In January I stated that wedding photographers matter more than ever before and then in February I offered three reasons why wedding photographers don’t matter anymore. What’s the deal?
If you read that second post carefully, you’ll notice that what I was really trying to do was raise a question I believe critical to all wedding photographers. I asked:
How do today’s wedding photographers provide services that best compliment the (free and awesome) efforts of the couple’s family and friends?
Embracing Guests’ Snapshots
This question arose from my experience at my own wedding, in January. Less than 48 hours after Carla and I said “Si” dozens of great photos from our wedding were on FaceBook — thanks our guests. Wow!
These images might not be “wow!” in the pro wedding photographer sense of quality, but we think they are great — uniquely intimate and special. So we want them to be part of our album. I also want to make sure I can archive them with the files our pro photographer handed over.
You might consider this a "crappy snap" or a wedding image "not worthy of a professional photographer," but my wife loves it. And I would have loved it if our professional photographer had offered a service for archiving and sharing such guest snaps.
When I had this Wedding Photography 2.0 experience (something conceptual and practically simply not possible a decade ago) it became clear to me that wedding photographers need to evolve services to best embrace the exciting developments in picture taking and picture sharing?
I have a simple idea for how they can do so, and I like that fact that it’s not reactionary, or defensive — as in: Photographers should be taking much better images to make the guests’ pictures look inadequate.
The fact is that many guest images are great (often because they are not polished) and so I think wedding photographers should honor those guest efforts and, most important, figure out how to use them in a way to enhance their own business and creative efforts.
To address the “competition” from wedding guests, I propose that wedding photographers should integrate wedding guests’ images into their wedding photography services.
Rethinking Wedding Photography In a 2.0 World
I assume that a number of wedding photographers must already be leveraging the snapshots taken by wedding guest. How could they not? But then again, I bet it’s a small percentage of pros. I could see how many wedding photographers would hate the idea. Maybe it would seem to cheapen their own services, or maybe they have simply not considered it, continuing to concentrate on making stellar images and providing stellar services with those images.
However, smartly using images made by guests is a win-win for photographers and clients.
When guests’ images become part of the official wedding coverage, clients will receive much more robust photographic coverage. Not using guests’ images would be like a news magazing depending on only one photographer staff photographer at a major international event, instead of pulling from the photographic riches offered up by a picture agency backed by scores of photographers.
When wedding photographers leverage the images made by guests not only do they greatly expand “their” coverage with little effort, but they also provide clients with an additional, invaluable service that greatly increases their value as an image maker and image deliverer.
For photographers, the practical effort would be mainly in the realm of smart workflow — orchestrating digital asset management from multiple sources.
I think the hardest part of working with the images made by wedding guests is not practical but rather the need for photographers to rethink (perhaps drastically) their role as wedding photographer.
Instead of “just” creating and delivering amazing images, wedding photographers will have to see themselves as someone who orchestrates the whole image experience, smartly leveraging the casual efforts of guests into products (and an experience) that best suits each couple.
My sister snapped this image of my brother snapping shots after our civil ceremony. Like many guests, my brother (clearly) loves taking pictures, and he was pleased as punch that I want to include his best images in our album.
It’s a Whole New, Wedding Photography 2.0 World
“Taking pictures from guests” might seem to go totally against the traditional job of wedding photographers. And, in fact, you might find the idea downright tacky. However, the fact is that wedding guests are taking pictures feverishly and then — by email, FaceBook and/or handing off CDs or DVDs — sharing these images with the wedding couple. To not recognize this fact is silly.
Considering how to integrate wedding guests’ photographs into wedding photography services in a positive, proactive manner could be a smart way to expand services for clients, increase future earnings and attract more clients. It is also an exciting way to help ensure that you retain value as a professional in a constantly evolving marketplace.
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Click here for Part II of this series.
Click here for Part III or this series.
Click here for Part IV of this series.
December 6th, 2011 9:42 am
I like the basic suggestion of this article. Use FB don’t fight it. But along with the amount of cameras increasing so is the knowledge about copyright and ownership of the images. My question is this, Maybe I missed it, but how do you go about tracking down 20 different people from a wedding to get 20 different releases for the photos to be printed by a lab or album company? Granted you can say, Oh, they won’t mind, they will be flattered I used their photo. But where would that put us as an industry?
Maybe the bride can tell them ahead of time? Maybe that will become the norm ” please submit your best photos to Photog@XYZphotographycompany.com ”
Just trying to make this work and protect my company.
October 11th, 2011 7:47 pm
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August 4th, 2011 1:59 pm
What a great idea! I have been pondering how we could somehow gather all the guests photographs and use their images and, sometimes unique views, in a slide show production for the couple. Sounds like a lot of extra time and effort on the professional photographers part. However, it could be that one extra service that sells the couple!
March 20th, 2011 8:04 pm
I have no problem adding casual photogrpaphy into a wedding album, especially if they help tell the story, and I didn’t get a similar shot. I insist on powt processing these additional images myself, so that they have th look band feel of th album.
Li also offr a service to retouch and post process any images they couple wishes to include.
Case in point. My fiqnces good friends hired a wedding photographer qt a very low rate and recited exactly what thy paid for. Bad composition, inadequate lighting, wrong color balance. I gave them en especially good deal, they are close friends aft all. They are ecstatic with the results!
As professionals, we need to rethink the way we do business. I think this is a waynof going the extra distance to give clients what they want.
April 5th, 2011 9:15 am
Thanks for the input, Reid.
I agree, totally. As professionals we need to offer professional services, in all manners — from client service to final delivery. And as we both agree, there is no reason that this cannot include using guests’ “snaps”, especially if, like you, we insist on processing them so that the coverage as a whole has a unified look.