f ō t ō r a c l e | the oracle of photography

Today is Friday May 1, 2009 aka — the unofficial start of wedding season. I know many wedding photographers are feeling the pinch of the current economic recession, and as a result have more Saturdays and Sundays open this year than they have in prior years.

If you’re a wedding photographer with more free time on the weekends this summer, here’s a few things you can do to make the best out of this slow season. Best of all, these suggestions are all either free or very inexpensive, and I promise that in the long run, they’ll make you a more complete photographer, businessperson, and community member.

1. Visit a museum
Museums are often free or pretty inexpensive. If you live in a large city that has world-class museums, then take advantage of such a great opportunity that not everybody else has. Even if the town you live in doesn’t have a major museum, most large museums have exhibits and collections you can view online. In any case, whether it’s a photography exhibit, the masterpiece paintings from the Renaissance or Impressionist periods, or a local exhibit by art students, go check it out. Look at how art imitates life and life imitates art – today, 100 years ago, and 500 years ago. Observe how the masters used light, composition, exposure, color, contrast, posing, background, foreground, etc. You’ll learn a lot about your craft, I promise. You’ll see how other artists tell stories, and how you can better tell your client’s story. You may also be allowed to bring your camera to take photos outside of the museum’s architecture, which are often works of art themselves. Plus, it’s really cool to see an original Van Gogh, Renoir, Rembrandt up close and in person. Pay the extra few bucks for the self-guided audio tour if it’s offered. Bring the family or some friends, pack some snacks, and make a day of it! You won’t be disappointed.

If you’re in the Los Angeles area, here are some museums I recommend:

• The Annenberg Space for Photography
• The Getty Center
• Norton Simon Museum
• Los Angeles County Museum of Art

2. Volunteer
For some people, volunteering is a way of life. For the rest of us, it’s something we admire in others, talk about doing ourselves “when we have time”, and then we never have the time. The age-old adage is true, “it’s far better to give than it is to receive”. The reason that cliche is so true for each of us may be just as unique as we all are, but it’s still true nonetheless. Regardless of race, religion (or lake thereof), language, economic status, or life story, when the spirit of giving is exercised sincerely, the rewards in self-esteem, relationships, and success always follow.

There are so many organizations and other ways to volunteer your time, but what better way for a photographer to give of his or her time and talent that with a camera? Here’s a few volunteer opportunities specifically for photographers. If these aren’t interesting too you, go to VolunteerMatch and find an opportunity that is! Do it…. now!

• Now I Lay Me Down to Sleep
• Operation: Love ReUnited
• Photographers Without Borders
• VolunteerMatch

3. Join Toastmasters
We all know that good communication is the key to all successful relationships, whether that be with clients, other vendors, or even our friends and families. One way to improve your communication skills is by joining a local Toastmasters International club. Toasmasters International is a worldwide non-profit organization dedicated to helping people develop leadership skills through effective public communication. Meetings are informative and inspiring. They’re also great places to network with potential clients and other local community members. The cost of membership is only $20 plus $27 every six months and well worth it if you really want to improve your public speaking skills.

4. Go to a library
When was the last time you visited your local library? If it’s been years since you’ve had a library card, get one! Your local public library is a great resource for information about photography, marketing, advertising, communication, and most of all, inspiration (creative, business, and personal). You don’t always have to spend your hard-earned cash on a brand-new book you’ll read just once or aren’t even sure you’ll like in the first place (especially if you’re judging it by it’s cover). Almost any book you might want to read is available at your local library; you just might have to wait a few weeks if the title you want is out. But that’s just a great opportunity to find another book you would have otherwise missed. So head over to your local library and check out one of the books on David Jay’s Book List… you’ll be glad you did.

5. Wow someone close
Many of us do something similar with other wedding vendors that we have relationships with or are building relationships with, with the hopes of getting bookings and referals from them. While that’s all fine and dandy, what I’m talking about here is not that. What I am talking about is giving a professionally produced wall photo to someone you care about with nothing expected in return. No bookingss, no referrals; maybe just a thank you and a warm smile. I know we photographers love taking pictures of everybody and everything we come across, but often times those photos just pile up on our hard drives year after year. Well, now’s a great time to go through all those photos of the in-laws from Thanksgivings past, the friends from the last year’s backyard barbecue, or your neighbor’s newborn baby. Run them through the typical post-processing you would for a client’s wall print or album print, send them to your pro lab (especially when they’re running a sale for 8×10 prints), put them in a nice yet inexpensive frame from Costco or Aaron Brothers, and surprise someone close to you with an unexpected gift. We’re told to “wow your customers”, but I think we need to wow our family, friends, and neighbors too. Plus, there’s something special about giving someone a framed print that tagging them in a Facebook gallery just doesn’t seem to match up to.