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Collaborating with Vendors

Just in terms ofthe collaborating now, you know, thinking about going a little bit further, taking your brand a little bit further by saying right, I want to go and do something for my brand with regards to shooting perhaps a styled shoot so approach the best make up artist that you know, it doesn't matter if you've never dealt with them before pitched your idea to them if you don't knock on their door they cannot open it, so find the best make up artist possible with what happened here over the last couple of days the makeup artist devon that we worked with fantastic makeup artist and what I said to her with regards to this chute that was going on I said to her and I'm not sure if she's listening or not, but my she said to me, what is your brief for this shoot? And I said to her, well, I want you to bring yourself to this to this commission I want you to do something that is your brand representative, something that represents your brand and that you're doing makeup for yourself so on...

the engagement shoot that told her, you know, I really would like a nice natural makeup first, then we're going to do this, then we're going to do that bring your style to it I'm not going to interfere same thing with the wedding day now you saw yesterday as well I thought that her hair the piece of here had come out meanwhile it was meant to be like that so that was her style that she had brought into that and I'm going to go with that I want to say cool that's fantastic if you like that and you want that for your brand their nets brilliant because I know that creative life would not have hired her if she wasn't a great makeup artist, so now I'm going to send her images I'm going to send sugar comb the people that did all the decor that was from test technical, right? I mean and and the turnaround time and all of that the chapel, the bedroom it was brilliant day corner I'm going to send images to them when when when we cut at lunchtime before they broke down, I quickly shot a whole lot of other images not only off the images that we shot off meyer you know, with the bridal preparation but the rest off the set, I shot those images intentionally to send them teo to sugar comment and I'm going to make them a facebook cover as well and I'm going to do that for the makeup artist and I'm going to do that for the dress designer the gorgeous dress that we had yesterday by francois for them the jewelry you know that jewelry was a a lot of money designed by one of south africa's top jewelers dean gory from from a company called mark gold you know when I went to him in terms of the collaborative collaboration that dress that we had yesterday was a six thousand dollar dress you know francoise lend me that dress to bring over here I had to fold it and put it into into a bag andi I was told, you know, it has to be dry ironed it can't be steamed because it was silk or I don't know how I'm not so five o'clock yesterday morning I was driving this dress going oh my gosh, this is ridiculous but he has trusted me with this because off the relationship that I have built with him over so many years if I'm going to go and say, well, the dress designers over there in the wedding hierarchy thing and I'm not going to be giving them pictures what happens when I want to do a style shoot? We're high there could I borrow a dress from you and they go like, excuse me, you're the guy who wouldn't give me pictures onto you cheers you know you've got a look at it long term and you've gotta look at it from the big picture aspect this image over here I had had this idea in my mind that I wanted to shoot the best waiting image that I could possibly shoot at the time I wanted to use it for my marketing for the rest of the year and I will do that every year or if I can you know if I I decide I want to do it every six months or whatever but when I get tired of that image so I approached one of durbin's top makeup artists that's elder ther wheeler from a company called make up your mind I used uh francois ce trace again boston ivy flowers these are top brands in the industry in my area now I go and I shoot images like that and I've got this vision I explained it to them before we went to go in shoot I explained to them what I wanted and off we went and shot that I'm going to talk a little bit about something else after this, but I just want to finish off with these couple of slides and then that was the finished image that I had I had created and samantha had post production created it on dh you can see you can see there that my vision is there the makeup part I didn't not not at one stage did I say to the make up artist all I don't like that or say to the to the florist, are you sure that that flower goes there? I'm like you do your job and you make this exactly what you want to make it and we will create the most beautiful image that we think as a team is going to be brand representative I will take that image and I will then give it to the makeup artist the hairdresser the dresses on the jeweller's well these are kirsten goss earrings kirsten goss is a very successful jeweler in london and she's got a branch in durban and I went and I borrowed jewelry from them and when we're talking about borrowing jewelry and dresses and things that ring you will see an image off that ring is is close on fifteen, twenty thousand dollars in fact when I went to dean and ask him about the jewellery you saw that beautiful ring that in the engagement shoot well will show you images from that a little later I mean I got so in terms of the financial I had to sign for it obviously but in terms of the financial aspect of what was entrusted in me I said to them I actually don't want to know how much this is worth because it's going to just you know freaked me out so the assistant said to me just act as if it's you know stacked if it's if it's not worth very much put in your pocket and just forget about it okay whatever but but yeah and then I would use that image for my advertising and then I'm going to put it up on facebook and I want to say