each other.

9. Gear Obsessed
Don't get obsessed by the gear, yes good cameras and equipment are important but they are secondary to your skill and experience. It's certainly possible to take amazing wedding pictures with basic equipment. New equipment is nice to have especially for the gadget freaks amongst us, but remember they need to pay for themselves and make a difference to the end product to be worthwhile.

10. Clones
I believe the best approach is to find your own style and not to try to be a clone of someone else. Doing what comes naturally to you will be better in the long run. By all means allow yourself to be influenced, but by a variety of other photographers and their work. Combine your ideas with theirs and develop a style of your own over a period of time.

I would love to hear your views and if you have any suggestions for worse mistakes then feel free to let me know.