We are back again from the first portion of the interview done with Annabel, a talented young wedding photographer who has passion and drive to survive the tough business world on her own.
You said the market is pretty saturated. Look at all the massive number of booths in Bridal Shows! How do you make sure your brand stay alive and ahead of others?
I provide a personal touch with my clients. My clients place tremendous trust in me. A wedding is a once-in-a-lifetime event, bad photography can screw things up for the happy couple and ruin their precious memories. I take the initiative to help out during the bridal process like what goes on during gatecrashing or tea ceremony. I am also great assuring the bride and helping her with little stuff, from pinning up her hair to teaching her my special way of peeing in her wedding gown to crowd control. Valued added services are important besides taking beautiful pictures!
I have heard of weddings that start from 7 am until 10 pm! That is more than 12hours! Is that common? How do you deal with long working hours?
Yes, it is extremely common. I’m never tired of weddings! It’s an adrenaline rush! To be able to closely participate in someone’s biggest day in their life, knowing this day forward, they are pledging their love to one another makes me feel honorable to be chosen to join them. That gift itself is more than ever to perk me up.
I know brides are always filled with anxiety. I know, I was a monstrous bridezilla once, so how do you deal with someone with unreasonable expectations?
We have our own regulations that we follow strictly – Polite And Professional. I listen with my heart and I ask questions, if there is anything unclear, I always clarify. I provide real life situational advice to all brides and encourage them to leave their anxiety with me.
How do you unwind yourself at the end of the day? How do you keep yourself fresh and inspired?
At the end of the day, I put on music and pour myself a glass of red wine while I go through the day’s events through photo editing. I never like to leave anything undone, prefer to complete what I need to do in the shortest amount of time without compromising quality. I take pride in my fast turnover. That’s important to the couple as they want to see their photos asap!
In your professional opinion, what makes a good wedding photographer? How do you know when to capture the moment?
A good photographer has to have an intuitive sense of situational awareness, able to rouse excitement and emotion within the crowd, be spontaneous, and sensitive to details. Make every single guest remember that you are a special photographer!
Besides weddings, do you do other projects?
We are venturing into corporate production work. As of today, we have expanded to photography, videography, Instant prints, and Animation. Annabel Law Productions is expanding rapidly due to continuous support from great clients!
Last but not least, any advises for aspiring photographers who want to be in the business?
Know what makes you special. Be special and be proud of it. It took me some time to figure that out. Remember wedding photography is not just any other businesses; it is the passion that fuels you to keep on going. A good camera is just like a good paintbrush, without the master holding it, you will never get to enjoy the Mona Lisa.
If you have a job that you are super proud of and wish to share, drop me an email at kally@MiddleMe.net for a discussion.
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