thanks for the great collaboration for this person you know and put out all my thanks and gratitude to everybody that that took part in that collaboration and they're obviously have access to those images and please you're going to sell those images to them it's all print a cz time for time for print or you know I don't really know the correct term but yeah, you know we're all doing this together so we're all going to benefit ok any questions with regards to this a question from the internet and actually do since you were using that image to advertise for yourself and you provide the other vendors with the exact same image do you find that they use that image in their own advertising our new shirt a variety of images and they can obviously if they can then choose say, for example, the jewelry designer kirsten she felt that you could only see the clip in this shot over here I do have another shot that I'm shooting at that at that shoot I'm shooting for the jewelry okay, we've got after all my shot let me shoot for the jewellery this short overhears specifically she's gotta head back her eyes are closed a little bit of makeup artist is happy however make up artist this is from far out so I'm going to go close in and shoot tight shots purely for the makeup artist the flowers I think flowers are sorted out here we don't have to worry too much about that yeah, but yeah, my painters spot sheets over there over the shades large over there but yeah, I think in terms of in terms of that definitely making sure that each supplier leaves that collaboration feeling fulfilled and not exploited because that's what we're not there for that thank you and brett we've questioned you do a lot of destination weddings yes, what is your strategy for working with the vendors when they're not in your own personal destination or your own personal area? Well, if it is, it is interesting to find that not a lot of photographers do what I do. I know that it sounds strange because to me it's just common sense, you know, it's supplying images to other people in the industry we're not due destination weddings and then I send those other vendors images then I ah, this is amazing, you know? So I'm going to I'm going to have the same beliefs and the same philosophies it's just that my my area off influence has now changed I'm now you know, making other friends in the industry at different in different locations, but I'm still going to have the same approach with regards to making sure that each vendor gets the images obviously it is a little different having less contact with them and what I'm not talking about less contact with them you're driving past a venue that you've worked at a couple of times going for a coffee with the coordinator you know it just popped in how you doing? I'm too busy or continue okay cultures or hi can I just pop in for a coffee years sit down have a chat? How your wife how your kids have things going yeah. Okay cool nice alright have that ever good? You know I have a good afternoon. Uh, didn't you come here for anything? No, no, no, I just came here to have a chat. Well, you know, because how many times in our lives do we get contacted because that people want something from you? You know, if I've got a spare half an hour spare hour and I'm driving past the lab, I'll just pop in and check to eric and say, you know, sit down how's it going on? Eric owns a couple racehorses. How the horses going, you know that kind, that kind of thing learn about other people and you know how to win friends and influence people it's been around for a long time people don't utilize it it's all about me, me, me you know and the draw there's been an hour on facebook then going to meet a vin vendor and sit down just have a chat with the makeup artist you know what's going on in industry you know when you know when we're going to get together again and do a coal chute it's that kind of thing that's going to just take you it takes effort and it takes enthusiasm and passion and it's you know, it's hard work but you have to do that this image specifically over here I used that image as the background image for when I had the bridal show you saw when I was sitting down chatting to the mum that, uh that image was behind me so um it was like a great big a wallpaper print was up on a solid piece of wood and it was it was wallpapered to that piece of wood and I'm like, okay, so what am I going to do with this now after after the bridal show because I've invested money in having it printed I've had it put up at the bridal show what am I going to do with it now give it to the make up artist that is her she just shot this with their cell phone so you can see that colors are not good and all that but that's that's her reception area that's the waiting area for her at her company you know, doing things like and obviously I didn't charge her for them just going back to that uh to that shot just going back to the previous shot very cool thing to do in terms ofthe promoting your business promoting other people's businesses is video your chutes because behind the scenes videos make a huge huge impact so this shot over here I got my mate is the videographer bringing him in sort of say that as well I'm bringing my mate in for the videographer ahs a videographer paul railton fantastic videographer work with him all the time I must tell you a little story about him in a second but I bring him in I say pull please can you shoot this for me? We're going we're going to be doing a collaboration and obviously you can use this as your promo as well because what happens with videographers and with us so many times that client comes to you and says copy this or here and make up copy that flowers I want these kind of flowers and you don't have that opportunity to express yourself so bring in paul the videographer and say right paul uh you shoot this the way you want to shoot it so I've got my shot I'll step back then he'll go in and he'll do his thing shoot up close ups and on dh have the type of video that he wants to promote his business so that people like what he likes and then they go and book him