How To Become A Professional Commercial Wedding Photographer

Awesome, I mean really awesome. I planned on taking a week or so to get through all the chapters. I burned through them in 4 days. It's like a great book that you can't put down. The content didn't feel like a lame class. It felt like you were hanging out with Lee and Pat in the garage and they were passing on all of their secrets to success. I'm especially happy about how they included 2 other photographers to show different perspectives and ideas. I can now take all this info, tweek it to suit my style, and keep pressing forward with my vision and plans. Thanks guys. 

Well What can I say !!!! the Best money I've ever spent on line this DVD on How to become a Commercial wedding Photographer from Lee Morris & Patrick is a must have for all Photographers to have >>>> From Chapters 1 to 8 . I always go back and refer to them as well !!!! and give the video to my Junior Photographers as well.... Whatever these guys publish I will buy !!!! as they know what's it all about ....

Cheers

John Haldezos

A1 Photographic Designs

$300 invested into something that doesn't have glass on the front is a hard spot of cash to part with for a startup studio like the one I work for. It's easy to overlook investing in education in preference to investing in equipment, but there is REAL value in education like the kind found in this video tutorial!

It could be argued that all the information found in this video can be had online for free. I would counter that, pretty strongly. Having spent hours searching for video and written tutorials about photography in general and wedding photography specifically online, I can tell you that about 75% of the advice I find is either outdated, dumb, too boring and badly produced to watch, or all of the above. How much is your time worth?

In fact, it was during one of these searches that I came across the promo content from this tutorial posted on Youtube. The first thing that struck me was how nice the lighting and sound is. So many online tutorials are shot with bad equipment, in bad light, with horrible audio. But with the fstoppers video I was immediately drawn into the content, not repulsed. The instructors (Patrick & Lee) were informative, funny, and easy to listen to. To top it off we learned many useful tricks in watching the free content provided. It hooked us. The photographer I assist felt he wanted more information like that, and purchased the full tutorial.

Now on to the information: There's a ton here. First of all, there is a lot of helpful technical camera and lighting information, especially for the more inexperienced photographer. The photographer I work with has quite a bit of event, portrait, and OCF experience, so this information was helpful at reminding him of a few things, and giving tips for speed and efficiency, but 90% of it he already had a good handle on.

But using the camera is just the start, and really not what I found most helpful, although very well presented. The information that is harder to find online, and much harder to sort through, is in the business end. Client communication, money management, pricing structure, how to build a website and advertise, and most importantly HOW TO SELL YOURSELF as a photographer--these are all topics covered, and from a wide variety of perspectives.

I also enjoyed the interviews that were conducted with photographers doing things differently than Patrick and Lee, although one of those interviewed had a style I found visually appealing, but cold and impersonal (both his photos and his photography business philosophy). Ultimately that was still useful information, because it showed clearly that there is more than one type of client, and so we need more than one type of photographer to fill those needs.

For me, as an assistant and kinda/sorta studio manager, I came away with just as much valuable information as the photographer I work for. I got great tips for assisting by watching Lauren assist in the video, and the social media information on the video was very helpful for me as it's my job to construct ads and manage social media content.

The person I personally feel will get the most out of this video is somebody with a solid background in photography who has a new interest in pursuing wedding photography. Somebody who doesn't even understand how to use a camera in manual would possibly be overwhelmed by the sheer volume of information. That said, somebody who can't work manual on the camera should possibly consider assisting a photographer and learning the basics before attempting to launch a wedding photography career. :) The information is really valuable to anybody who wants to work in the industry as a photographer or videographer in any capacity. But a $300 investment is going to limit this purchase to mostly those who are seriously pursuing wedding photography.

Bottom line, most of us have heard all the horror stories about the job. This video breaks down the business into manageable steps and helps photographers understand just what skills they will need to be a successful wedding photographer. In addition it gives concrete tips and advice for building a business that isn't just profitable, but enjoyable. Great investment, well worth it. Bravo Fstoppers! :)

I watched this dvd set with a friend who recently purchased it. Great product but it has got some flaws, thought id give my say to put in my two pennies worth;

1. You guys failed to focus on the stance, posture and holding a DSLR appropriately to get effective results, to me that is the most important factor to learn as a new or aspiring wedding photographer. Wedding photography is all about capturing that decisive moment in action and it is imperative to focus on these basics.

2. There are some flaws in your techniques whilst capturing the action, you guys seem to focus and recompose even on moving shots which is obvious from the footage that is recorded for this DVD. Action shots are taken using continuous focus with movement of the focus points to precisely nailing that focus. With single point focus system using for action lets say dance shots, one can get lucky but its not 100%. A detailed tutorial/dicussion with another wedding photographer on focus technique would've been better.

3. You should've involved more photographers in this project specially with someone with a knowledge of off camera lighting and someone with a lot of experience in shooting weddings over the years. Cliff Mautner was a great effort and his saying added something extraordinary to it but more wedding photographers should've been involved.

Over all its ok, not sure about the $300 price tag, perhaps you want to release an update for this after getting feedback from various people who have watched this DVD.

UK viewer, only watched 3 sections so far, but this really is great. If you are starting out this really is a good investment of your money and time, i've already picked up so many great tips, and I know I'll be watching this again.. Take notes!!! cheers guys for your effort to this product..

Finally registered here, particularly to review this Production. I was skeptic, as photographing weddings is a significantly part-time affair for me, the investment however has been worth it. I had four weddings done prior to me watching this production, and thought that my technique was solid with the exception of flash photography and my reliance on ambient and large static studio lights. I was fortunate to have another opportunity last month to photograph a wedding, and the difference between what I did before and what was taken after watching this production was huge. I looked back at what I had done in the previous weddings and the images I have for my latest, and the difference is amazing. Its not just the changes I made in equipment, or technique, but the way this production gets you thinking about the entire wedding day – particularly in family formals for me. For Lee and Patrick, keep up the great work. For those on the fence if this production is something you need, no matter the style of photography you involve yourself in, there is something to be learned.