One of my favorite things about being a wedding photographer, other than becoming great friends with fabulous people, is that I get to travel and see places that I’ve never been before. I had never been to Indianapolis so when Courtney and Christopher asked me to go there for their engagement pictures, I was a little excited. I love it when clients know exactly what they want! And who doesn’t love to travel?

Courtney and Christopher wanted to plan their engagement pictures to be taken at the Indianapolis Museum of Art (IMA), and once I saw that GIANT steel LOVE statue in front of the museum, that was all I could think about. The IMA definitely did not disappoint. There were so many beautiful features located throughout the grounds and we spent the afternoon chasing the sun.

We spent probably three hours shooting at the IMA. We just didn’t want to stop! It was so beautiful and we were having so much fun. But eventually we realized that we were all REALLY HUNGRY, so Courtney and Christopher treated us to Napolese… a swanky little pizza place with a beautiful wine bar in downtown Indianapolis.

My only regret about being in Indianapolis last weekend is that I didn’t plan to stay longer. For the short amount of time that I was there, I fell in love with the city and I look forward to going back and visiting more of the places that I spotted. Speaking of spotting things… I was there on prom night and I saw a limo drive down the road that looked like a turkey! It had a giant turkey head and tail mounted to the car. Indianapolis reminded me of a miniature Vegas… without a roller coaster or the casinos. LOL

Courtney and Christopher… I had so much fun with you guys in Indy. I can’t wait to see you two again on your wedding day. Thank you so much for letting me be a part of your big day. Your engagement pictures are beautiful! And so are you!

They jokingly explained to me that the real reason they were getting married is because they were in love with each other’s dogs. But I could tell within five minutes of meeting them for the first time the day of their wedding engagement session that that was not true. Sara and Patrick have something special, and it is because of people like them that I feel blessed to be a wedding photographer! I am so honored to be able to meet amazing couple after amazing couple and capture the most important time in their lives.

Sara and Patrick chose to shoot their engagement session at Sara’s friend’s house in Gallatin, Tn. They were such troopers too because it rained on us nearly the entire time. This was the first time I’ve ever shot in the rain, and while I was extremely nervous that I was not going to pull off a miracle, WE DID! You can’t even tell that it was raining!

Congratulations Sara and Patrick! I can’t wait to shoot your wedding this fall!

When Stephanie contacted me about shooting their engagement pictures, I was so excited! One thing led to another and I will be meeting them on the beach in Florida later this summer for a gorgeous beach wedding! Stephanie and Ragan have been friends of ours for quite some time. I actually remember Stephanie when she was cheerleading at LaVergne High School years ago. Our families have been intertwined for years as Stephanie’s sister is married to Scott’s brother! So that practically makes us family! Right?

I had a blast hanging out with them in Nashville for their engagement session! I can’t wait until the wedding. We are actually planning our vacation around it. LOL!

Congratulations Stephanie and Ragan on your engagement! Here is your sneak peek!

There is absolutely no doubt in my mind about the reasons WHY Carolina fell in love with Henry and agreed to be his wife! When this New York City couple flew into Nashville for their engagement pictures they were both full of life, goofy moments, and tons of laughter. It is obvious that they were destined to be with one another for the rest of their lives. And I have never met a couple that was this much fun! Seriously internet… I wanted to never let them leave. I wish I could have convinced them to live here forever. HAHA

Although Carolina and Henry will be getting married in Los Angeles next summer, they wanted their engagement pictures taken in Nashville because that is where they first met each other while attending Business School at Vanderbilt University. And when they told me that they were bringing Winston, their sweet little Yorkie, I did a double happy dance! THIS Nashville engagement session may very well be one of my all time faves.

We started out downtown on top of the Shelby Street Pedestrian Bridge so that we could get the feel of Nashville into their photos by capturing the skyline in the background. We then moved on to Centennial Park and ended at Vanderbilt University’s gorgeous campus. The University was definitely where it all began for them several years ago. So incorporating the campus, especially the outside AND inside of the Business building, was a priority for them. And I have to admit… the campus offered TONS of photo ops… especially the architecture!

