Creating a Perfect Match: Getting to Know Your Clients

Name: Liam Smith Photography
Price range: $$$

Hello team wedding! Today, we’re delving into the essential questions we, as wedding photographers, should be asking our clients. From experience I can tell you the more you know about the couple and their expectations, the smoother the entire photography process will be. Not only will this set you up for success, but it also allows you to provide a service that’s personalised to the couple’s unique needs and wants.

Why is this section so important?

You need to know that what you want to deliver and what the client expects are aligned.

Sounds easy? Well, it’s not. Because it’s only in asking questions that you can actually tease out the truth. Often clients think they know what they want, but they either don’t know what they want or the thing they think they want, they don’t know how much effort it takes to create.

Say for example, a client loves your fashion focussed wedding photography, but they’ve only scheduled an hour for the drinks reception. In that time they want to mingle, do group pictures and some posed portraits.

It’s in these moments that your experience (knowing that big setup portraits take a while) can shine through, you can educate your client on how much time it takes to setup your shots, and will therefore instruct their decisions.

I have had it plenty of times happen to me. A client will say they love my documentary approach…and that they’ve set aside two hours for a photoshoot.

I don’t pose my pictures, so this scares me. I then tell them that my photographs look natural, because they are natural and that you can’t recreate the magic of a spontaneous picture in a setup picture. Most often after i explain it, they get it and are completely on board and they book, other times they go with someone else. BUT BOTH OUTCOMES ARE WINS!

You need to understand this if you want this to be your career. You have to think long term.

If you lie and pretend you can tolerate a two hour photoshoot, and the pictures are not what they wanted, then yes you gained a booking fee, but how much did you lose long term? A damaged reputation, a blow to your confidence, and probably a clean up job with added stress where you are giving away free albums, free prints etc. to try and appease a dissatisfied client.

Always play for the long term.

The Basics: Wedding Logistics

Let’s start with the basics – you’ll want to get the logistical details down first. When and where is the wedding? Will it be indoors or outdoors? Is there a reception afterwards and where will it be held? How many guests are expected? This initial information will help you understand the scope and setting of the wedding. Clients book wedding venues based on a multitude of factors, talk them through how the time of year will effect their pictures, from the flowers in bloom to the time of sunset. Your experience can help set their expectations.

Understanding the Couple

Delve a little deeper and get to know the couple. How did they meet? What’s unique about their relationship? Do they have any specific moments or traditions they want captured? Remember, each couple is different, with their unique story and chemistry. The more you understand them, the better you’ll be able to capture their essence in your shots. Asking these personal questions also helps build a rapport. You want them to trust you, the more they trust you, the more they’ll open up and the better the pictures will be. This is true on two levels, one the couple, but also if the guests see how relaxed the couple are around you, then they relax too.

Wedding Day Expectations

Understanding your client’s expectations is crucial to delivering a service they’ll be thrilled with. What style of photography do they prefer? Are there specific shots or moments they absolutely want to be captured? How do they plan to use the images – for an album, wall prints, or sharing on social media? This allows you educate the client on how you shoot, what the outcome will be and make sure that what you do as a creative aligns with what they want. If you shoot documentary but your client wants posed portraits, refer them to someone else.

Key Wedding Details

Ask about the key details of the day. Is there a theme or colour scheme? What’s the timeline of events? Are there any surprises planned that you should be aware of? The more clued up you are, the better you’ll be at capturing every significant moment. The colour scheme can help you pre-empt colourful compositions if that’s how you want to shoot. If you know that the brides bouquet is all yellow, then you can be on the look out for interesting other features throughout the day that are also yellow that can make interesting compositions. This isn’t something I do, but maybe you want to. The timeline is the most important thing you need to know about, obviously you need to know what time they want you to arrive, but most important is the gap from the ceremony ending to the sit down for dinner. In this period of time you have to fit in confetti, candid shots, group pictures, couple portraits, sometimes a big shot of everyone and also details of the dining room before people sit down. This can be a tight turnaround, so educate the client on how long everything takes, how long you need etc. to get it all done to the standard they expect.

Post-Wedding Logistics

Finally, discuss the post-wedding logistics. Tell them when they will receive the images, and don’t lie. Be upfront at all times, if its eight weeks, then tell them that, there’s nothing worse than when you’re in the middle of the shooting season and you’re stressed because you told a couple their pics would be ready in four weeks, but you’re already four weeks behind. Be honest at all times. Also ask them if they like a preview for social media? And would they want a printed album? This can help you plan your schedule. If you know they want some previews, then when you’re driving home at the end of the day you can mentally run through the pictures that you think would be best, then when you get home immediately colour code them as they’re backed up. Otherwise you’ll end up scanning through the whole wedding just to find ten good ones, and this can take ages. Understanding these needs upfront can help you manage expectations and deliver a satisfactory service.

Invisible details

Always ask your clients if they have any small details that you wouldn’t know about unless you were told. I always ask my clients if they having any significant details that could create good pictures. Examples include grandmas earrings, or grandads watch, that kind of thing. It means you can take close up pictures of them wearing them which will have sentimental value, but most importantly it sets you up to be able to take great candid pictures. How? Because other members of the family recognise those sentimental pieces and they want to touch them or they have an emotional reaction, this makes predicting intimate moments that little bit easier for you.

Conclusion: Building Trust and Understanding

Never underestimate the power of asking questions. It not only helps you understand your clients better, but it also builds trust. When clients see that you’re invested in their needs and wants, they’re more likely to feel comfortable and cooperative on the big day. So go ahead, ask away, and get ready to capture a wedding that’s as unique as the love story it’s celebrating. Trust me, your clients – and your portfolio – will thank you!