Me, I made the mistake of deciding what people wanted instead of listening to them tell me what they wanted. Years away from that now, I listen and take thier style into the photoshoot and what a magical thing!
I wish I would have started to market / network sooner too! I also wish I knew what styles I liked so that I could be hired for my style as a commissioned wedding "artist."
Marketing I did, but I struggled a bit to find my it... I'm glad to say I found it ;) and I'm feeling great about what I deliver to my clients.
Yes I didnt follow my instincts with regards to my artsy side... glad I figured it out sooner than later!
For formals, I always have a plan laid out on paper. I know what order I'm going to shoot in & this is also given to the bride. I have the bride dedicate someone who will make sure to get the people where they need to be when they need to be there...preferably it is a wedding coordinator/planner. At the last wedding I did, the bride actually sent it to all the people who would be involved in the pictures...she had a very large wedding party (37 people to be exact) & we didn't have alot of time so the planning & coordinating was extremely important! It went very smoothly.
You also need to be assertive (in a nice way though) during the formals. I find that if you aren't....the formal sessions can get out of hand.
Ok this is what I did-- look up the town where you would like to shoot and a visitor section will pop up and there you go tons of historical places, museums, you name it they have it. Check it out! Google it! Give your clients options-- you can do it good luck!
Also use Google Maps. If I don't know the area at all, doing a fly over based upon the supplied wedding day addresses can show me where there may be interesting geographical locations (parks with natural waterfalls) or unique architectural features (abandoned buildings, train yards, etc)
I ask the couples to brainstorm a location that means something to them - they always come up with much more interesting locations than I would have. Sometimes its a family farm, a cute little area of town I had never been too - or their alma matter - always fun, and keeps me from always shooting in the same locations.
really wish that i should have incorporated my artistic skills in my work and just be me, have a first hand knowledge about marketing and how to approach photography from photojournalistic point of view.
i wish i started networking sooner, I would have learnt so much faster but i live in a cut throat area with not many friendly photographers....i had to learn everything i know myself. I've made some amazing friends along the way though!
I wish I would have spent more money! I should have had a blog and a GOOD site from the get go. And avoided the cheesy editing I did back in the day. You know, the all black and white except for the flowers kind of stuff?
I used to do shots that I thought other people would like until I kicked myself and did like you said-- what showed through at that moment... So much BETTER!!
