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13. Business Procedures

Selling is about the most important part of your business both before and  after you shoot the wedding. Whatever your method of making the original contact—advertising, telephone solicitation, direct mail, or other—it will turn out a total loss if you can't get the couple to say yes, and to leave a deposit.

Salesmanship Before the Wedding

The person showing the sample albums is the hub of all your operations —the person who gets that "Yes, we'd like you to shoot our wedding." Not everyone is qualified to sell. A likeable personality, sincerity, and knowing the business are all important. With the turning of each page there should be an easy, running commentary that points out the quality of the photographs, the detail in the gown or cake, the effective draping of the gown, the realistic third dimensional effect of available light, the grouping of the bridal party, the beauty of a synchro-sunlight portrait, etcetera, etcetera, etcetera.

If the couple you are seeing are friends or relatives of someone whose wedding pictures you have done—and done well—you will have very little selling left to do. On the other hand, if your contact is in response to one of your advertisements or solicitations, selling will not be easy. Your work will have to sell itself, you will have to sell yourself and the prices will have to sell themselves. At first everything you say will be open to suspicion—you are try­ing to get their business. But the longer you can keep them interested, the friendlier they will get. If you are sincere, little by little their suspicions will disappear. This often takes an hour or more.

What do you say to them? Nothing and everything. Be enthusiastic about your photography. Know your competition and be honest in your replies to their questions. You will need no prepared talk, the right words will come out.

Sample Albums

Your sample candid wedding albums are your most important salesmen. Silent though they are, they can say enough to make or break your sale. The average prospective bride and groom may not know much about the techni­calities of photography but they have been conditioned by the ever present advertising photograph to sense a good picture. If your work has not im­pressed them they are not apt to tell you so. Instead, they will put you off by saying they would like to think it over.

There are two ways of putting together a sample book. One is to include about thirty pictures showing the same bride in the sequence in which they were taken. There is a reason for stopping at this number instead of including more of your work. Often the couple will ask the price of an album the size of the sample. Most couples have a vague idea of the cost of candid wedding coverage, and a price of $150 or more for a book of fifty pictures may frighten them away. It is true that after trying one or two more studios they will realize that your prices are competitive and that wedding albums are not inexpen­sive. But this is little consolation, once the other studio has signed them.

The other way to compile a sample book is to use a different bride (and groom) for every picture. This will increase the possibility of your customer's recognizing one of the bridal couples. Up to now they have been judging your work with caution. They know it is your best. But, if "Mary's" or "John's" pictures "turned out" well enough to be used as samples. . . . You should have a different album for each of the three major faiths: Catholic, Protestant, Jewish.

3D, on the other hand, is no problem as the transparencies are individ­ual. The couple will usually start with your basic price (see below). Most couples will not be too concerned with the cost of the extra slides until they are ready to order. If your work is good, the temptation will be too great for them to resist buying more pictures. They will rationalize their photo­graphic expenditures with, "You only get married once!"

Appointment Books

The following is the format I use in entering an appointment in my books. (One is my personal pocket size loose-leaf notebook; the other is an appoint­ment book for the office.)

Date of wedding        Time of ceremony

Black & White        3D                35mm slides  8x10 color prints Bride's   last   name)
First names as they will appear on album cover Groom's last name) Bride's home address and telephone Where bride is dressing—at home, or elsewhere Church: address, denomination, and time (double check time) Distance from bride's house to church

Place of reception, address, telephone (so photographer can be reached)
Time of reception
Number in bridal party 
Deposit: cash or check

This same information is repeated in the office appointment book on the page of the wedding date.

70, 71. An over-all photograph of fairly large reception halls cannot be taken from the floor with a single flashbulb. It may he done, however, from an eleva­tion such as a balcony or stairway. Extension cords for supplementary flash are an invitation to an accident and slave units are usually impossible under these circumstances. Available light is frequently the answer. It is best to wait until the guests are seated for dinner so movement will be at a minimum. These pictures show two solutions to this problem. The one left was made with a Rolleiflex with Tri-X film and the couple posed for a 6-second exposure at f/11. The picture right was made with a Nikon using the 35mm Nikkor lens and Tri-X film exposed at 1/30 second and f/8 and developed in FR X-500 (diluted 1:10). If you cover with sheet film you might take along one or two holders with Royal-X Pan film to cope with situations such as this.

When the couple order on their proofs, a card is filed with the same in­formation but under the groom's last name, and including their new address and telephone number. Negatives can be filed under the groom's name in alphabetical order. I use a 5x7 envelope with a flap to keep the dust out. A shoe box makes a good file.

