Duel - A seminar with me and Matt McGraw

Back when I started this crazy business, I emailed this photographer I really admired. He was working out at the beach in Wilmington, NC and he had all this great work popping up all over the place. My career as a journalist was winding down and I was getting more and more weddings. On a whim, I called Matt McGraw to get some advice about starting my business. In the following months, Matt gave me more than advice. He provided enough referrals for me to actually leave my job.

I really owe the launch of my business to this guy. Since then, our businesses have grown in different ways. We're pretty close friends and talk at least once a week. And his lovely wife Tina loves chicken wings - so we were friends instantly.

We had talked about doing a seminar for a few months. Finally, after my StepUp workshop in January, I said, "Let's just do this thing." So, Duel was born.

Matt's blanket approach to shooting and marketing nets more than 300 inquires per year - and he shoots between 50-60 weddings per year. And he has a successful family portrait business as well. I wanted to do things a little differently. So, I focused on getting 20-25 weddings per year and providing very personalized service. Neither way is right or wrong. But we've both had a lot of success, despite a sagging economy.

I imagine it's because we both really care about our work. But we run our businesses very differently.

Seminar: Duel
When: March 23 (optional shooting with Matt on March 24)
Time: 9:30 a.m. until completion
Where: Shell Island Resort, Wrightsville Beach, NC
Cost: $250 per photographer ($100 extra for Matt McGraw shooting session on March 24)

To register, email me or Matt:
shane@shanesnider.com
matt@mattmcgrawphotography.com