Do you ever have one of those moments where you’re just not really sure what to say?
I had a wedding photography consultation with a couple a few years ago (who I absolutely love!) who asked me an AMAZING question. And only a few months ago did I recognize the significance of it!
THE BIG Q
“Who would you hire to photograph your wedding?”
Whoa. No one had ever asked me that before (at least, not a potential client!). First, I explained that I had in fact already gotten married, and that we had hired an amazing local photographer and absolutely loved our photos. But then they asked me again:
“If you could hire anyone to photograph your wedding, who would it be?”
Well, they got me there.
So many options raced through my head – local photographers, national photographers, international photographers - but a married couple from New England stuck out as the top pair in my head. Not just for their work, but for their incredible heart and connection that leaps out of each and every once of their images!
We moved on from this topic of conversation, and I didn’t think about this question again until months later, at the couple’s engagement session, when they were telling my assistant why they had decided to go with me as their wedding photographer.
They explained that they had asked multiple photographers the same question they had asked me: “Who would you hire to photograph your wedding?” And, believe it or not, one of those photographers said that they would hire me.
I was stunned when I heard this. Completely flabbergasted. Totally in shock! This question – though simple and straightforward – had landed me this booking. I felt kind of bad at first, sort of feeling like it was unfair that I had said someone out of state, and that this photographer had mentioned me. But then I realized: this couple? They were geniuses!
Who better to ask about hiring a wedding photographer than a wedding photographer? They know the industry, see SO much wedding work, and have tons of connections… so, again, who better to ask? And what better question to ask?
BUT WHY IS THIS IMPORTANT?
I’m writing this blog for a two-fold reason: first, from a bride’s perspective, I wish that I had asked this question to my vendors when I was getting married: to my DJ, to my florist, to my caterer, possibly even to my wedding venue. I really think it is an easy question that reveals so much!
“If I don’t believe in my product or service… why would anyone else?”
And second, from a wedding photographer perspective: why didn’t I throw my own name into the ring? Part of me wonders why I didn’t think: I wish I could photograph my own wedding! But that thought didn’t even cross my mind. For obvious reasons I couldn’t, but it reminds me that if I don’t believe in my product or service… why would anyone else? That’s a mindset and perspective worth shifting.
To the couple who asked me this thought-provoking question: thank you. So much. You know who you are, and I am so thankful for you!
To the bride who might be reading this: try asking this question at your next vendor meeting. I’m sure it will give you some answers that you’ve been looking for!
And finally, to the business owner: look at your product or service through your client’s shoes. Would you hire yourself to provide the product or service you’re asking your client to pay you for?
Thanks for reading, friends!
