The Pro Photo Business Forum

Are you a wedding photographer?  Thinking of becoming one?  Then here is a great tip.

Make sure to take very flattering images of every reception facility that you find yourself in.  Make prints of these images, making sure to tastefully include your company name and contact information on the image itself, and then send the images to the facility free of charge.  Include an invoice with the images.  Show the value of the images on the invoice, and then show a 100% discount.  List the reason as “professional courtesy”.

If the images are of good enough quality, then possibly the facility manager will use your images as a sales tool to reserve couples for their facility.  The facility manager in essence becomes your agent.  When you have made your vendor images, make sure to deliver them in person.  Use the opportunity to build a professional relationship and contact.  Let them meet you face to face.

Now that you have this general idea of vendor prints, put it to good use.  Send images to the florist.  Who made the cake? Who made the dress?  Who sold the wedding bands? I’ll bet they would love to show your images.

One last thing to keep in mind with vendor prints is the pecking order in which a wedding is planned.  A couple will almost always book their ceremony and reception facility first as this solidifies the wedding date.  After their facilities have been reserved, the bride and groom will begin to look at vendors that can only be in one place at one time.  These include the band, the officiant, and, of course, the photographer.

What does this tell us?  It tells us that the most beneficial people to give vendor prints to are the facility managers and the facility catering directors.  For me, referrals from cake makers are few and far between.

While photographing an event, make it a point to find the facility manager and introduce yourself.  Ask for their business card.  When you make an appointment to drop off the images to the facility, try to schedule your meeting with the manager you met.  During your meeting, ask if the facility has a preferred vendors list that they hand out to their perspective clients.  When you return to the studio, send a thank you card to the manager, thanking them for their time.  Direct them to your website so they can see the quality of your work.  This will make them more willing to add your company to their preferred vendors list.

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By Aric C. Hoek, owner and creator of Ten Houston Wedding Photographers