Promotion

Promotion, photographically speaking, is the art of getting people to buy more than they had originally intended. It is selling the icing on the cake. Promotion is a vital yet sensitive part of the photography business. It is vital, particularly to studios, for the additional revenue it provides can mean the difference between profit and loss. It is sensitive, in that it must be treated with a light hand; pressed too hard it can frighten business away. It calls for intuition and the power of suggestion. The salesperson skilled in promotion never feels it necessary to apply the discomforting tactics of high pressure. He suggests. With subtlety and imagination he endows the item he is selling with more value and desirability than the money it costs. And after the wedding the customer ends by believing that everything ordered was his wish—and neces­sary to his happiness. This type of promotion can be likened to radio's and television's "soft sell." We are being sold and we like it!

Here are some of the extras or "icing" that can be suggested by the can­did wedding photographer when the couple is ordering.

Black and white: A musical album instead of the standard type; small albums for the parents; coloring of photos; wallet size photos or "Thank you" cards; an 8x10 copy of their wedding announcement for the first page of the album; 11x14 or larger prints of their candid wedding portraits, possibly col­ored; frames.

Color: Color enlargements from 35mm or stereo transparencies; an elec­trically powered viewer instead of the battery one.

With either black-and-white or color coverage of the wedding, an after-the-wedding studio sitting of the bride may be suggested. The gown, other than needing a pressing, usually is in good condition. Even if the train or hem is soiled, it should be no deterrent as the most popular composition for a bridal portrait, is three-quarter length.

The after-the-wedding studio sitting may serve as the basis for a "heavy oils" portrait. Heavy oils are used to opaque the background and accentuate the hair, eyes, lips, gown, veil, flowers, etc., to simulate an artist's painting of a portrait. Prices are more expensive than those charged for tints, and can best be determined by comparing those current with your local studios.

Stereo

A good promotional item is a case that holds the stereo slides and viewer. It is made with a white cover and gold leaf lettering, to simulate a wedding album. The interior has compartments and is in velvet or attractive materials. Suggest color enlargements from single stereo frames. Suggest a duplicate set of stereos with viewer for the parents.

My practice has been to have my 3D stereos mounted. They are shown in the cardboard mount and only the ones selected by the couple are put in frames. It is more than worth the difference in processing costs.

When the stereos are being selected, a great deal of time may be saved by projecting a single frame in a 35mm projector instead of looking at them in the viewer. You can control the time of each frame's projection, whereas with the viewer, it is held as long as each person wishes to hold it! It is the first time they are seeing them—and they are reluctant to let them go. And where more than the couple are present, this may run into hours of time. Be­fore projecting the rest of the candid wedding, let the couple see their formals in the 3D viewer. This will satisfy their desire to see what the stereo is like.

How to Charge for Your Pictures

One way to charge is for each picture, with a 20- to 24-picture album minimum. A general price is $3 for each photo whether it is in the book or in a folder.

Another method is a package deal. A competitive price is in the neigh­borhood of $75 or $85 and consists of:

20 photos including the album and gold leaf lettering 1 11x14 tinted photograph of the bride, or bride and groom 10 or 12 "Thank You" photo cards.

Each additional photo is about $3 whether it is in the book or in a folder. The general practice is to submit either a black and white or sunproof of each negative. Through these the couple can select the pictures for their album and also the ones they will give as gifts. "Thank-you" cards are on deckle-edge paper, usually 41/4x51/2 inches, or a wallet size folder with a picture of the couple and a "Thank You" message. With the folder type, a wallet-size photo is inserted; with the deckle-edge type, a mask that your dealer can supply, is needed.

Frequently individual members of the bridal party ask you to take pic­tures of themselves. What should you charge them for prints? Charge the same price the bridal couple is paying for their extras (about $3) but add a dollar to the price of the first photo to cover the cost of postage, handling, and a photo-mailer.

Type of Albums

The album used by most studios is of the "slip-in" type. The photographs are easily slipped into the album leaves and are protected by a sheet of acetate. The cover is of a washable (composition) material. "Our Wedding Day" is on the cover in gold leaf. The bride's and groom's first names and their wedding date is added to the cover when the album is ordered. All camera shops carry one or more of this style album. A second type with a genuine leather cover, comes in several colors. Ivory is appropriate and very popular. It can be pur­chased in both the slip-in and dry-mount type leaf. The leather album is about twice the price of the washable album.

Suggest small albums for the parents. An average price, including a good quality small album is: twelve photos for $20 and $1.50 for each additional print. The usual size of these photos is 4x5.

