Have you ever been to a conference or workshop to improve your wedding or portrait photography? Have you sat there in awe, watching amazing images flash by, listening to stories of success and how the presenter does things his way. How they've found success doing what they love doing and more importantly, the way they like to do it.

That was me. Exactly that.

I was in the 3rd row back (far enough to not be called upon for an example for anything but close enough to not miss a word) listening to Ian Wilkinson present at an AIPP annual workshop in the NSW Hunter Valley. It was early in my career and I was a sponge – coming away with a thousand ideas and implementing a few.

Family wedding photo

In Ian's view, there's so much more to weddings than the location shoot.

I really wanted to speak to Ian after his presentation. I wanted to ask about the albums he was doing and to let him know how much I loved his work and talk. I don't know why but I actually felt anxious or nervous or fear while waiting to speak to him. I had to wait… there was a small crowd. I was at the back. Happy to wait.

When it was finally my turn I learnt something very cool. He was a super nice guy, happy to chat, didn't care that I was a newbie and surprisingly, shared everything he could. What was I so afraid of?

It turns out, Ian knew exactly what I was feeling. Not me personally, but he had been through exactly the same trepidation early in his career when wanting to speak to other photographers at a workshop he was attending.

In my interview with Ian, he shares more than just his early fears. We talk about the troubles he faced getting his business off the ground, chasing up a job with another photographer, tail between his legs after an initial failure on his own.

Little did he know at the time, that new job with that new employer helped set him up for an incredible lifestyle that continues to this day.

During the interview, Ian shares his thoughts on:

  • Starting a new business the right way
  • Learning from other photographers and business people
  • The importance of shooting in his own style
  • Sharing and working with other photographers in his area
  • A unique pricing model that has served him well for many years
  • What he did when weddings bookings dropped by 25% to keep the same lifestyle
  • The importance of family at weddings
  • Marketing ideas that worked and some that faded away
  • Why 45 minutes is plenty for a wedding location shoot
Brisbane beach wedding photo by Ian Wilkinson

Would 45 minutes on location be enough for you? Ian says it's plenty.

As usual, for me anyway, I came away thinking I definitely have to implement at least a couple of things that Ian talked about and nothing more so than his approach to a drop in bookings. I know in my own mind, what Ian does in a “declining” market is the only thing that makes economic sense. I imagine though, there aren't too many people in business would have the balls to do what he did… I should add, successfully did. Would you?

In these show notes, I like to add links to anything that my guest mentions as far as products, websites etc. In Ian's case, it was more names than sites, so I thought I'd list those for you, with links in case you want to check some of them out.

Links to people mentioned in this episode:

Ian Wilkinson – his website – http://ianwilkinson.com.au

Ian Wilkinson on Facebook – the real Ian, not some corporate fake business Facebook profile where he holds back some of the things you might expect a “professional” to hold back.

Ian Wilkinson – the business Facebook Page

Chris Hall – http://www.chrishallphotography.com.au

Malcolm Mathison – http://kidshotz.com

Rob Heyman – http://www.robheymanphotography.com.au

Wayne Radford – http://www.radfordphoto.com.au

Jason Starr – http://www.studio60.com.au 

Robert Cobcroft – http://hipshots.com.au

Mercury Megaloudis – http://www.mega.com.au

Tero Sade – http://www.tero.com.au

Jeff Newsome – http://www.jeffnewsom.com

Jeff Ascough – http://www.jeffascough.com

I'm pretty sure I have everyone here that Ian mentioned in our chat but if you think I missed someone, let me know in the comments below or you can email me [email protected].

I've mentioned it in the show, but if you literally have a minute or two, a rating and review in iTunes would be a massive help to help other photographers just like you know about the podcast. The more easily the show is found, the more possibility I can keep getting awesome guests like Ian to interview and I won't have to feel that same fear and trepidation when approaching them like I felt at the early seminars I attended.

Hope you enjoyed the show! Get involved, join the conversation or start one below in the comments section – I would love your feedback, ideas, thoughts or a thanks to Ian for coming on.

Speak soon

Andrew