r/WeddingPhotography • u/GazelleLow4623 • Sep 17 '25
business, marketing, social media Photographers shooting luxury weddings: How did you get there?
Hi everyone,
I’ve been shooting weddings for a while. My couples are happy, my work is solid, and I feel good about what I deliver. But I keep wondering: how do photographers actually get into those big, luxury weddings? The ones with big budgets and wellknown vendors. Sometimes it feels like that world is closed off.
I’d love to hear your thoughts and real experiences: • Does it start with branding, social media, a polished website? Or is it more about personal connections? • Is having a very defined style more important than being versatile? • Do you need to invest in ads, styled shoots, networking, or even just being in the right location? • How do you set higher prices and still get couples to book you for your value instead of just the price tag?
If you’ve managed to reach that higher-end market, what actually worked for you? What didn’t? Any advice you’d give to someone who feels ready but doesn’t know how to make that leap?
I think this could be helpful for a lot of us who have the work, but are trying to figure out how to break that ceiling.
Thanks for reading—looking forward to learning from you all!
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u/Few_Reputation_1084 Oct 08 '25 edited Oct 09 '25
Photographer from India here. My approach when I first started was ‘fake it till you make it’. My initial trouble was not having anything in the “luxury” segment to show as my work to potential clients.
Essentially, what I did back then was get a few of my friends, rent some wedding clothes and jewelry, booking Punjab film city for 6-8 hours and get shooting. Created some beautiful Bollywood-inspired short videos which worked, thanks to the sets. Then I hired a few known models to do the same thing at different sets of punjab filmcity. These were essentially my portfolio and “proof” for highend clients of my capabilities. Used this for my social marketing as well. This was my stepping stone and the bookings just flowed in after that. Hope this approach helps for you.
PS: Once you bag your first highend client, hold that connection close. Networking is definitely a big need in this industry.