otherwise he wouldn't be able to shoot like that and a middle market winning because there'd be like no no no you just like hang out over there I don't want you coming so close up to me and you know, going over the over the lips or just eyes blinking or anything like that, you know, so video your your your your chutes which is going to take confidence right it's going to take confidence do you gotta act like you know what you're doing and you'll see the impact you put that up online behind the scenes? This is the shoot that we did behind the scenes with these people and it is so it adds so much brand legitimacy to your brand you can put that up on your website as well and you're showing these top people in the industry I'm the preferred supplier to these people in industry and you're going to get recommendations from florists, makeup artists, trace designers this sounds ridiculous but just hear me out not because you're a great photographer but because off the relationship you've built up in the industry. If somebody is the best photographer in the world it's like very jeremy clarkson that in the world if you the best photographer in the world but you don't have a great relationship with your suppliers she's not going to recommend you she's going to recommend the person who's going to give her images now you might think, well, I don't need it to recommend me because I'm you know, I'm so popular that I'm always gonna be like that. You know, you're you're rip is gonna catch up with you and it's not gonna be as easy as you think it is down the road. Okay, how we doing? Any questions? There we are doing great. And I'm gonna pop one out. I know when it comes to doing that, you know, your marketing, you're doing your you're pushing stuff right on it's all about getting your name out there. You and I talked, I think off screen the other day about how much marketing and branding you do at a wedding could you reiterate and tell the audience how you feel about marketing during the wedding? Please? Okay, I think that marketing yourself physically at the wedding in terms of putting cards down a tte at tables or handing cards out to guests personally, I think that's a little pushy. I don't think that that it should be done that way. I think it I think that your subtle selling is a lot more effective than in your face selling, so basically my marketing at a wedding is me it's the way I dress, the way I speak to people by interaction with people, my timing, my poise, all of that we've spoken so much about that, but that is my marketing, too. People and people in the congregation and, you know, people in the audience at the wedding, another, um, opportunity that you could have as an added extra in terms of the pricing structure that you could put into your options when you are selling your services to the bride is potentially doing onsite printing when you have a wedding and you've got high profile clients, affluent clients that are are coming to the wedding, they dressed up beautifully, but you never have a you don't often have an opportunity to have a photograph taken when you are perfectly dressed and, you know, it's, a really nice picture with you and your spouse together. So what I do often would I'd offer the service to the client where as they walking into the reception venue because they've all got to go through the same door, right? I've taken a shot off the reception venue itself. I've taken a shot of all the details of taking shots off. Everything that the wedding coordinator wants and the venue wants all that kind of thing and whilst I'm doing all of that because a lot of that kind of stuff is ambient light whilst I'm doing that my assistant is sitting up the ranger with the soft box at the entrance to the door potentially that clients has we've discussed this with the clients of the client has already got some sort of a backdrop going on perhaps the florist has bean involved made made a nice background area they as the guests come in bang next couple by couple two by two like noah's ark right a cz they coming into the reception venue? You're taking your shot so if you're taking the waiting's got two hundred guests let's, say there's a hundred couples maybe there's eighty couples with a couple of singles you're going to go and shoot great pictures under controlled lighting conditions because you shooting with flash so you've got controlled lighting conditions every single images the same exposure because you're on your own manual mode with exactly the same exposure for each image your bet processing in the in the your color correction I'm not doing any actions or anything like that your color correction is identical because it's all controlled conditions you don't have to do too much with regards to touch ups because you've got that beautiful soft box creating beautiful lighting onto your subject catch that with your water mark at the box or your lager at the bottom and something like thank you for attending britt and andrea's waiting thank from them at the bottom there you've got an action for a shop send that out print you've got your hips and printer there and you printing out images six by eight that you're putting into frames that the client has supplies you with you're putting those into frames and you could have them displayed ready to go in the clients leave however fantastic servers this is what we've done in the past and it's just this is the difference again between hotdogs and fine dining you've got somebody there who's from the winning who knows each guest as they come through they say write that those that's that those people, those people and you mark down who belongs to each image and you deliver it to the table on their att their table with a name tag is fine dining when you go to fine dining restaurant you sitting down at your table and you ask for your your steak or your chicken or whatever and everybody's ordered something different fine dining the food all arrives at the same time with the weight is they'll put it in front of you and what you have chosen will be in front of you because the waiter has taken your order and knows that