I am finding it nearly impossible to find contract wedding photographers for our studio. The kind who wants 30-60 dates with us.
We do over 250 weddings a year and turn down roughly 50-100 a year. I need more talented shooters and I don't even know where to begin. We have tried Craigslist, newspaper, and Facebook. But we either get qualified photographers who live at least an hour away or complete amateurs with zero gear and portfolio.
Please help!
Where do you find your shooters?
I'd assume the really good shooters, with top gear, and a solid portfolio would be running their own businesses and already have enough on their plate. Best option I think you can do is look for golden nuggets who can shoot very well in other areas in portraiture, shot less weddings (just breaking in and have minimal experience in weddings), have good enough gear to handle a 50-100 person small wedding. At least an hour away from the venue may work for some... who are breaking in. I know I would travel 1 hour for weddings at no cost but I am breaking, but since the market is too expensive to break in and get a decent piece of the pie I am slowly stepping away from weddings and focusing in other areas the area I can take bigger piece of the pie like for my area lacks headshots photogs so I am concentrating in that right now for business end of things.
If you seriously need help and can't do the above, I guess you may need to talk to your competitors who need extra work and willing to go lower than their asking prices for you can still earn a profit. But I seriously think targeting peeps who are breaking in but still has a very strong sense of portraiture overall is key if your approach truly did not work.
Maybe you should re position yourself in the market. Become more exclusive. I never did wedding photography as a continuing full time career. I did weddings part time while holding down a full time job. I did run training courses on wedding photography and thus never had any shortage of good up and coming photographers to work with me.Maybe consult with a good business adviser.I always had a second shooter with me and found being a mentor and trainer very rewarding.Another way would be to create a franchise and therefore get some of the profit from others running their own businesses.Mind you I think that would be a very difficult option.Good luck.
Thanks Chris and Geoff! Both good ideas. Your right Chris, those are the candidates we usually go for. And Geoff, we have considered other options but love the direction were going in currently.
My real question is where do i find them? I have posted on craigslist, newspaper and facebook. There has to be a website for contract photographers looking for work. Just can't seem to find one. Where do the contract photographers find their jobs? FYI we are in northern NJ
Some folks have touched on it but i think you maybe have to adopt a sports mentality and build a farm system, some of those amateurs with zero gear might have potential, maybe look at bring the most promising along, I know as someone who only shoots for someone elses brand, I use the money to get the gear I did not have when I started. I have moved from being only second shooter to now she is happy to offer me as an option when she is booked on the day. We are now looking for another me from a few years ago, i.e. someone with potential and drive to act as second for either of us as needed and bring along the same path.