Advertise on podcast: Wedding Photography Unveiled

David Clark returns to the show to talk about Wedissimo, the wedding booking platform that has grown from photography into videography, DJs, bands, celebrants, hair and make-up and now cakes and cars. We dig into the commission model, what the data says about response times and why couples are increasingly sceptical of five-star-only reviews. We also cover AI, styled shoots, the state of the big directories and where wedding marketing is heading.

A short bonus episode from Martin and Adam Lowndes announcing Beyond the Art, our in-person, business-focused workshop for wedding photographers, videographers and content creators. It's for creatives who have mastered the art and now want to master the business. The details Date: Tuesday 2 March 2027Venue: Crowne Plaza, Birmingham NEC (the winner of our Facebook poll)Includes lunch and refreshmentsFree parking for the day (£10 if you leave your car overnight)Discounted rooms at the hotel, with a Premier Inn nearby for a budget optionEarly bird pricing available until 18th October 2026 What we'll cover Building relationships with suppliers and venues, and getting on recommended supplier listsSocial media strategy and the "bride's eye" view of what attracts a bookingPortfolio positioning, detail shots and running group shots effectivelyLeaving a lasting impression on wedding guestsAI, outsourcing, album and print sales, and cutting overheadsDynamic pricing and breaking through to the £2k bracket Sponsors will be listed on the website, with giveaways on the day. Book your place: martincheung.com/workshop

Is Google still worth your time now that couples are asking ChatGPT, Claude and Gemini for wedding photographer recommendations? I'm joined by Sara Dunn of Sara Does SEO, who has helped wedding professionals get found in search since 2017, to find out.We cover what still works in Google and what you need to do to show up in AI search too. Sara explains why Google Business Profile is the most neglected piece of the puzzle, how to use AI for your website copy without sounding like a robot, and why you should stop obsessing over your page speed score. If you'd rather not spend your life on Instagram or TikTok, this one's for you.LinksSara Does SEO: saradoesseo.comFree monthly SEO lunch and learn: saradoesseo.com/learnInstagram: @saradoesseoSubscribe to Wedding Photography Unveiled for more no nonsense business advice for wedding photographers.#weddingphotography #SEO #weddingphotographer #weddingvideography #weddingbusiness

Adam and I jump on for a quick catch up on how we've both coped with the onslaught of summer weddings and how we're both doing in terms of enquiries and bookings for next year. We also announce our upcoming workshop, Beyond The Art. This is going to be a business-focused, in-person workshop for wedding photographers, videographers and content creators who've mastered their craft and now need to master the business side. Details: Tuesday 2nd March 2027Crowne Plaza, Birmingham NECFree day parking, discounted overnight parking and nearby Premier Inn rateEarly bird pricing live now, open for two weeks only What we're covering: supplier and venue relationships, social media strategy, portfolio positioning, group shot management, AI and outsourcing, album and print sales, and dynamic pricing to break through pricing brackets. Full details and booking: martincheung.com/workshop

Culling shouldn't take you longer than the wedding itself. In this episode, I break down how I get through an entire wedding's images in under an hour, starting with why I cull on the day rather than waiting until I'm home. I cover: Why culling at the wedding, while your mind is still fresh, beats doing it days laterThe maths behind speed: how shaving even a second off each image selection adds up to hours saved over a seasonA live demo of FastCull, the culling app I built from scratch specifically for wedding photographers FastCull is a one-time purchase with no subscription, built to get you through thousands of images fast without AI making decisions for you. Get £20 off with code UNVEILED at getfastcull.com

In this episode, Mark Pacura shares insights on the importance of printed albums in the digital age, how to sell them effectively, and introduces a new album design tool that simplifies the process for photographers. Key Topics The enduring value of printed albums in the digital ageStrategies for selling albums to clientsThe impact of AI on photography and printingDesigning albums that clients lovePricing and markup strategies for albumsUsing albums as marketing tools and legacy items Resources Spread Album Design Software⁠Website⁠Wooden Banana

It's kind of fitting that our 100th episode is to talk about our own daughter's wedding! We unpack how it felt to be on the other side of the camera for once. Could we resist telling the photographer/videographer what to do? What actually happened, how did we feel and what did we learn? Shoutouts Laura-Jayne Photographer Drop D Wedding Films Weddingcontentbyjadem