Congratulations Carolina and Henry on your engagement! I can’t tell you how honored I am to have met you and to be able to capture this precious moment in your lives!

If you would like to see Carolina and Henry’s client site along with their amazing PASS gallery, CHECK THIS OUT! http://carolina-henry.wendy-cunningham.com

Let me start off by stating that I am not the type of photographer that wants to make my clients feel like I am “selling” to them. I prefer to build relationships with my clients and keep them coming back to me over and over. That is why I like to provide my clients with their digital files. However I have many clients who love to see professional quality products hanging on their walls. Instead of spending hundreds or thousands of dollars on a painting to go above their couch, they would rather hang something that holds meaning to them… something that is significant to them.

Hanging a collection of canvas gallery wraps above your couch, in the bedroom, or in the dining room is a great way to decorate your home. Take a look at the latest piece that I just ordered. This is a photo of a young female country music artist. I gave her two different options when choosing the giant canvas for her home. Both photos are edited in black and white, while one of them has an added warmth to it. You can see that I put most of the focus on her hand in one of the shots, while putting most of the focus on her Taylor guitar in the other.

Getting shots during your portrait or engagement session like this is also fun! One of my FAVORITES from a recent engagement is this one below! John picked out these shoes for his bride, Tanya. And she loved them so much that she wanted to make sure to include them in their engagement session! How cute is this?!! If you think you would like to use some of your photos from a session with me as a piece of art for your home, just ask me to show you some options! It is painless! I promise!

There are so many cute ideas for decorating your home with photography rather than something you purchase at a store that holds no meaning to you! Photos can become sentimental. So display them with love and pride! And check out some ideas for decorating by looking here. I have a few ideas pinned in a photo display Pinterest board. Go ahead… you know you love Pinterest as much as I do. http://pinterest.com/wendyc/photo-displays/

It has been a labor of love, that is for sure! But it was time for a facelift for this nashville wedding photographer! And I could not be more thrilled. I am so in love with the design, colors, and textures of the new site. The beauty of using Showit for my website needs is that I can have a site that fits my style, my personality, and my ideal client. The inspiration for this design came after going on a photo safari at the suggestion of Jasmine Star during her Restart workshop on Creative Live. I probably took a little longer than most of the other photographers who tuned into hear what she had to say, but that is only because I sometimes second guess myself. After spending hours and hours on Pinterest pinning photos for my photo safari, I finally got to work on a design that fit into the look and feel of the photos that I was pinning. It is so much different than the look of my previous site, but this is totally me! Click below to see the new full site!

I am so excited about launching the new website! The next couple of weeks will be filled with redesigning this blog so that it will match the website. So stay tuned for that! In the mean time, because I am so stinkin’ excited about the change, I have a free 16×20 canvas gallery wrap that will go to anyone who schedules a portrait session with me while at the same time can refer a friend who also books a portrait session. It’s pretty simple! Leave me a comment here on the blog. Then contact me to schedule your portrait session. Then go and refer me to one of your friends and when they also schedule a portrait session with me, I will give you a 16×20 canvas gallery wrap of your choice from your session! How exciting!

I have quite a few engagement sessions coming up for my 2013 couples, and I am so excited!! Being a wedding photographer in Nashville is the most rewarding job in the world. I know I’ve said it before, but I want to say it again. I HAVE THE BEST CLIENTS EVER! And I am totally honored that they put their trust in me to record the most important day of their lives.

Quite often I am asked by my clients, “What should we wear for our engagement session?” I always tell clients to be comfortable, and to BE THEMSELVES! But sometimes they still want more help. I am definitely not a stylist, but over the last few years of shooting engagements I have learned what looks good and what plays up to my shooting style. With most engagement sessions I suggest three outfits total.

The first outfit that I suggest is for couples to dress casually. This could mean jeans, a nice top, and a fabulous pair of heels. Or this could mean a pair of dressy shorts, a nice top and a pair of heels. Or for the guys it could mean a dark pair of jeans with a button up shirt and a sport coat.  I try to discourage couples from wearing flip flops or tennis shoes for their casual look, but ultimately that is up to you.

