One Year Development Course | Wedding photographer business and photography training

12 Month Wedding Photography Development and Training Course

6x Business and photography Meetings

Zoom sessions – Join me on real weddings – Grow your business

2024 / 2025 Business Group AVAILABLE TO JOIN NOW

Suited to both new and established wedding and portrait photography businesses, taking place over the year the course is split into six main group meetings which take place mid week and are scheduled up to six months in advance and around availability of the group to ensure everyone has the opportunity to attend in person or can log in online to the meeting.

These meetings are supplemented by a number of extra online meetings and webinars via Zoom. Meetings whether online or zoom are recorded and available to watch on catch up in the private members Facebook group along with downloadable copies the meeting notes

Meetings will take place at or nearby Hazlewood Castle

The aim of the one year course.

Increase the number of bookings through effective marketing and increase sales and pricing of both wedding collections and online galleries.
Reduce costs per wedding and increase turnover and margin
Speed up workflow, post processing, album design and consultations
Improve your photography knowledge and skill set through theory and, practical training and development

The meetings are a mix of practical photography time working with models and business training. Business topics covered over the course will include extensive Marketing, Pricing, Albums, Samples and products, Increasing online sales and galleries, Search Engine Optimisation, Managing and optimising Social Media, Workflow in Lightroom and Photoshop, Album design, Wedding planning and organisation etc

Benefits of membership:

Support between meetings via phone, email or in the private Facebook Group.
Private facebook group for course members
Join me at real weddings. The opportunity to come along to real weddings and assist / observe.
Assist on Training courses, there’s often an opportunity to join me on training courses as an assistant including wedding, landscape and even overseas workshops. During these you’ll often have opportunities to shoot.
50% off any UK wedding photography workshops booked and taking place whilst a member of the course
One year development group photography days. Over and above the regular meetings there’ll be special days available just for one year students to meet up for a day of photography. Previous sessions have included wedding, landscape and wildlife.
50% off, or even free access to paid webinars and recording access to all free webinars in the one year group private facebook group
80% off Sample albums with nPhoto and 30% off Album and Wall Art orders for at least 12 months

Your investment and how to sign up

Places are limited, only through booking below will you be able to reserve a place. The course can be paid as a one off payment of £1350 which saves £370 on monthly payments or you can join with a deposit of £400 and then 11x monthly payments of £120 inc VAT

Book your place on the one year course below – payments by paypal

Make a single payment of £1350 saving £370 on the monthly payments option

Pay the deposit option of £400 followed by 11x monthly payments of £120

On our course we'll include..... (and much much more!)

Marketing and SEO including social media. We all know Search Engine placement is key to generating online enquiries, during the year we’ll be looking at specific examples and proven ideas to improve your ranking and conversion rate. We’ll also be covering other marketing ideas and strategies, Social Media, wedding fayres, same day slideshows and referrals from couples and suppliers.

Photography. There’ll be practical photography time on the course as we work with models to help develop your techniques, creativity and style. As well as model time, there’ll be the opportunity to shadow me on real life weddings and see how I work on the day, workshop assisting opportunities and of course a discount on all UK wedding workshops

Workflow and editing. Speeding up workflow is just the start of the topic, we’ll look at various ways we can work faster to create a distinctive style which our clients will love. Workflow will also include time spent on album design, proofing and production.

Products, prices and packages. Starting at meeting one and continuing at each meeting, we’ll be looking indepth throughout at your prices, products and packages to ensure we are maximising sales and profit at the time of booking and after the wedding. Working closely with our album supplier Graphistudio you’ll have access to a number of special offers and discounts to enable you to build a collection of wedding sample products.

Increasing online gallery and product sales, from the wedding photography to the creation of the online gallery we’ll cover online and In Person Sales and how we can maximise all sales potential and generate extra revenue from every wedding.

What our students say..

I am now into my third year of Chris’ one year business course. I think that probably tells you everything you need to know. I have benefitted from the content and invaluable shooting experiences that I have received right from the start. I am so thankful for the help and support that Chris offers and the friendships I have made that push me on. My business has increased turnover 5 fold since starting and I put a lot of this down to Chris’ advice but not just the increase in turnover, I really value the business knowledge and craft that I have gained over the last 3+ years. If you are looking for a business mentoring program to help your business grow, don’t hesitate to book this or someone else will.

