Before we begin..
This is the first post of something new on my website. I am happy to share this podcast with two of my good friends.
Lyssa Lashell is a Seattle-based Wedding and Elopement Photographer. We met in the Dolomites of Italy during a fantastic expedition hosted by Tyler Rye, and had so much fun in the Italian Alps. Since then, Lyssa and I have shared much passion and love for photography and nature.
Leezy Lee is a passionate yet empathetic photographer part of Eugene Kim Photography. She loves taking photos, especially on film, in nature, which can range from a local park to national parks. Leezy and I have been working together for almost a year now, and the speed of her growth shows how much she is focused on doing something she loves.
Together, we are starting a Podcast. Each episode will run independently. So, if you want to see more of Lyssa Lashell Photography’s content, it’s best found on her website. I will ask more questions than answer them on those, and Leezy will be a valuable part of this podcast, asking from a different perspective.
You can listen to the podcast on major podcast platforms.
And watch it on YouTube.
Introduction: Processes
Eugene Kim
Hi everyone. My name is Eugene Kim. Today, I’ll be talking about a lot of people who have been asking me about the typical process of Eugene Kim photography, from the booking process to the post-wedding process.
Eugene Kim
If you feel any time, feel stuck in any situation, but don’t really want to ask me any questions, don’t feel that. Definitely let me know if you have any questions. But if you do just want to search somewhere, this will be a perfect place to come back to. Today, Lisa and Lizzie is going to help me out with this podcast. They’ll be asking some questions, hopefully some of the questions that you guys have. So yeah, we’ll start from there.
(if you wish to view this podcast in a video form, press play)
1. Before Booking
Lyssa Lashell
All right, awesome. I would love to hear a little bit more about what your pre-wedding processes looks like for the client, because I feel like the first thing everyone always asks me is what is the next step?
Eugene Kim
Okay, when do a lot of couples ask you that? Like, is it like after they do the inquiry or like even before the inquiry?
Lyssa Lashell
I’d say like most people are finding me on Instagram and then some of them are DMing me and then asking me how to start the process and then I send them to my website because the first thing is I always have them inquire to kind of start that process and from there I kind of have like an automation that I go through with them.
Eugene Kim
Do you feel like you get more on Instagram or more on like you use HoneyBook?
Lyssa Lashell
I do. I use HoneyBook, but I have like a questionnaire like on my input form and I always ask where they found me and it’s almost always Instagram. Which is, which is kind of bizarre.
Eugene Kim
I think I would say about 50 % of my clients are Instagram too. But yeah, a lot of couples, when couples inquire with me for my service, for their weddings, oftentimes they send me a… It’s a very easy format that if they were to send me a contact form through my website versus if they were to send me a DM,
Lyssa Lashell
Okay.
Eugene Kim
A lot of the information are pretty much the same. So from there, I will send them a link or a questionnaire about the next step. And the next step usually consists of my starting price for that region that they’re getting married. If they haven’t filled out or if they didn’t let me know where they’re getting married, I would ask that question. And then from there, that link usually includes the link for the consultation call. At this point, couples just know what my starting price is, lot of the frequently asked questions answered and then consultation calls with me. From there, they haven’t really made any decision until, and I encourage a lot of couples to get on a consultation call with me. So, you know, even if they love my photography, if they don’t like me for some reason, then you know, we shouldn’t really go forward with it. So yeah, yeah, that’s my very initial step.
Lyssa Lashell
Yeah
Eugene Kim (04:26.28)
And then from there, we get on a consultation call. We chat about the couple, about the wedding, about my services, about a lot of… We pretty much will go through these processes as well. And then finally, I’ll tell them a lot about the services that I offer. And then what I do differently to probably many photographers, is that I don’t actually tell them the final pricing during the consultation call. I usually do it within about 24 hours after the consultation call. I send them customized proposal. That way I feel like I know exactly what the couples want and exactly the type of services couples want so that I can probably provide the three collections that couples really like.