Another outfit that I suggest is a dressy outfit. If you were going to a Christmas party in New York city, what would wear? Nothing formal! But definitely dressier than your average Sunday morning dress code, right? AND DON’T FORGET TO ACCESSORIZE! The shoes, the necklace, the bracelet, and the earrings complete the outfit! Especially the shoes!

The third outfit that I suggest is something that speaks to who you are as a couple. This third outfit may not be for everybody. But a lot of times it ends up being our favorite shots. For example… If you and your fiancé are both Lakers fans and you wouldn’t miss a game to save your life, then put on a Lakers jersey and bring a basketball to your session! If the two of you enjoy hiking together, then bring your hiking clothes and your hiking gear and we will rock out a fabulous photo shoot on a local hiking trail! If the two of you met each other in college, then bring a college jersey! You get the idea!

The only thing that I suggest you stay away from is busy patterns on your clothing. Stripes work well. And layered solid colors are amazing! But stay away from busy patterns because we do not want your shirt to be the focus of the photograph. We want the focus to be your gorgeous faces!

And in order to help you get a visual of ideas for your engagement session, click on the image below. It will take you to my Pinterest board where I have pinned TONS of outfit ideas for engagement sessions.

CLICK THE IMAGE BELOW FOR EXAMPLES!!

I am a Nashville Wedding Photographer and what that means is that I am a very small fish in a very large pond. There are so many great photographers in Nashville, many of whom I am proud, honored and grateful to call my friend! I absolutely adore so many of them, and I love the fact that I belong to such a wonderful industry. Because there is so much talent in Nashville, I learned early on that I could NOT depend on Google to bring me business. I learned very quickly that I can not be one of those photographers who throw up a fancy website and sit back doing nothing while waiting on brides to find me by doing a quick search on the internet.

I call it Creative Marketing. But really it is not marketing at all. It helps that I have a great website, but the number one rule of thumb is to build trust with my clients. Any business owner will tell you that word of mouth marketing is better than ANY marketing you can pay for. The bottom line… WOW YOUR CLIENTS AND THEY WILL TALK ABOUT YOU! I knew that I had to give my clients a reason to talk about me. I want them talking about the EXPERIENCE that they get with me. I want them talking to their friends at work, at school, at parties, and at church! If one of their friends suddenly gets engaged, I want my brides to say “Oh my gosh let me tell you about my wedding photographer!” I knew that I was going to have to get creative in creating ways to make this happen.

So how do I WOW my clients? Obviously I have to provide them with a fun and unique session and produce beautiful photos, but how do I give them an amazing experience that will make them WANT to talk about me? It is simple! I treat them like friends. I never ever ever treat them like clients. For example… If I see an email from one of my brides, I will respond to it immediately… even if it is 10:00 at night and I am responding from my cell phone to say, “I’ll get on that first thing in the morning!” I went to a workshop last year where the photographers were teaching us that we should set office hours and only respond to clients during those hours. It was even suggested that we wait twenty-four hours before responding. THAT IS ABSURD! I would never do that to a friend, therefore I am NOT going to do that to a client! I remember being a bride myself. And I always appreciated those vendors who were willing to give a little extra to help me feel special.

It also helps that I am a serviced based photographer and not a product based photographer. I charge for my services and provide my clients with digital files and albums. Although I have an A La Carte list of items ranging from prints to canvases and albums that my clients can purchase from me, I do not push them to purchase them. And I certainly do not depend on product sales for income. Why is this important to the clients’ experience with me? It’s simple! I am never a salesman to them. I never make them feel like I am trying to sell them something. Think about it! How does it make you feel when someone is constantly trying to get you to buy something you may or may not want?

Fun Skype or Face Time sessions are also a great way to build trust! It is not always convenient for me to meetup with my clients for a cup of coffee or lunch because most of my brides live out of state. But computers make it super easy to get face to face with them on a regular basis. Sometimes I will Skype with them just to talk about recipes or must see movies! Building friendships with them is super important to me. It is actually the reason that I chose to specialize in weddings. I absolutely adore getting to know my clients in the year leading up to their wedding, and I certainly do not want them to forget me after their wedding day.

