By the time the big day rolls around, the bride and groom have thought about every little detail, from the message printed on the napkins to the bouquets on the tables. Now it’s up to you—the photographer they trusted enough to hire—to create the images they will cherish for a lifetime. Jump-start your wedding photography business by joining Steve and Sophie as they introduce you to the realities of the wedding market and prepare you for a successful and rewarding career.

Wedding photography is as much about creating relationships as it is about creating images. During the week, your instructors discuss the process of working with a couple from the first phone call through the archiving of images after the wedding is over. They teach you how to work discreetly during the main event and how and where to market your services, as well as important business concerns such as taxes, insurance, legal matters, copyright, pricing and the importance of model releases. Each day the pair discusses, demonstrates and helps you photograph a new stage in the wedding process from the initial engagement session to individual portraits, the bridal party, the wedding day and the reception. Critique sessions provide valuable feedback before the next shoot. While many photographers strap themselves to off-camera flashes and studio lighting equipment, Steve and Sophie teach you to harness ambient light, whether the day is overcast or sunny. You learn to use flash sparingly, and only in a way that complements ambient light. By the end of the week you can confidently market yourself exclusively as a wedding photographer or supplement your income by adding weddings to your photographic repertoire.