Seventeen years in, wedding photographer Aiden Priest joins me for a wide-ranging conversation covering everything he's picked up along the way. From a chance start second shooting for his postman to running one of the fastest turnaround workflows in the industry, Aiden shares the systems, mindset and hard-won lessons that keep him consistent after hundreds of weddings. We cover so much including editing efficiency, kit philosophy, second shooter selection, data security, handling negative reviews and some of the more extreme situations weddings can throw at you, all tied together by the idea that experience teaches you what actually matters and what you can let go of. Website: https://adenpriestphotography.co.uk/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/adenphoto/

Two years after Cloe was a guest at a wedding I shot, she got back in touch to ask if I'd reshoot her portraits and key moments after being unhappy with her original gallery. In this episode I have a chat with Cloe about: How she found her suppliers and specifically her photographers.What she felt her gallery missed and what hindsight has taught her.Why Cloe booked a content creator despite having two photographers and a videographer already.Why she chose not to leave a review, and how the reshoot completed the story for herHer advice to photographers listening to this episode.Conclusion This is a conversation I'm genuinely glad I recorded. Getting an honest account from a bride who was not thrilled by her wedding photographs isn't a conversation many of us genuinely hear. And I'm incredibly grateful that Cloe shares her experiences without bitterness and with real generosity toward the photographers involved. Her reflections on communication, expectations, and timelines are lessons we should all take on board and her advice on getting involved earlier in the planning is something I'm going to take seriously.

This week, Daiga & I have a honest mid-year catch up. We share what we've done this year so far, what's worked, what's not. What we cover How this year has felt versus the cold hard stats which tell us something elseDaiga talks about her experience with using a virtual assistant to take over her social media postingI talk about my advertising efforts using Google and meta ads. And which is working better.How we've both launched revamped websitesOur new sponsor!And the growth of the website/hosting business. Links and Resources Studio Ninja - use code UNVEILED for 50% off your first year Wedding Workflows - the VA service Daiga used for social media management Wedsite Wizards - Martin's hosting/website design brand Wedding Photography Unveiled Community - join the Facebook group and let Martin know how you are finding the current market

After seven years and around 200 weddings in the UK, Frances made one of her bravest moves. She bought a farmhouse in Normandy, moved mid-pandemic and rebuilt her entire business from scratch in one of Europe's most competitive destination wedding markets. In this episode, we talk about how she pulled it off, from the early days with almost no local portfolio and no budget, to now shooting luxury chateau weddings and averaging £3,000+ per booking. What we cover: Her decision to leave the UK.Starting over with almost nothing.The portfolio problem and how she solved it.Networking over paid ads: No SEO, no paid ads. Pricing strategy and rapid growth.The reality of destination weddings in France.Why being British is a competitive advantage.The documentary vs editorial debate. Find Frances: Website: francesmarysales.comInstagram: @francesmarysales

In this episode I sit down with Jade Greenbrooke, a Kent-based editorial and documentary wedding photographer who has been shooting weddings since the age of 16. Jade is fully self-employed, shoots around 50 weddings a year, and has generated over 430 enquiries since January alone, almost entirely through TikTok and Instagram. We cover a huge amount of ground in this conversation. Jade opens up about her rocky start in the industry, including hiding in a cupboard crying at her very first wedding at 16 and why her photography degree left her with little more than a dislike of film photography. She shares how a snowy January wedding at 18 reignited her passion and set her on the path to where she is today. One of the things I find most compelling about Jade's approach is her philosophy that couples want to look their best, not just be photographed as they are. She explains why the anti-posing narrative has done couples a disservice, how she navigates portrait sessions so couples never feel overloaded with pictures, and why building genuine rapport before you even pick the camera up is one of the most important skills you can develop. We also dig into how she structures her wedding days to get the best from portrait sessions, why she times everything around golden hour and the first dance, and the practical techniques she uses to put couples at ease including knowing their best angles and hyping them up in the moment. On the business side, the numbers Jade shares are extraordinary. Over a thousand enquiries last year, a starting price of £3,500, and a diary that fills itself without paid advertising, a PR strategy, or SEO investment. It all comes down to posting work she is genuinely proud of and letting that speak for itself. She also shares her thoughts on managing social media without letting it consume your creative vision, including why she follows fewer than 100 people on Instagram. We wrap up talking about gear, shooting on aperture priority, the Canon kit she has used from her first 1100D through to the R5 Mark II, and why a simple approach to flash can often serve couples better than technically complex lighting setups. This is a brilliant episode for anyone questioning whether the pure documentary approach is always right for their couples, or wondering whether organic social media can still build a genuinely thriving business. Jade is proof that it can. Key Topics Covered Shooting her first wedding at 16 and the anxiety that came with itWhy her photography degree nearly put her off photography for goodThe editorial versus documentary debate and why couples often want more than pure candidsPortrait session structure and keeping couples energised throughout the dayHow she uses TikTok and Instagram to generate enquiries without paid adsWhy following fewer accounts can protect your creative visionCamera settings, gear choices, and her thoughts on flashAdvice for photographers starting out at less-than-glamorous venuesFind JadeWebsite: jadegreenbookephotography.co.ukInstagram: @jadegreenbrookeTikTok: @jadegreenbrooke

