Training & Mentoring - Wedding Photography

Investment

I am hugely lucky to say I am a full time professional Manchester based wedding photographer. Every weekend, I head out to some of the country’s nicest venues, photograph incredible weddings, eat good food and then have the rest of the week off – haha, of course not on that last one. However, to get to the stage I am at now took many many hours of hard work. I have built a wealth of knowledge and experience with what I do. I’m still learning too, everyone is, but I am offering some 1-2-1 bespoke wedding photography training and mentoring courses that will help give your own wedding photography business the push it needs. I was a teacher for 6 years, and the teacher in me wants to share what I know – so nothing held back, I’m here to help you.

Below are details of the training I offer, and information regarding my long-term wedding photography mentoring programme. Please note that all courses are 100% tax deductible against your own business.

Wedding Photography Training

Ryan Rafferty – “The hours I spent with David were absolutely invaluable to my work as a photographer. Often, as professional photographers, we have the tendency to get absorbed in our own world, continuing doing things because “that’s the way we always did it”. David’s 1 to 1 sessions are a real shake up – he takes you back to basics and gets you to analyse why you are working the way you are. David is a natural teacher – he lets you discover things for yourself as opposed to simply telling you what to do. Without exaggeration, the work I put in following my first session with David saw me increase my inquiries by almost 50%. Honestly speaking, forget cameras, lenses, adwords and SEO – this was the best money I’ve ever invested in my business.”

I will be sharing anything and everything about my own business. Examining then scrutinising your business. Solid advice on how to evolve and grow. The goal being for you to leave full of confidence knowing what direction to take your business, leading it towards a more successful and profitable one.

Mentoring Introduction

Herve Gillet – “David change my vision of wedding photography. After 15 years as a wedding photographer in England, I thought I knew everything. David open my eyes, my style changed and I enjoy ever more now photographing weddings. I can’t thanks David enough”

Wedding Photography mentoring has been set-up aimed specifically at those who are looking to take their business to the next level. The aim is very simple, for you to be given the help and guidance needed to run a more successful and profitable business. I have the knowledge, experience and expertise to not only improve your shooting ability, but more importantly, to expand and streamline each business aspect. Having a successful wedding photographer continually by your side, guiding you along the correct path, is a recipe for your success.

1-2-1 Zoom Sessions (2 hours)

You have my attention and sole focus for 2 hours. I have a series of questions to ask you before we start helping me give you the very most I can from the time by making a plan ahead of the session. I’m very good at making you see things differently, filling your head with new ideas of how to push your business to new limits. This can be much larger or global strategies with wider considerations throughout your business, or closely targeting a specific area a really delve into the specifics and/or advanced strategies. It could simply be a portfolio critique to give you advice on how to approach situations different with the camera to make better images, or for me to help you select the right images to promote yourself and your brand.  It could be discussing how to approach a prospective client meeting to raise your booking rate, or how to take a prospective client on a journey through your website to raise the number of enquiries you get without increasing the number of visitors you get.

Every session with every photographer I work with is unique. I average 2 to 3 wedding photography training 1-2-1 Zoom sessions a week with photographers from all over the UK. I simply can’t conduct a session and anyone ever think it wasn’t worth every penny they paid, I make sure of this.

1-2-1 In-Person Full Day Session (7.5 hours) plus Follow-Up

This is very much the same as conducting a Zoom session as above, however you have my attention for a full day in person, either at mine or at yours (extra if outside 50 miles from M41). The added bonus of the full day is to do a complete overhaul of your business from the inside out. There is the time to give you lots of information all in one day, leaving you with many to-do lists afterwards. As with the Zooms, planning and preparation will be carried out before the session so you get the most from it. Included in the price is a 1 hour Zoom follow-up conducted at a time suitable to you on another date, maybe a month later for me to assess your changes.

Real Wedding Shadowing

Have a brilliant business approach will help any wedding photographer, but as photographers we need to learn to take better photos for our clients. Having a stronger portfolio enables too things – to be able to justify a higher price, and to attract more couples to book you. A win-win for your business. I have now photographed over 300 weddings, and I am still learning to take better photos, this journey never stops. However, I have 300 weddings worth of experience to pass on to others. If you are looking for ‘awesome’ off-camera flash, posing with models, or some crazy smoke-bomb action, I’m NOT your guy (I can recommend some good educators for this). My style is predominantly documentary and this is what I do best. I can teach you this. Even if you wouldn’t describe yourself as this type of photographer, most the wedding day you are forced to shoot the action as it happens. I can help you take better photos.

Real Wedding shadowing is where you can come along to one of my weddings in a shadowing capacity. This does not mean you are 2^nd shooting. I will still photograph the day as if I were on my own (giving the couple my 100% undivided attention to get them the best photos). However, no pressure is given to you to get anything in particular. This enables you to do two things. 1) Watch and learn how I do it. Watch me at a real wedding, shooting live, then we can look through my photos afterwards, or during the meal if time. 2) Take photos yourself to boost your own portfolio.

My disclaimer on real wedding shadowing is that other than the meal when it might be possible to discuss things when the guests are eating, the couple do have my 100% attention to get the best photos. No direct training happens at my weddings, without exception. My only focus is to get the best photos possible for the couple who have hired me. I even have a shadower’s agreement I you agree to before shadowing.

1-2-1 Couples Shoot Day

I get asked all the time how my couples look so comfortable and relaxed in my couple’s photos, without it looking too staged or forced. The aim of the 1-2-1 couples shoot day is to teach you everything I know in this regard. I put a shout-out for any real couples (not models – important this!) who would like some free photos in return for helping on the day. The couples are photographed in an engagement shoot type situation. This is the basic plan:

9:30am – 10:30: Arrival on location (Manchester city centre), introductions, scouting location, expectations etc

10:30 – 12:30: Couple 1, I take the lead for the first 30 minutes showing you how I approach photographing them. Then I ask you to start to take over, or even re-do what we have already done. All under my guidance. The couple understand it is a training session and therefore wait patiently while we discuss everything from light, composition and moment, and anything else you need.

12:30 to 14:30: lunch, back-up images, image review, selecting the best ones, if time edit a few up.

14:30 to 16:00: Couple 2, You start by taking the lead, and I assist when required. Always under my guidance. The end of this couple is then looking at more advanced techniques, trying something new.

16:00 – 17:30: back up of images, image review, selecting best ones, if time edit a few up, conclusions, next steps.