How I booked my first Wedding

So, where does one get the word out when you start out as a photographer...? I told friends, family, put it out in Facebook, Instagram but I still didn’t seem to be reaching much clientele. For me it was a lot of trial and error. I live in Southern California and it’s a pretty Big place to market to. There’s also A LOT of competition.. I started to research the other photographers in the area, following the big fish on YouTube and decided to try advertising. I created a website and a logo and went to work!

My first wedding actually came from yelp. I was so nervous but it couldn’t have been a better couple to start off with. They were so easy going and didn’t have any high expectations considering the extremely low price I gave them for being my first wedding couple. It was a catholic wedding and not to mention the whole thing was in Spanish, which I don’t speak. Talk about a challenging way to break into the business! But that didn’t stop me. I was determined to get some good shots and a great review! And I did ;)

(Shortly after I changed the changed my business name to Ever After Photography).

I don’t know how most Photographers get their first break but I wanted a fast track to get a wedding portfolio, experience and money to buy better equipment.

Advertising worked for me to get my feet off the ground.

I also tried apps like Bark and Thumbtack where you pay to send quotes or receive leads which eventually lead to referrals. So for someone starting out in the business, I hope this helps. You have to start somewhere. I have also come across a few wedding photographers who started out second shooting. I'm sure this is an easier method then I took. You get to observe and learn without all the pressure.

There are plenty of ways to start your journey, this was the beginning of mine! Until net time.

~Nikolette