articles/Weddings/thegreekway-page1
by Nik Pekridis Published 01/12/2011
Nik Pekridis is making his way over fromGreece in January to attend his fifth Conventionand he'll also be speaking for thesecond time at an event that has inspiredhim to reach new levels
The wonderful thing about the Societies' Convention is theway that it has achieved a worldwide reputation and, by sodoing, is now attracting delegates and speakers from a hugevariety of countries. Some will make the journey over onlyonce, but still more will make it to the Convention and be sotaken by the wealth of training on offer and the chance to network withother photographers from different backgrounds that they just keepcoming back over and over again.
Certainly Nik Pekridis, who runs a studio in Thessaloniki, Greece, hasfound that the Convention has massively broadened his horizons,given him the chance to rub shoulders with others in his professionwho might have different ways of doing things and has allowed himto network with others who can feed him fresh ideas and provide himwith a new perspective on the eternal question of how to attract aregular clientele who are prepared to pay a decent rate for photographicservices.
"There are big differences between the wedding photography businessin Greece and that in the UK," says Nik. "For a start weddings in Greeceare much bigger events than they might be in the rest of Europe andthey tend to be very traditional, with a high percentage of brides andgrooms opting for a religious rather than a civil ceremony."From the photographer's point of view they can be a big undertakingto cover. For example, you might find yourself covering a receptionwhere there are 250 guests or so attending, which can be quite achallenge. In some of the islands the festivities can spread out over threedays, with all the members of a village taking part.
"The majority of weddings take place on a Saturday night with the reston Sundays and, unlike in the UK, there are very few weddings taking place during the week. The majority of photographic studios in Greece -probably something like 99% - will also diversify, and will provide a couplewith a mixture of still and video coverage, again something that is not socommon in other countries."
There are 0 days to get ready for The Society of Photographers Convention and Trade Show at The Novotel London West, Hammersmith ...
which starts on Thursday 1st January 1970