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1. Advice for Aspiring Wedding Photographers As a wedding photographer you should allocate some of your financial resources to learning. It doesn't matter how skilled you become, there is always more you can learn and there is no better teachers than those who have gone before you. Wedding photographers often get stuck in a rut or occasionally feel at a creative low, this is certainly the time to seek inspiration from your peers and grow to the next level. When you no longer grow you wedding photography skills, you can only go down. There are many options for increasing your wedding photography knowledge some of which require significant outlay, so, if you are new to this branch of photography then Here is a bit of detail on the opportunities available. Workshops: A very popular way to learn in a fast paced environment, usually lasting from a couple of days or up sometimes to a week these are often given near to where the photographer is based. They are a good way to learn as you will get insight not only into the teachers shooting habits and technical skill sets but also their business profiles and marketing strategy. You also can get a fair bit of one to one time if you have some particular questions. Workshops are also a great opportunity for networking as you will meet many like minded individuals and may even get the offer to do some second shooting. The downside is the expense which often can be up to thousands of pounds excluding your expenses. It's always a

2. good idea to speak to others who may have been on the same workshop and get their feedback on the experience before investing such a large amount. Wedding Photographic Conferences/Conventions: These days at many conferences you will be given the option to partake in master classes, hear keynote speeches and seminars. Conferences can be a very good source of knowledge however, their biggest plus point the opportunity to network with some of the leading names in the photographic world, you'll also get to find out the latest market trends and sample exciting new products. While you need to budget for accommodation, food and travel expenses, conferences really are a must if you are serious about your business. Guest Photographer Tours: Like workshops, tours are one-off seminars given by renowned photographers as they move around the country. Often held in hotels or small conference venues they are well attended so don't expect much of any individual time with the lecturer. The positive side is that tours are usually really affordable and convenient as they will be in your area and are also another great opportunity to meet other local photographers. Private One-to-One Workshops: This is probably the ultimate way to expand your wedding photography knowledge from the best of the best. Depending on the profile of the photographer prices range from a few hundred pounds and these workshops are complete one- to-one. You can usually choose the content of the workshops, ask lots of questions and tailor make the workshop to you individual requirements. Usually these individual workshops have the option of a photo-shoot with the teaching photographer so you get more of an immersive hands on experience. You will probably learn more this way than any other but of course you won't get the chance to network in the way that you do at larger scale events. There are other options such as webinars, books and instructional videos as well. They are generally quite specific so be sure to check out the specific content covered before purchasing. When you;re looking for the right wedding photographer learning resource you should always bear in mind what your long term goals are. For example if you are only interested in keeping things on a small local level then there is no point in looking at workshops from international destination photographers. Or, if your aim is to photograph ten to fifteen weddings per year at £6000 each then there you should not be consulting with photographers who photograph 50- 60 fast, low budget weddings per year. Never forget that everybody has their own unique style and the subjective quality of a particular photographers work does not always reflect the success of their business. Your clients have to come before other photographers so aim to please your clients first and in doing so you will gain the respect of your peers. I have met many a purist who refuses to compromise and give clients exactly what they want as it does not fit in with their 'purist' way of working, problem is they end up with such a small client base by being non flexible that they end up struggling for work!

3. Whatever type of wedding photographer you ultimately become, do it with dedication, commitment and a desire to exceed your clients expectations and you will never go wrong!