Choosing joy daily in my life full of topknot buns, baby kisses, and flour on the floor. I wouldn’t have it any other way! Oh, and I photograph the SWEETEST people!
Get 50% off Honeybook with this link!
Mama, taking photos of your littles can be tough, so let’s make editing EASY! Create frame-worthy photos in one tap with our Cotton Mobile Presets!
Surviving slow months as a wedding photographer takes a little bit of thoughtfulness and planning ahead! But honestly, after a super busy season, we welcome those slow months with open arms.
If you are struggling to think of ways to get through these months, hopefully, our 5 tips on how to survive slow months as a wedding photographer will help!
And if you’re like “Michelle, these slow months are really getting to me & I just really want to quit right now…”, I’ve got something for you too, friend! 👇
I know finances generally aren’t our strong suit as wedding photographers but this is one thing you really need to pay attention to, especially if you are single or the breadwinner in the family.
Make sure you have enough saved away to cover your costs and expenses for 3 – 6 months at a minimum. Ideally, I like to have a year’s worth of cushion just in case something happens.
Kellan, the hubby & our CFO around here, is actually a financial advisor by day! Seriously, he is the best and the reason we’ve been a 6-figure business since 2014. He knows his stuff and can really make sure you are prepared for all the things life has to throw at you.
Since weddings are typically booked 6 months to a year in advance, by the time the fall rolls around we know how much money we’ll be bringing in during those slower months.
In Houston, our slower months tend to be December through February and again from July through September. But honestly, every year is so different for us. This year we happen to have 3 weddings from Christmas to February 1st.
But the beauty of weddings is that you have a little bit more stability since you know what’s coming your way. So since we know we will be more open in March and April, I’ll be doing my spring family sessions during that time, which brings me to my next point!
If you photograph families as well take advantage of those slow wedding months and plan for promotions at that time.
For example, this year since we are taking on fewer weddings, our slow months are March and April. So we will be doing spring mini sessions along with minis for Mother’s Day & Father’s Day to help fill that gap during those months.
Maybe you also do branding photography and headshots! Those slow months are perfect to ramp up another side of your business that doesn’t get as much love during busy wedding seasons.
Consider also doing an album or print sale during this time as well! If your wedding clients don’t all have wedding albums, it’s a great time to share more about your albums! Sometimes all it takes is sharing the albums on Instagram!
Send an email to all of your past couples (who don’t already have an album in their collection) and show them the gorgeous albums you have to offer. Don’t forget to include a testimonial from a current client raving about this new wedding album!
If you don’t have a ton of sample albums, reach out to a past bride and see if they’ll share about their wedding album and then reshare their story.
If you know your summer wedding season is about to hit hard, take the slow months before it to really stock up your Planoly with prewritten Instagram posts so all you have to do is post them.
This is also a really great time to write helpful blog posts for your clients. When they have questions about their big day, you can send them to specific blog posts instead of having to write the same emails over and over. Plus, you are creating evergreen content that will help your SEO. You can also take those helpful posts and pin them to Pinterest!
It’s always good to update your website with fresh photos and content but somehow it always falls to the bottom of the priority list. This is a great task to tackle while you are surviving your slow season as a wedding photographer!
Maybe you could even swap with a photographer friend for updated headshots so you have fresh photos of your beautiful self! Add a few behind the scenes photos from your latest weddings and make sure to throw in your personality! You want your photography website to really showcase your brand, your personality, and your heart. This way your clients can connect with you before they even meet you!
Slow months are also perfect for this! Do your research to find the designer that you want before the slow months. This will allow you to get on the calendar with a great designer!
We always recommend our bestie, Alyssa with Alyssa Renee Made! She has done everything for us and is great at working with other photographers!
Going the website DIY route? That’s cool too!
We all have to start somewhere so take this time to find an amazing website template that you can customize yourself. We always recommend Showit.com. They actually have a handful of free templates within the program if you want to start there.
You can also buy a customizable template from talented designers like With Grace & Gold, The Palm Shop by Davey and Krista, and Megan Martin Creative!
If you haven’t created an automated wedding workflow, we are about to rock your world, friend! So much of our work as wedding photographers before and after the wedding can be automated! It’s time to step up your game & elevate your business with a professional workflow!
You need to have a good business management system (or CRM) set up for your wedding photography business! We LOVE Honeybook! It’s the number one business tool we couldn’t live without!
We use Honeybook for everything from receiving inquiries to sending proposals to automated workflows! It’s basically the only reason I can run this 6-figure business while chasing around a toddler all day! Haha!
Grab $200 off Honeybook here because we love you and don’t want you struggling one more day without this necessary business tool!
Use Honeybook’s incredible workflows to automate as much of your wedding photography business as possible! Write down every single step of your wedding photography client experience.
All the tasks and when to do them.
Every questionnaire and when it needs to be sent.
Each deadline and email template to go with it!
I know this sounds like a lot but all you have to do is set this up ONCE and you are golden! Your wedding photography business will be running itself in no time!
Sound good but overwhelmed and not sure where to start?
Grab our exact system of Wedding and Portrait Workflows here!
We show you exactly what to do and when to do it so you can be consistently showing up for every client basically in your sleep! It will help you not only look professional but build trust with your clients because you are constantly checking in on them and making sure they are taken care of! Who doesn’t want that!?
Alright, friend, I hope that was helpful as you plan for those upcoming slower months. Make good use of your time so you can tackle your busy season like the boss that you are! You got this!
XO,
Michelle
Choosing joy daily in my life full of topknot buns, baby kisses, and flour on the floor. I wouldn’t have it any other way! Oh, and I photograph the SWEETEST people!
Get 50% off Honeybook with this link!
Mama, taking photos of your littles can be tough, so let’s make editing EASY! Create frame-worthy photos in one tap with our Cotton Mobile Presets!
Houston Newborn Photographer
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