And then usually couples just choose one from there. And then they book me for the, after signing the contract and then paying the 50 % retainer.
Lyssa Lashell
Yeah, I feel like my workflow is very similar with the…
when they get the inquiry, send like the questionnaire and stuff after, because like you’re just kind of looking at like, are we going to vibe together for the consult? And it’s so fun because sometimes you connect on little things and I feel like I take notes during like my consults because I think it’s so great that you build something custom to really reflect them because I feel like the clients that reach out, most haven’t been married before and they’re like, we don’t really know what we want or what we need and you know a lot of them are looking at something on my website that they see that wouldn’t necessarily work for them so I feel like it’s so helpful to kind of like guide them and serve them and build something custom to reflect what they want.
Eugene Kim
Right, yeah. I think it’s been working really well after I made that change. I don’t have to offer a lot of the couples that, know, often time I think a lot of before I made the change, there were a lot of things in the package that was really, even I felt this is not really necessary for you guys, but it’s already in the package, so do you want it?
No I don’t want to really go through that. So that’s why I started building the customized proposal. Yeah. And I think the couple has been liking it quite a lot since.
2. Between Booking & Wedding
And then after that, usually about two months out from the wedding, if we haven’t already done the engagement session, we would do the engagement session if they wanted to. I would say about 80 % of my couples do the engagement sessions.
Even if they are from somewhere else, we’ll probably try to travel and then do the engagement session together. And then around two months, we would also do another consultation call, usually asking about their family member’s name, who’s attending, as well as just family dynamics. If I want to hear anything about the family history, anything, if they’ve been remarried and who’s with whom, all that sort of stuff, I’d like to know.
And then that way, feel like couples at that point, think couples know about me and about me. I know about the couples a lot more. So we connect on a more different, you know, a little bit deeper level, I feel like. And then we can definitely share a lot more about the wedding itself and how I’m going to photograph the weddings too. So I think that’s been really helpful. Yeah. And then after that,
(We talk about many different things, these are some examples of floral decorations they wanted and sent to the floral designers. I like to see these to get a better idea of how I want to capture their day)
Eugene Kim
Probably about two weeks before the wedding, I reach out again asking about how the wedding’s planning is going, how they’re feeling, there any meltdowns or anything? But yeah, just to check in. I usually send a checklist. A lot of the couples know that they need to have, but at the same time, they are very easily forgetful. Things like,
Lyssa Lashell
Yes.
Eugene Kim
With things like wedding gown hanger, for example You know, no one’s gonna forget the wedding dress. I hope not but yeah for the For the definitely for the hanger and things like that small things a lot of couples, you know, they’re busy They have there’s a lot going on in their head and they get they get to forget about a lot of different things So I sent them a checklist about two weeks before And if they completely forgot about it, then you know, they still have time to order something on Amazon or something like that. So I feel like two weeks before was usually good amount of time.
Leezy Lee
So you said you don’t reveal the price upfront, but isn’t the fee what people are most curious about?
Eugene Kim
Yes and no. I feel like if I’m gearing towards the pricing, then I feel like a lot of couples are more curious about the pricing. I think I value in a lot different things more than the pricing. So I feel like a lot of couples are inquiring me about my thoughts on different things.
Eugene Kim
Yes, pricing is important. If the pricing is completely out of their range, obviously they cannot book me. So yes, they would like to know the pricing. yeah, that’s why I usually include the pricing on the very first email that I send out before the consultation call. that if the starting price is around, like around where they were thinking and what they had in mind, I feel like they’re usually okay. Yeah.
Eugene Kim
So what did we do to two weeks, two days? Yeah, last check-in is about two days. And then from two days in, it’s like constant texting each other. Just seeing how everything is going. And just like, if I’m doing a destination wedding, which I often do, I’m just letting them know like how I’m traveling, where I’m traveling to, what time I’ll be traveling into, that just so that they know and what to expect of me, guess. So yeah, that’s pretty much all the pre-wedding processes.
