When a group of photographer invite me to share my 10 years of knowledge in photography seminar presentation than my heart was blown away cause I know that they will deliver all the ticket sales, album selling, and everything for charity. Back few weeks ago one of great tourism district here in Indonesian known as Lombok had been chaos due to the big earthquake, there are so many people lost their homes, kids are losing their parents, even school and medical facility has been broken due to this situation.
Today, there are over than 150 photographers from across Indonesia just like Sumatera, Kalimantan, Jawa, Bali, and Sulawesi island are coming to Yogyakarta and attending this prestigious photography seminar and charity for Lombok, truly honour for it!
Now lets get back on this photography seminar presentation cause I really want to share to all of you who don’t attending this session. My name is Bima Adhitya and I’m a destination wedding photographer based in Indonesia – Southeast Asia. I was growing up as a former architecture student who designing only 2 projects in my entire life in 2009 till I decide to work on my passion, stumble upon moment to another moment of marriage couple that come from across the globe. I was starting my business as a local photographer here in my town Yogyakarta till I able to sell my services to specific couple who expecting more to get married + enjoying the beautiful world.
I’m working with my beautiful wife named Nina, who belong to my personal assistant and make up artist for some couple who also need those services during their destination marriage. So generally what people mostly curious about my photography expertise is,
“How I could promote and sell my photography collection to worldwide couple who never know me before”
Every Photographers Have a Goals, and Become a Destination Wedding Photographer is Mine!
I was starting my business in 2009 after graduation from Architecture major in Yogyakarta and Darwis Triadi School of Photography in Jakarta. During first 4 years I’m shooting traditional wedding here in Yogyakarta, Semarang, Surakarta but mostly just nearby my town. I knew that their wedding so beautiful, coming with a lot of cultures, colours, and memorable stories that I could share in the wedding album.
But there is a big movement that make me change my couple market,
It was in 2012 when a Hollywood wedding photographer named Joe Buissink came to Bali and he need a one day assistant for shooting like 10 hours wedding. Actually I knew him since 2008 when I saw his action on master wedding photographer movie on DVD, yeahh….I watched him on those old school movie platform on my DVD player.
When I met Joe at the first time I knew that he was so humble and super detail cause he told me everything that belong to his standard of shooting wedding. During those period he only telling me about two things:
- “Bima….you are here for NOT shooting wedding, so what I really need from you is become of my assistant”
- “I’m a fast photographer, so I will change my lens within a second and you must stand by nearby me but don’t ever to close to me”
I watched him shooting for 10 hours and what I saw during that period is not a photographer, BUT he is truly a ‘ninja’ who sniff for the moment and shoot super fast to catch the moment between moment and that’s called as the PERFECT MOMENT. What I’m doing is stand by next to him and holding his camera roller suitcase so generally I’m no longer than 15 meter away but my eyes must be open and come to him within a second if Joe need to change his lens, seriously these over than 60 years old guy is shooting so fast!.
Lately I knew that Joe was starting his photographer career when he was 45, too old and I think he’s already late to start it. Hell No! he made a big change on his entire career cause now he shoot for only high profile client mostly in Los Angeles and also globally, he shoot for an exclusive world richest celebrity like Christine Aguilera and J-Lo for the time, even just like what I had in Bali, I’m not sure they were celebrity or not but what I really know is Joe must be charger tons of money for his services.
Wedding shooting is end and I saw my watched is showing at 11pm night than I should go back to my hotel located around Kuta, those night I could sleep cause I’m truly impressed with this bald guy and I definitely want to change my market into global. I definitely know that it could be difficult especially for me an ordinary guy who live in Indonesia, a country without any specific history about art centre but what I believe deep in my heart is,
“when I stumble upon for my goals again and again than there will be a way.”
1,5 Years of Taught Process to Move from Local into Worldwide Market
2012 December was my first time to make over my website, I change everything from the template, features, till the SEO and the main goals is I want to shoot in Maldives no matter what it’s gonna be a pre wedding, engagement, or even a wedding.
1 – Sending a Thousand Profile to Worldwide Vendor
During those period I ask my wife to help me and send a thousand of my studio’s profile to worldwide wedding planner, I sent it to New York, Japan, Singapore, Austria, London and everywhere. Our KPI (Key Performance Index) was send 10 profile for every single day and we did it for over than 3 months. Through this method there are less than 5 wedding planner who could meet in person, one in Hyatt Regency Yogyakarta, one in Amanjiwo, and another is in Chinatown, Singapore.