In this episode, I'm joined by Geraint Roberts, a fine art wedding photographer based near Cardiff with over a decade of experience shooting weddings across the UK and beyond. Geraint is known for blending film photography into his digital workflow and has a reputation for delivering beautifully curated wedding albums. Film Photography Geraint started incorporating film into his wedding work in 2021, inspired by photographer Jose Villa and his time studying photography at university where he had access to Mamiya and Hasselblad cameras. He shoots film as a complimentary addition to his digital coverage rather than a standalone offering, typically shooting one roll per wedding but sometimes as many as four. He shares how shooting film has actually improved his digital editing, using scans from his lab (Exposure Film Lab in Hereford) as colour reference images, particularly for skin tones. We cover the practical cost considerations of getting into film (film stock plus lab developing can run around £30 per roll), recommended entry-level cameras including the Olympus OM30, Pentax K1000, Nikon FM2 and the brand new Pentax 17, and the importance of testing equipment before taking it to a wedding. His key tip: always have a backup film camera. We also discuss how film sits in the broader market, whether it is a passing trend or here to stay, and why Geraint believes it will remain a fixture given Kodak's continued growth and film's enduring role in cinema. Wedding Albums Geraint includes an 8x8 inch album in every package as a baseline, with 90% of couples upgrading once they see and feel the product in person. We also get into the value of in-person client meetings for album sales, why physically holding an album makes a significant difference to upgrade rates, and why hotel bars beat coffee shops as a client meeting venue. Where to Find Geraint Instagram: @geraintrobertsphotoWebsite: geraint-roberts.co.uk

This week I'm joined for the second time by Chris Denner, a wedding photographer with nearly 30 years of experience who has built a reputation for creative, counterculture and LGBTQ-inclusive work. Chris is one of those rare combinations: a genuine artist and a sharp business operator, and this conversation is packed with practical wisdom for photographers at every stage. What You'll Hear in This Episode We open with one of Chris's core philosophies: action is always better than reaction. In a market saturated with talented photographers and squeezed by cost of living pressures, staying passive is the most dangerous thing you can do. Shy kids don't get sweets. The Value ChainClient Experience at Any Price PointThe Saturated Market RealityFinding Your USP When You Think You Have Nothing SpecialSending Signals, Not Just Posting PhotosStyled Shoots: The Honest TakeResponse Times and First ContactCamera Tech, Settings and Getting Out of the WayThe Chaos Aesthetic ProblemClosing Thought Connect with Chris Denner Chris Denner Photography Instagram

For years, wedding directories have been a frustration for suppliers. High prices, lofty promises and dubious quality enquiries. It's a topic that comes up constantly in photography groups and industry chats and it's one I wanted to tackle head on. In this episode I sit down with Zoe Burke, Head of Brand at Bridebook, for an honest conversation about the state of wedding directories today. We discuss why so many suppliers have felt let down, what Bridebook is doing differently with its pricing and packages and how the platform is shifting its focus from enquiry volume to genuine lead quality. We also talk about the future of directories in an AI driven world and the ongoing challenge of rebuilding trust between platforms and the supplier community. Zoe brings over a decade of wedding industry experience to the conversation and doesn't shy away from the difficult questions. If you want to understand whether a directory still has a place in your marketing strategy in 2025, this episode will give you a lot to think about. Links Bridebook Wedding Photography Unveiled Community