For Stereo (3D Color)

An average price is $75 to $80 for 20 stereo slides with viewer; $3 for each additional slide. Stereo pairs should be bound in a metal or plastic binder and the film should be protected by plastic or glass.

When you are taking 3D formals, also take similar pictures in black and white. These pictures should be made of the bride, bride and groom, bridal party, and of the parents with the couple so that prints can be ordered for gifts. The extra black-and-white photos will add substantially to the size of the total order. The couple can be informed that, with the use of a Stereo-Daptor (or a similar unit), stereo slides can be viewed—though not in 3D— using many 35mm projectors that do not have this accommodation built in.

Color Prints—A Cost Item!

72, 73. Here are two other "gag shots" which are frequently included in albums. In photo at left the groom is posed watching the bride being kissed by a friend. In picture at right the bride watches disapprovingly as the groom drinks with a member of the party. The success of pictures such as these will depend on how much the couple wants to "ham" for the camera. (72: Konica III; Plus-X; 80 w/s unit, 1/200, f/8. 73: Rolleiftex; Tri-X; 60 w/s unit, 1/250 second, f/8; films developed in Microdol.)

Kodacolor and Type C paper can produce fine prints, but the day has not arrived when the average photographer can go into his darkroom and "knock-off" a color print. It's not that easy. In fact, it's quite hard for even an experienced candid wedding photographer to make a good color print. Though he may be equipped to do it, the process involves numerous steps and con­siderable time.

The film is here, the paper is here, but why has it not caught on like wildfire, as has 3D stereo color? For one thing, color print making as we have said, is not simple enough for most photographers to handle. And it is time consuming. For another, having prints made by commercial laboratories, though reasonable for an occasional print, adds up to a lot of money for an album of 30 or more photographs. Let us break down the costs of producing a candid wedding in 8x10 color prints.

These are Kodak's prices on cost of film and processing.
Kodacolor Firm, cost of 4 No. 120 rolls @ $1 per roll $                 4.00
Flashbulbs                                                                                      4.25
Processing of film @ $.90 per roll                                                   3.60
Set of 48 2Y4X2V4 color proofs @ $.32 per print                        15.36
Cost of 30 8x10 Type C prints @ $3.50 per print (This is the rub)  105.00
Album for 30 photographs                                                              13.00
Gold leaf lettering                                                                            1.00
Total                                                                      (Approximate) $146.21

74. (opposite). One customary incident at many weddings is for the bride to throw her garter to the boys in the audience. This photo shows the groom removing the garter just before it is tossed. The gown should not be raised above the knee lest the picture cease to be amusing and become bad taste. The other people in the group should all be looking in the same direction,
either at the garter itself or at the couple. I usually stage this shot sometime before the garter is actually thrown in order to secure it without being hurried. (Rolleiflex; Tri-X; 60 w/s electronic flash, 1/250, f/8; developed in Microdol.)

75. (above). A key photo is the one of the bride throwing her bouquet to the girls in the wedding party. The bride should stand on an elevation, frequently the stairs. She should, turn her back to the girls (as tradition dictates) and at the count of three throw her flowers and quickly turn to face the group. The girls should be about 15 to 20 feet from the bride. The picture may be made
either on a line with the group of girls or at one side of the bride next to her throwing arm. Do not be in a hurry to shoot, but wait until the bouquet has nearly reached the group when there will be the greatest animation. In the shot of the bride throwing the garter she can be in the same spot with the boys where the girls stood. (Busch Pressman; Tri-X; 80 w/s electronic flash
unit, 1/200 second, f/8; developed in DK-50.)

76. Waving good-bye from the car makes another interesting -final picture. Shoot from about 12 to 15 feet and be sure that the faces are not obstructed by windshield wiper, rear view mirror or window post. (Rolleiflex; Tri-X; 80 w/s electronic flash unit:, 1/250 second, f/9; developed in MicrodoL)

In the New York area prices now average about $250 for an album with 24 color prints. The ordinary couples that make up the buying public, and provide the major part of our business, can't afford these prices! It might pay the candid wedding photographer to price the independent laboratories as many are offering special discounts to attract the photographic trade. But no matter what the discount, the cost to the photographer is still heavy.

But why not suggest one roll in color of the formals (they are especially beautiful when taken outdoors) and a shot or two in church? The balcony and floor shots are very dramatic in color. The color photographs, in their proper sequence, can be added to the black-and-white album, or be placed in folders, to be given as gifts.

