Interview with Victor (Victor Yang Photography)
Victor Yang
Profession: Wedding Photographer
Business Name: Victor Yang Photography
If you can consistently produce good work that exceeds expectations, people will refer you to other couples. That’s how I’ve been growing my business and this can only get better as time goes by.
Nikki: Tell us a little bit about your journey.
Victor: Never in my wildest dream did I imagine that one day I would become a wedding photographer. It all started with my first DSLR camera that my dad gave me when I went on an exchange study in the U.S. in Carnegie Mellon University and I took lots of photos during my time in the U.S. And I got serious about photography since then.
After that, my friends started seeing themselves getting tagged in x number of photos on Facebook. Then I became the go-to photographer amongst my friends and that was how my journey of becoming a wedding photographer started.
Nikki: Who or what was your inspiration that led you to this industry or profession?
Victor: I started out with being the wedding photographer at my friends’ weddings and that instantly got me hooked. I’ve always loved capturing people. I love bringing out not only the best look of people but also capturing the emotion, the personality of people through my photography.
Nikki: What is something you have learnt about this industry in the last 12-month?
Victor: Digital cameras are becoming more and more affordable. Anyone with a professional camera can no longer call himself/herself a professional photographer. A photographer needs to develop his/her signature style and constantly improve and innovate to earn the title of professional photographer.
Nikki: What do you think is a major contributing factor in successfully marketing your service/business?
Victor: Over deliver. I started out with just word of mouth. If you can consistently produce good work that exceeds expectations, people will refer you to other couples. That’s how I’ve been growing my business and this can only get better as time goes by.
Nikki: Where do you see yourself in the next 5 years?
Victor: 5 years is a long time. I would never have thought about half of the things I have accomplished today 5 years ago. I think in 5 years, I will be doing wedding photography internationally and probably be running photography workshops to help new photographers to skip the learning curve of entering into this very competitive market.
Nikki: Tell us about a challenging client or situation and how did you handle that?
Victor: I once had a very shy groom that refused to kiss the bride when we were taking outdoor shoot. I had to come up with a lot of more creative ways to illustrate their intimacy and at the same time putting the groom at ease. Eventually he felt more comfortable taking photos and did kiss the bride.
Nikki: What are some of the key questions a couple should ask when they are looking for a wedding photographer for their big day or event?
Victor: I actually wrote a super complete article on questions a couple should ask when they are looking for a wedding photographer. This can be found on my website at
http://victoryangphotography.com.au/questions-to-ask-a-wedding-photographer/
Nikki: As a father of 2 beautiful children, life must be pretty busy at home. How do you maintain balance in the areas of business, family, friends (and sleep) while nurturing a growing business (or businesses)?
Victor: When I am at home, I am with my wife and kids. No work will be done and no work can be done (good luck with getting any work done with two boys running around in the room). I do all my work early in the morning before my kids are awake or in the evening after my kids are asleep or when I am travelling on a train.
Nikki: In your opinion, what are the top 5 qualities of a good wedding photographer?
Victor:
Master the craft
Never stop learning
Always create something new and unique
Good time management
Good communication skills
Nikki: What advice would you offer to a start up professional in your area of expertise?
Victor: Learn from the wedding photographers you admire and you’ll be way ahead of many people.