Page 19 - Capture Nov-Jan 2021

long-term place in many portrait photographers’ businesses, Heartstory found that its clients couldn’t wait to come in and meet in person as soon as lockdown restrictions eased. “People are still buying what they always have with us,” they add, “which is wall art. Overall, we've noticed a push towards wall art from a lot of other portrait photographers, which is supported by some of the biggest suppliers in Australia offering more options to make it easier, such as wood prints, multi-image frames, and framed canvas.”
One aspect of Zoom offered an enduring benefit, though. “We used it during lockdown for client ordering, and for delivering coaching sessions and webinars. Heartstory also introduced Acuity scheduling which, they say, saved a lot of admin time. “We use Acuity for our leads and potential clients to book phone consults with us. This saves constant follow ups, voicemails, and texts, and helps the client have more control of the enquiry process,” they state. “2020 has forced many of us to really evaluate our businesses; where we spend our time and money, and what makes us happy,” they conclude. “Our words for the year are optimism and proactivity – that's how we can continue to get through this.”
Anticipating a boom in 2021
The greatest challenge for Canadian wedding photographer couple Dallas and Sabrina Kolotylo was that all of their clients decided to either postpone their weddings until next year or cancel. “Most of our couples had planned a destination wedding far away from where they live, so the option for them to elope in the same destination with travel restrictions was impossible for most of them. This left us with a lot of free time that normally would have been occupied by a busy work season, which, to be honest, was quite a challenge for us. We were left feeling at a loss as to what we should be doing during this time, but slowly we worked through it,” they recall.
On a positive note, quarantine and the unexpected time that came with it gave the pair time to think and reassess their life choices and decisions, to see what’s truly important to them, and really have a hard think about where they want to go in the future. “In a more practical way, providing online services, such as online mentorships with other photographers has been great for us in getting through this quiet year. We have also been focusing on other services that we usually don’t have too much time for, such as offering albums to past clients and offering portrait sessions.” With more time to research technology, they also found a new aid for their editing. “We use Lightroom to edit photos, and honestly the advances they have made in the last few years are incredible. Simple things, like the edit preview when you hover over a preset, have made
editing so much faster and, honestly, more fun. It's definitely reinvigorated our love for something that was becoming a bit of a chore,” they state.
“We think that 2021 will be an incredibly busy year for wedding photographers. From our experience, the majority of clients have decided to postpone until next year, which is filling in a ton of wedding slots that would normally be filled by other clients,” they conclude. “During lockdown, so many people had more time to think about what they want in life, and, for many, that’s the decision to get married. This time has also been great for developing relationships. So much free time has created the perfect opportunity to get to know someone, and many friends of ours are dating right now. It’s especially true for couples that have been separated during this time. As soon as they are able, they are getting married.”
Adaptability is everything
Victorian photographer Kristen Cook feels that COVID merely accelerated challenges that were already mounting in her industry. “Wedding and portrait photography was already facing growing challenging in recent years
2020 has forced many of us to really evaluate our businesses... Heartstory
[capture] nov.20_jan.21
capturemag.com.au
19
© KRISTEN COOK
© JAMES SIMMONS