Duplicate the color photos in black and white until you know what you are doing. For a start, why not shoot an occasional roll on speculation? But familiarize yourself with this type of color so that if that day arrives when your favorite photo mag's headlines shout "Costs no more than black and white; Color prints in a minute; Do it yourself." You will be ready. We can dream, can't we?

Method of Payments

Different locations, different clientele, require individual handling. But you will never find yourself getting into trouble if you keep your candid wed­ding business strictly on a cash and carry basis. Following is the method of payment practiced by most studios:

77. This -picture is posed to sug­gest the couple stealing away. An alternative is to have them embrace cheek-to-cheek and wave good-bye. You may end the album with a picture such as this. (Minolta Autocord; Tri-X; 80 w/s unit, 1/200, f/11.)

1. A substantial deposit ($25.00 or more) when the wedding is booked.
   
   
2. When the pictures are ordered, one half of the remaining balance.
   
   
3. The final balance when the work is picked up.

With this method the payments are stretched over a period of several months. The payments are easier for the couple and at the same time the studio is covering its expense by working with the couple's money.

Bookkeeping

Compared to most retail businesses the daily transactions of a photo­graphic studio are few. Also, not many items are necessary for its operation and about half a dozen suppliers can fill your needs. Bookkeeping for a studio is simple,

 Your books are the barometer of your business. They let you know how it is faring and can foretell weaknesses in its structure. At any time you can see how you stand. Simple though they may be, they must be accurate. A man new in business is wise to retain an accountant to set up a bookkeeping system and to have him check the books periodically. At the end of the year he can attend to your income tax reports and by taking advantage of every allowance to which your business is legally entitled, possibly save you money. His busi­ness is business and his advice can be invaluable. The cost of his services is reasonable. With time you will become familiar with his system and might decide to keep your own books.

What Does a Candid Wedding Cost You?

Now that you know what to charge for a candid wedding, what does each one cost you in terms of materials, processing, albums, etc.? Here is the approximate breakdown for two types of candid weddings: The black-and-white wedding, and the 3D Color (Stereo) Candid. Listed only are direct shooting costs. Overhead and similar items have been eliminated as they vary greatly. If you're a free-lance who shoots only on weekends and has no studio, they will be negligible. Also eliminated are the extra black-and-white shots you'll take when covering a 3D Candid.

Cost of Producing a Black-and-White Candid (approximate)

1. Film (4x5 sheet film)                                                               $ 6.50
2. Flashbulbs                                                                                 5.50
3. Developer   (for film)                                                                   .60
4. Proofs (paper)                                                                             .60
5. Developer (for proofs and prints)                                                 .25
6. Paper (8x10) for book of 30 pictures, allowing an extra
   sheet for every four prints.                                                          3.00
7. Paper for  10 extra prints in folders,  allowing an extra
   sheet for every four prints.                                                            .90
8. Alburn: washable type with leaves for thirty prints.                     13.00
9. Gold-leaf lettering of couple's names                                           1.00
10. 10. Folders for extra prints (10)                                                  1.60
                                                                                              Total 
                                                                                                  $32.95

Where electronic flash, film pack or roll film are used in place of the above items, an adjustment in costs must be made. The above is a cost of ma­terials alone, and does not include such expenses as car, depreciation of equip­ment, rent, telephone, advertising, stamps, etc. For the man who shoots an occasional candid wedding and whose darkroom is at home, the addition of about three dollars should cover his gasoline, stationery and postal charges.

Approximate Cost of Producing a Candid in 3D Color  (Stereo)

1. Film, 56 exp. 2 rolls (28 exp. to a 35 exp. roll) $5.20
   
   
2. Film (2 rolls) Processed & stereo mounted (Kodak's price)   7.00
   
   
3. Flashbulbs                                                   5.00
   
   
4. Frames                                                        3.50
   
   
5. Viewer                                                      12.75

   Total                                                                $33.45

78. (left). I designed this bracket to hold several cameras. The inside dimen­sions are 11% inches by 16% inches and the material is 1x3/16-inch alumi­num strip which is available in many hardware stores. Quarter-inch holes with 20 threads per inch were tapped in three sides of the frame to hold cameras and lights. The piece at right angles on the bottom acts as a stand.  The electronic flash reflector is on a tilt-top head and adjusts for bounce light.

79. (right). This is my equipment for wedding coverage: a case; Matador 1 electronic flash; Rolleiflex with Rolleimeter; GE Guardian meter with Dyna-Cell; another Rollei; a Mamiya 6 and Konica III; a tripod, cable release, lensshade and 10X neutral density and yellow fllters. The bracket is 11% inches high with 5%4nch ana 7%-inch arms. It will take one or two cameras and a
flash unit.