Ok guys, question time! How many of you out there have a desire to get more of your work published?
Getting real weddings published in magazines or on wedding blogs can be great exposure. It can build trust and generate buzz for your brand, get your work in front of potential clients and industry professionals and can be a low-cost form of marketing.
While there are different ways to approach the process of submissions and publication, here are a few things to consider in a wedding timeline format. Following these general tips before, during and after a wedding can help you approach the process of submitting for publication better prepared and with more confidence.
Before the wedding:
Do your research! With the multitude of publications out there, it is so important to get to know them. Allot some time on your daily schedule to familiarize yourself with national wedding blogs. Look at the real weddings that they share and make notes of what they look for. What types of weddings do they publish? What kind of photos? Don’t just learn about the submission requirements and standards, but educate yourself on the unique style and preferences for each publication. For print publications, go to your local book store and buy some wedding magazines. It can be a good idea to start at the local level by researching the print publications in your area.
While you're doing this research, you'll notice that many publications share stories about the couple alongside the photos of their wedding day. Gather this information early! After booking your client, consider having them fill out a Getting to Know You Questionnaire in order to get specific details about the couple and their relationship. Not only will this help you serve your clients better, it is also a convenient tool to return to for a write up on the bride & groom to include with your publication submission.
Most publications also require credits for all of the vendors involved in the wedding. One month prior to the wedding, we ask our brides to fill out a vendor contact form which is part of our Final Details Questionnaire. This gives us all the contact info for the vendors we are working with including their websites and social media handles so we don’t have hunt down that information for publication submissions at a later date. This is also a handy resource for getting the low down on any special details that are unique to your clients that you should be aware of and ready to photography at the wedding.
During the wedding:
Shoot mindfully. Consider the insight you gleaned from all your research and capture the details of the wedding with the goal of publication in mind. This means taking a variety of both horizontal and vertical images as well as paying lots of attention to the unique details that make the wedding stand out from others. Photograph details beautifully styled, take scene-setting shots that show off the location, and make sure to take a good variety of portraits of the bride and groom. Publications like LOTS of details, so if a wedding isn't detail-heavy, try to create detail photos from anything meaningful you can find. Even showcasing details inherent to the venue such as an architectural detail, or foliage is helpful.
After the wedding:
Develop a publishing plan. If you are working with a specific planner on the wedding, or with a bride who has invested interest in where the wedding is published, consult with them when making this plan so that you are all on the same page. We have a "publishing plan" section of our workflow checklist where we choose which blog or magazine we will submit to first, second and third (in case the first or second publications don't pick it up).
Be strategic! Create a folder of 50 - 100 of the best images from that wedding for publication. Choose these with your target publication in mind — mostly including lots of details, scene-setting shots and a few portraits of the bride & groom. Edit these images to be consistent and tell the story of the day.
Finally, be consistent and perseverant! Come up with multiple publication options in case you hear the word “no”. Don’t give up! Like anything you want to do consistently over time, make publication submissions a regular part of your workflow. You'll be amazed at the fruits that will come from this strategy and before you know it, you'll be able to create a page on your website showcasing all of the places your wedding photography has been featured!
Photographers:
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Getting real weddings published in magazines or on wedding blogs can be great exposure. It can build trust and generate buzz for your brand, get your work in front of potential clients and industry professionals and can be a low-cost form of marketing.
While there are different ways to approach the process of submissions and publication, here are a few things to consider in a wedding timeline format. Following these general tips before, during and after a wedding can help you approach the process of submitting for publication better prepared and with more confidence.
Before the wedding:
Do your research! With the multitude of publications out there, it is so important to get to know them. Allot some time on your daily schedule to familiarize yourself with national wedding blogs. Look at the real weddings that they share and make notes of what they look for. What types of weddings do they publish? What kind of photos? Don’t just learn about the submission requirements and standards, but educate yourself on the unique style and preferences for each publication. For print publications, go to your local book store and buy some wedding magazines. It can be a good idea to start at the local level by researching the print publications in your area.
While you're doing this research, you'll notice that many publications share stories about the couple alongside the photos of their wedding day. Gather this information early! After booking your client, consider having them fill out a Getting to Know You Questionnaire in order to get specific details about the couple and their relationship. Not only will this help you serve your clients better, it is also a convenient tool to return to for a write up on the bride & groom to include with your publication submission.
Most publications also require credits for all of the vendors involved in the wedding. One month prior to the wedding, we ask our brides to fill out a vendor contact form which is part of our Final Details Questionnaire. This gives us all the contact info for the vendors we are working with including their websites and social media handles so we don’t have hunt down that information for publication submissions at a later date. This is also a handy resource for getting the low down on any special details that are unique to your clients that you should be aware of and ready to photography at the wedding.
During the wedding:
Shoot mindfully. Consider the insight you gleaned from all your research and capture the details of the wedding with the goal of publication in mind. This means taking a variety of both horizontal and vertical images as well as paying lots of attention to the unique details that make the wedding stand out from others. Photograph details beautifully styled, take scene-setting shots that show off the location, and make sure to take a good variety of portraits of the bride and groom. Publications like LOTS of details, so if a wedding isn't detail-heavy, try to create detail photos from anything meaningful you can find. Even showcasing details inherent to the venue such as an architectural detail, or foliage is helpful.
After the wedding:
Develop a publishing plan. If you are working with a specific planner on the wedding, or with a bride who has invested interest in where the wedding is published, consult with them when making this plan so that you are all on the same page. We have a "publishing plan" section of our workflow checklist where we choose which blog or magazine we will submit to first, second and third (in case the first or second publications don't pick it up).
Be strategic! Create a folder of 50 - 100 of the best images from that wedding for publication. Choose these with your target publication in mind — mostly including lots of details, scene-setting shots and a few portraits of the bride & groom. Edit these images to be consistent and tell the story of the day.
Finally, be consistent and perseverant! Come up with multiple publication options in case you hear the word “no”. Don’t give up! Like anything you want to do consistently over time, make publication submissions a regular part of your workflow. You'll be amazed at the fruits that will come from this strategy and before you know it, you'll be able to create a page on your website showcasing all of the places your wedding photography has been featured!
Photographers:
Did you find this post helpful? Get special email access to more helpful content!
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