Today is the last post in a 4 part series about communicating with and managing the expectations of our brides when it comes to their Pinterest boards. If you are just joining us I would encourage you to go back and read articles 1, 2 and 3: HERE before reading the following article as I will be referring back to the previous articles in the series.

Photo By Captivate Weddings

Photo By Unplugged Photography

The final thing I am going to talk about in regards to Pinterest is the style of photo that is becoming increasingly popular and that is shots taken at night using off camera flash and or sparklers! Almost all of my clients Pinterest boards contain at least one photo of the bride and groom after dark either dancing in the rain or being wrapped in the light of a sparkler. I am going to assume that everyone knows that in order to get dancing in the rain shots there needs to be rain and that I don't need to further explain that. However, I am going to say this one more time; use this as yet ANOTHER opportunity to COMMUNICATE with your client.

If you only include a set number of hours in your contract, communicate to the couple that in order to capture a sparkler exit they will either need to make sure and plan to make their exit within the allotted time you have given them, or that they may need to cut their reception time shorter and/or have you arrive later in the day depending on which shots are more important to them. The last thing you want is for the last interaction you have with your clients before they head out for their honeymoon, to be giving them an ultimatum between paying you an extra X amount of dollars in order to stay to capture their formal exit, or to forgo having pictures of it all together. In addition, it is our job to communicate to our clients that if they want photos taken after dark then we (their photographers) will need to pull them away from their reception for a few minutes or before their exit in order to get those fun after dark shots.

Photo By Brie Marie Photographers

It is important to remember that most people have never experienced a wedding day from start to finish and don't know the first thing about what to expect. It is our job to educate them so they may make informed and educated decisions in regards to what photos are most important to them. It won't be important enough to some couples to be pulled away from their reception to get cool after dark photos using OCF and sparklers or utilizing rain etc., while to others it may be one of the photos they want more than anything- and they will be willing to do whatever it takes to get that shot or a photo like it. That is one of the things that is so cool about our job as wedding photographers! No two weddings are alike. They are all different and you never really know what to expect. Each wedding is a reflection of the wedding couple and we have the incredible opportunity and honor to be part of that day from beginning to end, capturing it to the best of our ability.

In conclusion, I believe that Pinterest can be used as a major asset to our business if we use it in the right way as means of communicating with our couples, managing their expectations, and educating them on how a wedding day usually runs.

What about you? We would love to hear how you use Pinterest with your clients!

Brie Timpani

Brie is married to the studliest man in the United States Air Force (she may be biased) and currently lives in Fort Walton Beach, FL. However, when married to a military man, no residence is permanent, which is why she flies to Phoenix, AZ every month to shoot weddings with her Business partner, extraordinaire, and Mom, Alisa. She has been a professional photographer and graphic designer for 4 years. Her favorite thing about her job is the amazing people she gets the opportunity to work with and being invited into such a special season of their lives, their wedding! She feels so blessed to get paid to be creative and do what she loves. When she isn't photographing weddings, you will find her hanging out with her husband, Mark and their fur baby, Maximus the GSD. If you would like to be bombarded with pictures of a handsome military man and a german shepherd then follow her on Instagram @briemarie