Relatively new to photography I embarked on a couple of Chris’ courses, including flash and 3 days business course. It was on one of these courses I found out about the opportunity to complete a one year business course and decided to give it a whirl. I honestly couldn’t have made a better business decision. Chris is a fountain of knowledge and so willing to share this. The opportunity to attend weddings with Chris and see how he runs the day is utterly priceless. I wouldn’t hesitate to recommend the course to anyone. The bang for your buck is unreal.

I attended this course in 2019 and with Chris' guidance my weekend photography business has turned to a full time career with an annual turnover in excess of £80k. Chris has walked me through some difficult decisions and worked with me to develop both my photography style and business making my product both unique and saleable. Rather than a generic one size fits all course, each piece of advice is tailored for your individual business. If you add Chris’ ideas and business training to your own hard work and determination you have the perfect recipe for success.

I started the business course at the start of 2022 and have learnt so much running the business. Too much to cover in a short review so a couple of highlights are: Tips for wedding fairs, I did my first one earlier in the year and with the learning I took from Chris walked away with two deposits paid on the day. The other two photographers who were there took enquiries but no confirmed bookings. Being with Chris at one of his weddings was one long lesson, the key highlight for me was seeing how a same day slideshow was created and used to generate interest, referrals and later print sales. This gave me the confidence to try it out myself, I now include one in all my full day packages.

I started the one year course with Chris in the early stages of my wedding photography business and together with several of my fellow students are now in year 3 of our development. Chris has helped me not only improve my photography but my business. Each year has seen growth with 2022 being my business yet with 54 weddings, this is in no small part thanks to Chris and the one year business course. Chris has kept his teaching up to date, and introduced new market trends to the course, helping us navigate the ever changing landscape. It’s safe to say my business would not be where it is today with out the help of Chris and the course

I booked on to one of Chris' beginners flash course at Allerton Castle. This day changed my life. The amount I learnt in the single day was crazy and I left there filled with new ideas and new plans. I didn’t stop there though, and after another course with Chris I decided the opportunity to learn from one of the best in the business was too good a chance to turn down so signed on to the year long business course. The value I have put on to my business and the knowledge I have required over the past few years with this course, along with the lifetime friendships and incredible support, has made it pay for itself many many times over. The one year course gives you so much. Learning photography techniques and skills is only part of it. The amount my whole business has benefitted from this course is crazy and even though my two years are up (yes, I signed up for a second year, and would do a third too) I am still benefitting from my incredible support from Chris and my peers. Chris is not only a very talented photographer, he is also a brilliant communicator and is able to teach in a simple way that is clear and easy to understand. He’s incredibly generous with his time if you ever have any questions, and his drive is incredibly inspirational and infectious. For anyone considering the one year course, and wanting to make photography a viable career for yours to come, it will be the best investment you could make.

Frequently Asked Questions

How far in advance are the meeting dates planned?

We’ll aim to plan and confirm the first three meeting dates as soon as possible with a view to meeting one being in January or February. Further meetings will be planned around 6 months in advance to allow more flexibility. We will schedule these around existing commitments and holidays (Meetings don’t usually take place in July and August as its peak wedding and holiday season). meetings will be mid week and we do ask that you have flexibility in your calendar.

My business is just starting, will the course be suited to me?

Totally! The course agenda is suited to both established and new businesses, Sounds implausible but you’ll find a mix of experience in each group and from total new start ups to photographers who have been established for 10+ years. We all need to continue to learn and develop new skills.

Workshop Discounts. Can I book any workshops at 50% off?

The discount is valid on any UK wedding workshop and is from the full price.. Early bird offers and other promotions are excluded from the discount. You can book two workshops at the offer price whilst a member of the group. The discount cannot be applied retrospectively to courses booked but not yet attended. Keys to the castle and 2 Big Days Style events are not classed as workshops.