3. Post-Wedding Processes
Lyssa Lashell
And then for post wedding, what does that look like with your workflow?
Eugene Kim
Oh, it’s quite simple. 24 hours sneak peeks, 50 days final production and then about a month after the final production, wedding albums and any other things that we are going to do like a wedding, what you call the wall arts, any kind of prints, wedding albums, all that sort of stuff. So yeah, usually we’re done within about three months from the wedding.
Lyssa Lashell
With everything? So like when you’re saying final edits within 50 days, are you doing the full wedding gallery?
Eugene Kim
Mm-hmm. Yes.
Lyssa Lashell
That’s so fast.
Eugene Kim
Is it?
Lyssa Lashell
Is that industry standard for your area, or is that just like your process?
Eugene Kim
No, I feel like that’s just the process. feel like usually, I feel like that’s just the right amount of time for the couples. And what I mean by that is that I feel like anything within a month, within like four, five weeks, I feel like it’s a little bit too soon. Like it’s maybe they just got back from honeymoon and then maybe just they’re settling into you know, getting used to the, I don’t know, probably like marriage life. I feel like a lot of couples these days have already been living together before the wedding. So it doesn’t really apply as much, but I feel like pre COVID weddings, a lot of couples, 50 days, I feel like it was just the perfect amount of time that when everything was settling down, that they get the photos and they get to remember what their wedding day was like. And, you know,
Eugene Kim
They really feel like now that they’re married kind of thing. But I feel like anything beyond that is like often because I’ve had I’ve had times when I tried to deliver a little bit further out. I think it was more like 10 weeks instead of seven weeks. And I was getting some emails asking, know where their photos when their photos getting getting done or you know things like that and often times often time that is I feel like you know, it’s it’s Well one a lot of couples know because they read the contract and they read the the processes they know when they’re getting the photos But I feel like if they’re feeling it’s been a while that they’ve seen the photos and things like that
Eugene Kim
I think that’s just a little bit too long. So that’s why I reduced it to seven weeks. I could probably do it quicker, but yeah, I think seven weeks is right about time. Yeah.
Lyssa Lashell
Yeah. Well you don’t want to rush. You want to like have them really enjoy it. You want to be able to like, you know, put all the love into it. Here industry standards about six to eight, but up to twelve is some photographers. I’m just surprised with how much travel you do that your turnaround is so fast.
Eugene Kim
Yeah, and I think like I said like because I think I can do a little bit quicker but often time a lot of couples do the video as well and if I to do photo and video 50 days is pretty quick. Yeah. Yeah,
Lyssa Lashell
Yes. Amazing.
Eugene Kim
Well, you know, the help of the AI helps.
Lyssa Lashell
Yeah, and really having your like workflow from like start to finish, I feel like is so seamless and it creates like the sense of calm when as wedding photographers people are always like, isn’t that so stressful? And you’re like, I mean for other people maybe, but like I love it.
Eugene Kim
Yeah, isn’t that what makes it fun? Yes. The challenge as well. But yeah, if you guys don’t have any more questions, I think we can probably wrap it there. Yeah.
Lyssa Lashell
Yes. think so. I feel like we went through the full workflow. Yeah.
Eugene Kim
Yeah, I think it’s one of those, I think the processes are usually things that are very important, but there aren’t really much in it. But at the same time, because everyone, like you said, You and I are very similar in terms of a lot of things that we do, but even you and I have different workflow. And I think that’s probably what makes a lot of the couples and potential clients to really not confused, but they want to be assured about like, if this photographer really had the system down kind of thing. So very simple process, but yeah, hopefully now you know. if you still have anything that we haven’t asked questions in this podcast or I haven’t been able to answer that question, definitely reach out and then I’m happy to explain further. So yeah, I think we can just wrap it up there.
Once other episodes are ready, I’ll link them here.
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