I also like to send gifts to my clients throughout the year leading up to their wedding. Right after they book me I will send them a questionnaire that will ask silly questions such as “What is your favorite candy? What is your favorite date night?” etc… This is a great way for me to get to know them. And if I want to send them a gift, I will usually refer to this email for ideas. I have been known to send a date night basket that includes a gift card to their favorite restaurant and a gift card to their local movie theater with a note that says, “Have a great date night… ON ME!” Or I may choose to send them a candy basket with their favorite candies! Maybe they have a favorite wine? I might send them a bottle of their favorite wine with some chocolates that will pair well with that wine. If we have already met for an engagement session and I have gorgeous images of them, I may send them a free canvas of their favorite image or some stationary or note pads that have one of their images on it. Some of you may even remember the post I wrote a while back that showcased the delicious custom cookies that I gifted to my brides in a cute little photo box. WHO KNOWS? But my couples are ALWAYS surprised and grateful! Actually… I spoil them silly! And I LOVE IT!

There are so many ways that you can build trust and establish friendships with your clients. For me, this is something that I am constantly thinking about and implementing. I choose not to spend money on any form of traditional marketing and instead I take what money I would normally spend on marketing and I invest it back into my clients. I am genuine in my feelings and desire to get to know my clients and become friends. Then I simply treat them like I would any other friend of mine who may be getting married and I spoil them like crazy. Who wouldn’t appreciate that? I know I would! Sometimes I even get little gifts from my clients in return and THAT is when I know we are soul mates! LOL. But the bottom line is that I am giving my clients an experience, not only on their wedding day, but also throughout the year leading up to their wedding. And this experience is what I want them talking about in the break room at work when one of the co-workers announces her engagement!

Once I have built trust and friendships with my clients, and I KNOW they want to talk about me, I provide them with ways to do that. This is where my website company comes in. Showitfast provides me with some pretty awesome tools that continue to WOW my clients while also providing them with the tools they need to talk about me. But I will share more about that in a future post. Be on the lookout later this week for a post where I will explain to you how I use Showit and PASS to market my business!

I would love to hear from some of you! Leave me a comment will ya? Do you have any brilliant gift ideas for clients? What are your thoughts? What are you doing to build trust with your clients and wowing them enough to want to tell their friends all about you? Let’s hear it!

Many brides and grooms are looking for the perfect wedding photographer who not only fit their style, but who will also allow an affordable option for them to get their wedding pictures in a digital format such as a disk of images on cd or dvd. Let’s face it… we live in a digital world! Of course they want their digital files. It allows them to print an unlimited number of prints as well as share them on Facebook or other forms of social media!

But there is a problem that most people are unaware of. Did you know that computer manufacturers are no longer going to be building computers with cd roms or dvd roms? Apple has already removed them from most of their new models. So what good is that cd of images then? Another problem with getting a cd of your images is that when you have nearly 1000 high resolution images on a cd, it takes FOREVER to view them because it takes so long to transition from one file to the next. There is nothing that can be done to change that because high resolution images are such large files… well… that’s just the way it is.

But guess what?! You do not NEED a cd or dvd of your images because I have found a better way… a way that stays IN FRONT of constant changing technology! Internet… THIS IS PASS!

Why do I love PASS?

• With the custom app your photos will always be with you.
• You can download your photos instantly. No DVD. No software.
• Have prints and other products delivered right to your door.
• Your photos are safe…forever.

PASS allows you to share your images directly to your Facebook, Twitter, and Pinterest with a simple click of a button! Try doing THAT from a silly ol’ cd or dvd! But guess what else? If you want to order prints of your images, you can order them directly from the PASS gallery. THAT’S RIGHT! You can get professional quality prints at a fraction of the cost that you will pay your product based photographer who depends on print sales. A FRACTION OF THE COST!

The new layout of the gallery inside of PASS is BEAUTIFUL! I love the collage look and feel of everything! But when you view them online… WOW! It will blow you away!

Want to see more? Just click play on the video below! It is pretty awesome… JUST LIKE MY CLIENTS!