 |
|
Using Facebook in my Wedding Photography Business
|
| Yesterday I logged onto Facebook's F8 Conference via the live stream. I listened to pre-keynote chatter from the hosts and by the time I got settled onto my couch, I laughed in front of my laptop as Andy Samberg imitated Mark Zuckerberg. SLOW POKE!!! How many exclamation points can I use in a post? Let's see!!! |
While the entire presentation was close to three hours in length, I watched the entirety because I felt Zuckerberg's annoucement about Facebook's new Timeline was important. And imperative to how I do business. Yes, I consider Facebook an intergral piece of my business. It has, by far, been one of the most effective marketing tools for my wedding photography and I'm excited for what's in store!
And there's another exclamation point. Lemme just tell you, I'm gonna annoy you! |
In case you missed it, you can read more about what, exactly, Timeline is here on this Facebook blog post. Okay, so now what? How will the new changes impact my business?
*Timeline gives my clients on Facebook the ability to archive their wedding...and highlight it as an important moment in their lives. This will most likely result in a larger picture and denoted as a milestone. No longer will my photos disappear down a rabbit hole of status updates or buried in photos of what a bride ate for dinner. The wedding is highlighted...and archived as a big deal. If a client's friend is looking at huge moments in my client's life, my photos will come up. And when my photos appear, that's marketing. Priceless archival marketing.
*The new ticker is a great feature as well and I'm excited to see how companies in the photo industry begin to create apps that allow clients to interact with their friends, specifically related to her wedding photos. For instance, if a client is viewing her online proofing gallery through a Facebook app, the ticker can notify her that her friend is looking at the images too. Perhaps the bride can start a chat with her friend through FB about the wedding images I captured. Awesomesauce.
*The apps within Facebook are freaking sick. Facebook is basically replicating what Apple has created with phone apps, but juiced up like a cast member of the Jersey Shore. You can download an app within Facebook that will allow you to connect with friends via similarities. Right now the apps are focused on movies, lifestyle, and music, but they're evolving and I have no doubt photo sharing capabilities are the next roll out.
All of this is new to me. I'm still trying to navigate how it'll play out in my business, but it's important to stay ahead of the game. Clients adapt much faster to Facebook changes and I need to find ways to help them talk. About their wedding photos, but--moreso--about the person who captured their photos. Me. And you, if we're willing to work hard.
Just to show how vital Facebook is to my business, here's a recent example. Last weekend two of my brides happened to be guests at the same wedding. An entire year after their weddings, and this is what unfolded: |
Yes, Bree and Keren are still connecting...with each other...with me...and creating the type of conversations that drive connections/business my way. For this, I'm thankful. And I see a bright future! <-- exclamation point
Happy Friday! |
    
W e stood with thousands and sang at the top of our lungs. The floor shook and the dark room was illuminated with camera phones, kinda like lighters from the 80s adhering to a safety code. An auditorium filled with strangers just an hour before morphed into a time and place when we connected. With Bon Iver.
For me, the first connection happened on my computer. Like most things in life these days. I became obsessed with their music and the edgy folk quality to Justin Vernon's voice. If I was being honest, it was his voice (and the Fleet Foxes station on Pandora) that helped me through some crazy times this year.
So I sang. With Bon Iver. With JD. With thousands of strangers because--in that moment--life stood still. And I? I felt invincible. |
| We actually had reservations at a restaurant in Los Angeles, but traffic was so bad we pulled off in Costa Mesa and ate at Ortica. And while it doesn't seem like a big deal, THIS IS THE STORY OF OUR LIVES. We make plans, and then we change them because life never works the way we plan. In fact, we made plans for our anniversary next week and--after changing them three times--simply decided we'll celebrate our anniversary once we get time for ourselves. After looking at our calendar, we ain't celebrating until December. But that's okay. JD planned a month of small celebrations (like concerts, wine tasting, and buying a NRFB retro-inspired dress) to ensure we know we're exactly where we want to be. Together. |
En route to the concert, JD asked where we were headed. Ford Theater, I responded. He asked if I was sure it wasn't at Universal Amphitheater. He bought the tickets and was certain it was at Universal. I shook my head and said FORDFORDFORD. JD asked if I brought a jacket because the Ford is outdoors and my body temperature is that of an amphibian. I, of course, forgot a jacket. I begged him to pull off the Hollywood freeway at stop at a CVS pharmacy for a blanket. Because pharmacies don't sell blankets (who knew?!), I'm now the owner of a $26.99 velour jumpsuit. With rhinestones at the collar.
Oh, and here's the best part: we arrived at Ford and it was completely empty. Not a car in sight.
We made our way to the Universal Amphitheater and I peeled off my jumpsuit.
And then we sang... |
| Here's to ever-changing plans, singing out loud, and velour jumpsuits...happy Thursday, y'all... |
|
Seven Degrees Wedding : Natalie + Joe
|
© Jasmine Star. This post cannot be republished without permission. Stealing makes me sad. |
|
T hey knew she was the one when he picked up yoga as a extracurricular activity. They knew he was the one when she fell ill at a USC game, they left together, but ended up coming back to ensure he saw the end of the game in person. They knew she was the one when he began to dress up and smile more. They knew he was the one when one fateful night in Fullerton, she made room in her heart for only him.
Their friends and family knew when Natalie and Joe met, that was it. It being their ability to function without the other person as their whole. When you meet them, their love, attention, and care to those around them are merely a manifestation of what they feel for each other. And for those around them. They glow knowing they're walking through life with a partner who knows and accepts everything. Wholeheartedly. Last Sunday in Laguna Beach, they vowed to accept each other. Forever. And right then, they (friends, family, Natalie, and Joe) knew life was nothing short of perfection.
