Besisika said:
I looked at the whole set from your page and I must admit you manage very well your customer's emotion. They seem to trust you alot.
How do you approach your first look to get them relaxed?
I need to work a bit more in that direction.
Nice pics, thanks for sharing.
Thanks for looking. I think my photography improved more as I learned how to work with 'people' more than any new piece of gear, lens, camera ect... You hit the nail on the head actually. Trust.
If you are extremely confident, they will trust you. If you show weakness, frustration, or let them know you are struggling at any time things can go south quickly.
If you are shooting and things aren't going well, do your best to not let your client know that. Stay positive. Think about what is going right and share that with them. If something does malfunction - and it will - flashes won't fire ect.. HAVE FUN.
They don't expect everything to go perfectly. Technology never does. What they do expect is for you to be cool under pressure and know how to fix the problem and be able to continue talking to them while you do so. That's why it's so important to KNOW YOUR STUFF. You have to know your gear inside and out. Practice is the only way really. We all get nervous and/or a little flustered, but keep moving forward.
Photographically, I will never tell them 'that doesn't look good' or the 'light isn't right' or 'let's try something else' -- statements like that take away their confidence in you. If the statements are true, say, Okay, great, got it, now let's do... this... Also, when you do get a great shot, I'm not afraid to show them on the back of the camera if I know it will raise their confidence level. The better they think you are doing the more they will be willing to work with you, listen to you, and get outside their comfort level to do something creative. I think of 'their confidence level' in me as a video game. You know? Like a scale - keep it high, in the green, don't let if all down in the red - or something. I know, that's silly.
Some wedding photographers just sit around and wait for moments. While candid work is arguably the best, it's not all we should be doing. The pictures my brides end up loving are often some of the staged shots; like the first image. But during those staged images, spontaneous moments can happen by talking, chatting, and making them laugh or whatever. Now you have a sort of candid and spontaneous moment with great light. Here is a shot that shows what I'm talking about:
A real, genuine, laugh.