The Importance of Effective Communication

As I’m writing this, the first person that comes into my mind was Shaza, the one that hired me for her post wedding photo shoot with her humble husband, Rafi, in Los Angeles, CA last May. We go way back last year when she inquired my quotation on bachelorette party. She decided to hire me but not long after that I got another offer for a wedding so I had to pick the wedding and I passed the party session to someone else. At first she was so mad because I turned her down on the very last minute which she had every right to but I managed to talk her down and God knows how hard was it to find a replacement (knowing how picky I am). We decided to come at peace and be friends but the conversation was just ended there and I never heard from her.

Up until around March this year, she texted me about the post wedding photo shoot. When she asked me “Do you do photo shoot out of Malaysia?”, I thought she meant Singapore or Bali as those are mainstream places for wedding/post wedding shoot in Southeast Asia but when she said LA, I was so excited beyond everything. Although I studied in the US but when I got back for good last year, I thought I will never have the chance to be back in that country, let alone going there for vacation (yes I considered that trip as a vacation because I went there to do what I love and not a moment I felt like I was working, except for the part that I had to wake up at 5am almost every day). She said that she was thinking to have her wedding photographer but hesitated because those people are quite uptight and the only next person she could think of was me – someone whom she never met nor ever offer her a service. I was so honoured because she picked me and God knows how delighted I was, I called my friend and scream ecstatically! I AM GOING TO LA!

My point here is that communication is very important if you want to sustain in this industry where you have to deal with people no matter what, even if you do product shoot, you still have to deal with the owner/coordinator first. I know it can be very tricky sometimes especially contemplating whether you want to go all formal or very laid back with that client since most of us communicate via WhatsApp or iMessage, so you have no clear picture of the person you are talking to. Here is when Shaza and Rafi come in handy as example again. I never know their status until I met them in LA but I just keep it professional through our conversation on WhatsApp. Both of them look very chill but Rafi or must I say YM Raja Rafiuddin Ariff Shah, is actually is royalty of Perak and a little bit of Johor in the blood. It was to my surprise to see Shaza’s insta story with TTJ (Tengku Temenggong Johor) and said that it’s Rafi’s cousin. She even mentioned that they went to Hadid’s house in LA on the day that I landed there.

Okay back to the real business here. The communication between you as the photographer and the client don’t just stop once the deal is made but you carry even bigger responsibility on the day of the event itself and afterwards. Family, friends, neighbours, DJs, caterers, event coordinators, makeup artist, hair stylist and the list  goes on – are all the people that you have to communicate with during the event other than the bride and groom which you may or may not be comfortable communicating with already. Always give out the best vibe, smile and give clear instruction. If there is something challenging happening like kids gone out of control, running around the dais area or just throwing tantrum, which may cause uneasiness in your workflow, do not confront them instead talk to the adults there and put it nicely and hopefully the parents will take control over their kids (that’s just the a common example I could think of that is stressing most photographers I know). I know you might think that it will be easier and faster but never take that route because kids are very sensitive and could abrupt unexpectedly.

Remember you also have the power to control the situation during the day so give clear instruction or have a briefing session before the event starts could change the flow of the whole ceremony.  Things can get a little out of hands like guests wont stop coming even after the invitation hour has ended and the clock is ticking for the last streak of sun on the horizon so you have to make sure you communicate with your couple about the situation. If they don’t mind not having the session but instead staying in to entertain the guests, that’s totally up to them because even if you are dying to drag them out, remember they are the one paying you so do as they please. I have a few couples who decided to not have the outdoor session because they were too tired or they want to spend time with their families. That’s totally fine with me, as long as they know what to expect on the result. Nevertheless, you must plant this in your mind that the biggest rule in effective communication is to NEVER ASSUME, JUST ASK, it doesn’t hurt you to do so, in fact it gives you even clearer vision of your expectation and the same thing goes to the other party.