person in seat number four has has got the steak medium rare. The other person has got the steak well done without potatoes and he's having, you know that kind of thing and it's, they don't even say, teo, don't come there with a flame going. All right? Who had the chicken chicken? Anyone know ching? Sorry, did somebody order the fish? You know, it's like that kind of that kind of service where we place it in front, off the in front of the client, and that impact is just huge, you know, that I was like, wow, you've got a tactile print in a frame to take home from the wedding and it's a lot better than, you know, a little tub of parcels that it's going to get given teo at the way that it's so meaningful is going to be in somebody's house tactile and your branding is going to be there at the bottom. They're not going to go and cut it out because it's already in a frame for them, they're going to put it up in the house and they definitely going to do that because they look good and they're dressed up in their finest. Okay, so there are actually some vendors in the industry that request like a percentage or finder's fee when they send clients your way and photo r r and adrian far are wondering how do you deal with you know, what is your approach to vendors that have that okay, I think that this does go teo waiting hierarchy again if somebody is asking me for a percentage, then how how does it work when I send them a referral? You know, if there are certain venues that asked to be on that you have to apply to be on a preferred suppliers list there asked, you know, you have to pay to be on a preferred supplies list and, you know, I think that that's I think that that's wrong and I would never do that if I've got a high inclined that says to them to the venue we're using brit as our photographer and they say sorry, he's not on our preferred suppliers list, I think, and I mean this a cz humbly as possible, you know, I think that possibly the client could even think about changing venues because who is it for a venue to dig to dictate who the suppliers are that are allowed to work at a certain venue? You know? So you know, I think that I think that it can be reciprocal in terms of your relationship with them with you but I think when money comes into it and percentages coming to it then it's trying to get into a gray area because if I seen a venue a wedding and that waiting ends up being a two hundred thousand dollar wedding and I money getting sorry I don't mean to say only andi I'm getting sixteen thousand eighteen thousand dollars for that waiting but they're earning a lot more for my referral off they're going to give me no money no they're not going to give me money because they think that they hold the power now it's this sounds very prima donna irish but I've had a situation before where I've arrived at a venue and they I have treated the suppliers pretty badly in terms of not even acknowledging our presence and you know we're meant to have a table might not necessarily only be in the in the venue doesn't have to be part of the reception but you know it they just like way haven't got a place for you you're going to sit outside or something like that and and I was like the way that I was treated I just felt like I don't want to work here anymore so the next time I got an inquiry hi there I'm not going to mention the venue's name but hi there I'm getting married at this venue please can you send me a quote I just write back thank you very much, but I really don't want not not in this secular but I don't want to work at that venue because I feel that the venue is substandard forty five minutes later why I'm not lying forty five minutes later hi there this's the owner ofthe that venue I believe that you're telling people that we've got a bad venue and us no, I didn't say you've got a bad venue I said we don't get treated very nicely they and I spoke to your co coordinator very nicely to say that you know, we need to have a reciprocal relationship there and I was brushed off so I don't want to work at your venue anymore. So yes, I did tell the client that I don't think that your venues the greatest and I'm going to stand by that oh no well, you know, we've had a couple of problems and, uh I thes don't do that anymore we promised the next time you come back here, we're going to treat you nicely and I'm like first ok obviously he's trying to fix the situation but things that were happening at that particular venue what would be the bribing groom get their food first and it's beautifully presented and it's fantastic and then it's like riding the psycho okay, just slop it on for the suppliers I the meal that was put in front of me, that bride is paying exactly the same amount of money for my meal as she's paying for her own. Now, why am I getting treated differently on dh? Also, I'm not working for the venue, I am a guest at that venue and I'm there as part of the bridal party, so don't treat me any differently the next time, so I said, okay, cool, you know, I'm not going to say, well, I'm still going to tell people I'm not working at your venue s I said, okay, call no problem, you know, if people ask you, they're getting married at your venue cool, I will say yes, showing us in the court the next time I worked at that venue drive up there if I hadn't even opened my door, there's two people there to help me carry my gear and put it into the right place, and I'm like, why isn't it like this all the time? You know, why aren't we all helping each other like this all the time? You know, I think maybe when I'm fifty or a little that I think I might start a wedding venue and my priorities are to make the supply is happy. I'm gonna get a cool venue. A. I've got a big, big fridge and it's purely for the florists, and you have the ceiling at the right height, the right color. So the photographers convinced this and that off and have a venue that is supply of friendly, you know, and that by doing that, everybody, all the vendors are going to be like, I want to work there. I want to work there. I want to work there and buy that. That will obviously generate more interest.