If I simply answered with ‘someone who pays me to photograph their wedding’ then this post would end right here. 

Ok, so how about a wedding client who is friendly and good to work with and who likes my photos? This is slightly better and puffs out a paragraph with more words but still does not really answer the question. The creator of the Facebook group ‘How to run a successful wedding photography business for beginners and profs’ put up a really useful video that gave me some great questions that I didn’t think to ask about who my ideal client is. Armed with these questions, lets explore who The Timeless Lens is aimed at. 

1. What is the age of my proposed client? I would say between 30 and 90, so quite a big range! 
2. What is their occupation? They would work in a diverse range of fields ranging from the Heritage and Cultural sectors, the creative industries to being bricklayers.
3. What are their interests? My clients would have an appreciation for the creative industries and arts. They would enjoy travelling around and exploring different places. They would perhaps enjoy going to an art gallery, catch a play at the theatre and enjoy the architecture around them. They would be interested in history and/or have a love of reading and learning.
4. What is their sense of humour like? To give a very rough idea, the couple would have a cooky, fun sense of humour and appreciate comedies like Peep Show (UK), The Office (both UK and US), This Country (UK), Extras (UK), Spaced (UK) amongst others. 
5. What is their idea of a great night out? They appreciate a night in a laid back lounge setting, perhaps with R&B and singers with rich vocals. Perhaps they would enjoy an alternative music venue like the Camden Jazz Cafe or Notting Hill Arts Club. Perhaps the Rich Mix is more of their thing. The music would not be so loud that people would have to shout to hear each other. 
6. What would the couple’s ideal stag/hen do look like? The couple would each have a city break as their respective stag/hen dos with a night out as described above. A typical daily activity could range from wall climbing to crazy gold, a city centre spa to a ‘hot tug hot tub party’. 

This is a small list of questions. I won’t have too many because already my type of client is a small slice of the roughly 250,000 people who have been getting married every year*. However they do give me a snapshot of the sort of people who wish to work with me (and who I also wish to work with). Already I feel that this has given me a great boost for my marketing drive because I feel more in control of who I will be working with. A good client for me would be someone who is a clear communicator and also has similar interests so that the first initial meeting (and subsequent meetings) are unlike a formal business meeting but simply fellow humans enjoying chatting about photography and how a special day can be recorded in the best way. 

*https://www.guidesforbrides.co.uk/business-information/marriage-statistics-for-2016-whats-changed