Important Skills Every Wedding Videographer or Photographer Needs to Have

Being amazing at your job as a wedding videographer or photographer is great but that’s not enough to make your business sustainable and successful in the long run.

Soft skills and business skills are equally important in a dynamic, highly competitive realm.

You have to be strategic and you will also need to ace multi-tasking in order to stay afloat.

If you are wondering about skill acquisition, here are the essentials we believe you need to be prioritizing.

 

Excellent Communication Skills

 

Don’t underestimate the importance of being a good communicator.

As a wedding videographer or photographer, you have to interact with lots of people – from potential clients to business partners and even members of the wedding party.

Being open, honest and specific in your communication builds trust and professional rapport.

You are attending one of the biggest days in the life of your clients. You’ll be by their side during every step of the way.

Finding it difficult to communicate or break the ice will ruin some of the experience and potentially lead to client dissatisfaction.

It’s also very important to be persuasive during project communication before the wedding. Why should people choose you for their special day?

What is it that makes you different from other wedding videographers and photographers?

Having the skill to communicate such a message will facilitate the task of winning clients over and being chosen for their projects.

 

Time Management Skills

 

Wedding professionals very often work in hectic, chaotic settings.

There will be a lot to accomplish and a limited amount of time to complete everything.

Good time management is essential. You’ll need to set up your equipment and be present everywhere that the bride and groom need you to be.

You’ll also need to account for potential emergencies, problems and slowdowns.

Good time management will also be needed when juggling multiple projects at the same time.

The ability to meet deadlines is very important, especially when people are awaiting their photos and videos eagerly.

Having good time management will allow you to set realistic goals, meet deadlines, and take on the amount of work that you’re capable of completing without over-stretching yourself.

 

Problem-Solving Skills Are Imperative for Wedding Videographers and Photographers

 

Having everything going according to plan is amazing but that rarely happens in real life.

You will run into various unexpected situations over the course of your career.

Equipment will malfunction. The weather will turn on you. Sometimes, you’ll get a client who is very uncooperative or who changes their requirements last minute.

Some people will be put off by such difficult situations.

Real professionals will employ their problem-solving skills to address the cause of the issue and turn that into an opportunity.

Being flexible is the key to embracing opportunities and overcoming challenges with a smile.

A rigid mindset towards task execution simply doesn’t work in the realms of wedding photography and videography.

You’re working with equipment and people – both can disappoint on occasions.

The key is to remain professional, think outside the box and have the backup required to continue doing your job.

 

Artistic Ability and Creativity

 

In time, many wedding photographers and videographers will become jaded.

They’ll go through the motions, they’ll deliver the style the client wants. The end result, however, is going to lack soul and a few sprinkles of uniqueness.

Working on your artistic ability and creative approach towards shooting videos is an ongoing process that you have to commit you.

Creativity and artistic flare can be lost. Keep on discovering the things that inspire you and give you the most distinctive point of view.

To increase your creativity, you can take on a hobby like painting, poster creation or even sculpting. Finding another outlet for your creativity can also apply to your wedding photography or videography career.

You can also schedule shoots outside of the job that you do.

A few pet projects on the side will help you remember why you fell in love with photography or videography in the first place.

It’s also a good idea to continue experimenting with post-production.

New software products have extensive layering, filtering and masking capabilities. You can also employ various other cool techniques to give your projects that magic touch.

 

Marketing and Self-Promotion

 

Even if you’re the best wedding videographer or photographer, you’ll find it impossible to book clients in the absence of a consistent marketing effort.

Get the word out there.

Let people know who you are and what you do so exceptionally well.

Employ online promotion, content marketing, word-of-mouth promotion and even B2B advertising in an attempt to uncover new professional opportunities.

You aren’t just a photographer or videographer, you’re also a business owner.

As such, you will be responsible for your outreach and marketing efforts. The good news is that digital technologies deliver excellent results without costing a fortune.

Mastering a channel like social media will yield excellent results, especially if you commit to quality content creation and interacting with your audience often.

 

Adaptability

 

No professional field is static. Wedding photography and videography evolve very fast due to the emergence of new solutions.

Adaptability is a very important skill to have, even if you’ve been on the market for five decades and you’re one of the most established professionals in your area.

The styles and solutions considered outstanding a decade ago will no longer impress clients.

Expectations and demands are changing rapidly. You should be capable of meeting those if you’d like to continue maintaining a competitive edge.

Take some time to educate yourself on new technologies and trends in the field.

If you have the opportunity, acquire some new equipment and play with it in your spare time. Attend workshops, industry events, and courses.

Ongoing professional education is the key to making your business sustainable in the years and decades to come.

 

Hard Skills in Wedding Photography and Videography

 

While soft skills probably make up 80 percent of the important skillset you have to acquire, hard skills are also important.

Continue educating yourself and training on new aspects of doing your job.

You should be capable of employing various types of photographic and videographic equipment.

Mastering a few different styles is also a good idea, allowing you to increase the range of clients you can work with in the future.

A few other hard skills you should be acquiring include good post-production mastery, the ability to use more specialized photographic or videographic equipment (like macro lenses or filter lenses, for example), lighting skills, and a good understanding of printing/resolution essentials.

 

Challenge Yourself and Continue Learning

 

You can’t count on what you know right now, expecting that set of skills to continue sustaining your business for a long time.

Experienced professionals know that every situation can change quickly, sometimes taking an immediate turn for the worse.

The key to surviving is being flexible and having the skills to overcome gaps or missed opportunities.

The fact that clients are incredibly satisfied with your work right now doesn’t mean they’ll always consider you the best.

Get in the habit of doing competition research and using social media to find out exactly what potential clients enjoy and prioritize today.

Such research is going to give you an important reality check, suggesting areas for improvement and skills you could be missing.

Expanding your knowledge, learning something new and overcoming personal boundaries will help you get better in the future.

Don’t be afraid of challenging yourself and addressing the limitations you have. Take it one step at a time.

Learn a new skill and start employing it during project execution.

You’ll notice your confidence growing and you’ll also increase your capability of partaking in shoots you would have avoided in the past.