Natalie and Joey Star...you're the best! Thank you for welcoming me like an old friend and allowing me to capture your love. And your friends. And your family. And everything in between! Your wedding was amazing and I was honored to be a small part of the day you married your best friend. Enjoy Thailand and be sure to eat pad thai and think of me. I mean, why wouldn't you be thinking of me on your honeymoon?! ;) Much Love and Appreciation... j* |
| Many thanks to Kelly Zhang and her team for makeup and hair... |
| Like always, I absolutely lovelovelove when clients opt to see each other before the wedding ceremony. It allows for a perfect flow of events and more time to enjoy wedding photos...and here's Joe's priceless reaction to his bride... |
| JD captured this moment...and the light at Pelican Hill was spectacular... |
| After the First Look, we headed to Seven Degrees in Laguna Beach for the wedding and the day couldn't have been more perfect... |
| Because we completed all family pictures and bridal party pictures before the ceremony, we had plenty of time to roam the Seven Degrees property and capture more wedding photos... |
| I cannot express how much I loved working with such an amazing and talented group of wedding professionals...Platinum Weddings by Kerrie and her team were absolutely fantastic and made the day flow effortlessly. Love her! |
| The First Dance captured by JD |
| Many thanks to Tasos of LSM Entertainment for orchestrating a wonderful reception at Seven Degrees...as well as bump the awesome of jams. Yes, I just said jams. And special shout out to Elysium Productions for being the most amazing videographers to work with and providing that video light I just adore! |
| And this right here? This is what Happily Ever After looks like... |
I 've probably mentioned it before, but I'm totally serious when I said my mother didn't want me to date until I was 30 years old. Sure, every mom says it, but my dear mother even bought books for me endorsing the notion of kissing dating goodbye. I'd roll my eyes and think to myself, The only kissing I want to do is ON A DATE! Of course I couldn't admit this because my mom would think my soul was damned and she stand in my doorway at night and pray me out of my pathway to hell.
Oh, and my mom? She also didn't let me watch Smurfs. In addition to the dorky affects of homeschooling, I also had no context of child pop culture except the episodes of Little House on the Prarie I'd watch every afternoon. Hand to heaven.
You could just imagine my worry when I asked my parents if I could go to prom with JD. You mean with a boy, my mom increduously asked. After a series of slammed doors, my mom agreed to let me go to prom...but I had to pay for everything myself. I had a bit of money saved from my telemarketer job, but I barely scratched enough together for my dress, to get my hair and nails did, and enough to speak with proper grammar. |
I wanted to buy prom photos, but I couldn't afford it. And I was torn. My best friend--knowing my love for photos--gave me $100 the day of prom stuffed in an envelope. You know...for pictures, Brianna said.
All these years later, I'll never be able to repay my friend for her kindness. It's one of the few photos I have of me and JD in high school...and though it's absolutely horrific (LOOK! AT! THOSE! BANGS!), I love it for everything it represents: young love and bad hair. |
|
The List : Dealing with wedding day photo requests
|
© Jasmine Star. This post cannot be republished without permission. Stealing makes me sad. |
|
I t happened my first year of shooting weddings on my own. 2007. A couple weeks before the wedding, I received an email from a bride and she attached a photo list. And not just any photo list, it was a five-page, single-spaced, font 11, document itemizing every photograph I should take. As I reviewed it, my heart sank. I was in deep.
The list included requests like:
Photo of the wedding dress in front of a window.
Father walking daughter down the aisle.
The first kiss.
The happy couple walking down the aisle.
I felt like she was holding my hand and walking me through the wedding. And she was...because she didn't trust me.
At the end of five pages, I felt so overwhelmed and sad...and I hadn't even photographed the wedding. By the time the big day came around, I was so nervous and clung to that list like it was it a meal ticket during the Depression. At random moments throughout the day, I'd stop and review the list to ensure I hadn't missed anything. But therein lies the irony: I missed real moments because I was so consumed looking at that list. I was petrified that I'd miss the "dad looking lovingly on daughter from afar" photo request that I missed many of those actual memories. |
When I reviewed the wedding images, I checked off everything on the list, but I stared at a gallery of safe, uncreative, and lackluster photos. Sure, I met her requests, but I lost myself in the process.
Which leads me to now. And that great lesson I learned five years ago. How do I deal with The List today? I try to get in front of it. I don't mind lists, I just tell my clients to create lists around things I may be unaware of. In fact, my contract states that I'm to receive all photo requests two weeks before the wedding for my review...but I also tell brides that the list does not need to include photos I'll get naturally during the day (like, the first kiss). The list, I say, should be comprised of things I need to be aware of.
Here are a few examples:
Parents are divorced (which leads me to ask who can stand with whom and reconfiguration of family photos)
Napkins were made of bride's grandmother's lace dress.
There's a total of six chandeliers, all different from each other.
The groom's sister is in a wheelchair.
2007 was the last time I ever received a list I wasn't proud of. Yes, proud. I'm proud of my brides, proud of their trust in my ability to document their wedding, and proud they chose me as their wedding photographer. Duh. ;)
I hope this helps and Happy Monday! |
2013
|
|
|
2012
|
|
|
2011
|
|
|
2010
|
|
|
2009
|
|
|
2008
|
|
|
2007
|
|
|
|
