Welcome to the future that is 2016.
This year will prove to be an interesting year, if you look at the markets there will be some dramatic changes that will activate lot's of business.
In addition with the potential for interest rate rises people will be looking to tighten their purse strings in some areas, however in business the exact opposite should apply, look good, be professional and stand out from your competition.
Obviously if you are getting married then I really don't think I have ever met anyone who starts a conversation with, 'We are so flush we are looking to spend as much as we can on everything' the norm is the opposite, 'We are looking for a photographer and on a tight budget' is a common opening line followed by 'we love your work'
In this situation I would say this, my prices have not altered in 5 years aside from the data going up from £275 to £375 aside from that all prices are what they were 5 years ago, many book me a year in advance and if you think about it realistically if the average photography package is £1200 then that's £100 a month you need to put aside to keep the memories of your day forever.
Obviously in my business there are 'Photographers' popping up all over the place and many who have a weekday job and shoot at weekends but do they have the right experience, equipment, insurance, it's a bit like trusting someone who know's a bit about cars to fix your breaks then hoping they work as they should when your out driving.
This year I will be looking for #commercial photography #boudoir photography #fashion photography and #event photography and of course weddings and portraits but quite a chunk of this year is booked solid already with weddings so to give the right service I don't want to overload myself and do a sub standard job.
For now though have a happy, kind, friendly, considerate 2016 and enjoy the ride.