On Dec 6th 2009, starting at noon, the 2nd Annual Detailed Bridal Event will be held at The Crowne Plaza in downtown Albany NY. Studio Classic Photography will be one of the many vendors that will be there offering a glimpse of what they can do for the potential bride and groom. For a vendor, getting ready for a bridal show event can take many hours of behind-the-scenes preparation.
Crowne Plaza Bridal Show
When you walk by Studio Classic, what can you expect to see?
We will have a laptop running a slide show on a large monitor. The slide show will contain a collection of images from our 2009 wedding and engagement photo shoots. This slideshow will basically catalog our shooting style and help potential clients to get a feel for our artistic style and photo shooting techniques. We build the slideshow to last longer then we expect a potential client to stand and watch. This gives ample opportunity to view our work without repetition.
We’ll have many framed prints sitting out on our table as well as some oversized prints, canvas and Thin Wrap products displayed on easels. On the table you’ll be able to leaf through a couple of finished 10x10 wedding albums in addition to a scrapbook containing miscellaneous images. We will have brochures outlining products, business cards and flyers to help promote our products and packages. We may also set up a sign-in-form for a gift giveaway. And, of course, a flower arrangement and a bowl of candy are distinct signals that say, “Welcome!”
However, the most important thing we’ll bring to The Crowne Plaza on Sunday is: ourselves. Wedding photography is definitely a "people" job. If you’re not good with people - this isn’t a line of work you should pursue. First, potential clients may like your work, but you are the one that sells your photography. Second, your actual pictures of a client will show how you feel about them. As a photographer, I like working with people and the images I take reflect that. On Sunday, I won’t be schmoozing to win clients, but I will be confident and able to describe what Studio Classic photography is all about.
Lastly, I’ll also bring my Nikon D300. I think it’s a good idea to be able to show a potential client the camera you shoot with. Many photographers don’t bring their cameras to a bridal show – I’m not really sure I understand that…
Every event is different. This is our first time at this particular show and we are very excited about it. I’ll write more after the event to impart any lessons learned and, of course, to let you know how it went!