Through this way we know that at least there is a small way for us for being discover and respected by worldwide market even hell yes! only 1 vendor in Singapore that accepted us to get a small meet up, I know that someone else also welcoming us but I got no money at all to go to Europe or United States as well.
2 – Make Over My Blog and Set It For Worldwide Couple Targeting
I know that I have an ability to post a great article that make my blog placed in the first page on Google, yes this is what I learn from the SEO (Search Engine Optimization) workshop that I had in Jakarta Indonesia than continue to Singapore back in 2010.
So I’m starting to write any articles that promote my photography services to Maldives, I know it sounds crazy but yeah I did for 1,5 years without selling 1 single deal.
Am I stuck? FOR SURE! But I’m not giving up, that’s my answer
There are couple of friends who telling me that I’m insane and what I wanna do or my goals is impossible, so let me tell you something. This situation will also happen in your life no matter what you did but trust me that if somebody telling you that it’s impossible than it is truly impossible for them BUT NOT FOR YOU!
Yes I finally go to Maldives after 1,5 years of blogging, serving the dream couple that I focusing for which is an overseas couple who bring me to such wonderful wedding venue. On those picture above I serving pre wedding photo shoot for lovely and humble couple who coming from Hong Kong and yes we never meet up before and the only moment that we can see our face each other is just using a Skype.
Here below are some snaps photo that I got during my pre wedding in Lux* South Ari Atoll.
Related links
What I’m Telling the Audiences During This Photography Seminar Presentation – Lombok Indonesia Charity
When there are hundred of photographers attending my seminars than the first time words that I’m telling them is “You Must be Worldwide Photographer!”
The world is fair enough so if you working so hard and spend your time and days to workout and do whatever you can to promoting your photography business than someday you gonna achieve your goals. It ain’t short way or easy way but one thing that you must consider is everything is possible. Generally every single ordinary couple in this world will spend 7 to 12% for photography in wedding, I mean from the whole total budget that they gonna spend during the celebration. So what I’m telling during this seminar is if some couple spend at least $50,000 for wedding than at least they could pay your services between $3500 to $6000 and it’s fair enough.
So what I’m doing here in my own studio, Bima Adhitya Photography is promoting my services of pre wedding, engagement, portrait, or wedding to worldwide market. I know through this niche I will leave my kids for several days and I could not shooting so often cause I must take care my family too but I don’t need 50 to hundred couple in a year so if I could shoot at least one couple in a month than it’s way more enough.
Surely I want to use my rest of time to teach photographers through my blog or attending some invitation of being a public speaker in photography seminars around the globe or writing various ebook that could be my future investment in digital era.
Let me give you some shortcut to getting deeper, if you want to improve your market into globally than this is some suggestion that I personally do:
- Join some photographer’s association cause it grows your knowledge for sure, by the way I formerly member of WPJA, AG|WPJA, and ISPWP which is that was cool group to upgrading your network and knowledge
- Attenting photography seminars is great solution to upgrade your skill and knowledge, if you able to afford than overseas seminar will be better cause you can see directly your competitors
- Build your online photography blog, in this digital era having a blog for photographer is a must even you already have a studio cause your studio only able to host a potential client from 9 to 5 but your blog will able to host and promoting your photography services for 24 hours in a day, 7 days in a week, and 365 days in a year
- Targeting your market, you must know where your market is and describe what they really need for their wedding
- Stay focus, this method is ain’t easy as the word cause I saw my self there are hundred of photographer who can not being focus on their goals, they only think about money…money…and money which definitely will take them down cause they gonna forget how to be enjoy in this hard work.
So I’m truly blessed to share this information for you and I welcoming any of you or your groups to invite me to come in your photography seminars globally. I love to travel and share my knowledge to every photographer madness and I already did it since 2011 both in Indonesia and worldwide.
Last, I hope you learn something about my photography seminar presentation that I had during this Lombok Indonesia Charity 2018 and thanks to Jogja Wedding Photographer (JWP) for the honour invitation during this seminar.
Love and bless – Bima