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Wedding photographer Sanjay Jogia on how to boost your business with print

A newlywed couple sit outside the doors of a Hindu temple. Taken by wedding photographer Sanjay Jogia.
Wedding photographer and Canon Ambassador Sanjay Jogia has been printing his own photographs since 2016 because he believes that couples attach greater value to a physical product. "This portrait of the happy couple hangs in their home as a large print. They returned to buy it after their initial investment," he says. Taken on a Canon EOS-1D X (now succeeded by the Canon EOS-1D X Mark III) with a Canon EF 70-200mm f/2.8L USM lens at 1/125 sec, f/5 and ISO160. © Sanjay Jogia

Indian weddings are vibrant affairs, visually striking with masses of flowers and extravagant backdrops – making them exciting subjects for photographers such as Sanjay Jogia.

After leaving a successful career in architecture in 2007, Sanjay launched photography business, Eye Jogia, with his wife Roshni, specialising in Indian weddings and high-end destination ceremonies. In a highly competitive market, the award-winning couple have achieved success, in part, thanks to Sanjay's use of print. He's been printing his own photographs since 2016, first on a Canon PIXMA PRO-1 and more recently on a Canon PROGRAF imagePRO-1000 printer, and the luxurious A2 and A3 portraits he creates are displayed in his North London showroom.

Print is a medium that is constantly being devalued by digital, but it has become a vital component in Sanjay's business and helped him to strengthen his relationships with clients. Here he reveals how print can add value to your photography business.

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1. Attach value to each image

One of the advantages of printing your own images is that it reinstates the value of the printed photograph in a world saturated with digital imagery. As a professional photographer, it is possible to stand out from the masses on social media taking photographs on smartphones by using the printed medium to evoke emotion and create something clients can treasure.

"We try to avoid digital sales," says Sanjay. "Digital is temporary – when something is digital you know it can be replicated quickly and that means it immediately loses its value. If you handed someone a print and then tore it up in front of them, they would be horrified. People don't realise how much they value something until they hold it in their hands."

Sanjay Jogia using his Canon imagePROGRAF PRO-1000 printer.
Sanjay started printing his own images in 2016 and believes his clients appreciate the value of a physical product in an increasingly digital world. © Sanjay Jogia

For Sanjay, it's also a case of educating couples about their options: he wants to encourage them to start thinking about buying photobooks or framed shots, rather than just a USB of files. "Prints are very important to us and we make a point of that early on in the consultation period," he says. "The bride and groom often don't know what they're looking for, but once they realise the importance of printed photographs, they re-evaluate their priorities and are willing to spend more on the finished product."

Sanjay meets each couple before their wedding for what he calls a 'prelude shoot', so they can get to know his style. "We make it part of the experience to have a shoot beforehand so it's easier for them on the day. That always goes well, because it means we can create beautiful images, such as a framed photo, for display in the venue's foyer."

A bride sits on a red staircase, with her red veil laid out on the steps behind her. Taken by wedding photographer Sanjay Jogia.
A bride poses on the staircase of a stately home. "This image was created as an oversized print for the main wall in the couple's London home," says Sanjay. Taken on a Canon EOS-1D X with a Canon EF 16-35mm f/2.8L II USM lens (now succeeded by the Canon EF 16-35mm f/2.8L III USM) at 1/125 sec, f/3.2 and ISO3200. © Sanjay Jogia
A black-and-white image of a bride adorned in jewellery and henna. Taken by wedding photographer Sanjay Jogia.
This portrait of a bride on the morning of her wedding was printed on a 6ft canvas. "It hangs in a prominent space in the couple's home and was sold as an extra at their request," says Sanjay. Taken on a Canon EOS-1D X Mark II (now succeeded by the Canon EOS-1D X Mark III) with a Canon EF 24-70mm f/2.8L II USM lens at 1/320 sec, f/4 and ISO800. © Sanjay Jogia

2. Create an inspirational gallery

Eye Jogia also produces image slideshows put to music but Sanjay has discovered that couples are more interested in the standalone prints. "When they come into the showroom, they see pictures on the walls and subconsciously begin to imagine themselves in them," he says. "A print is something tangible and they have an immediate reverence for it."

All the prints displayed in Sanjay's showroom have been printed on the Canon PIXMA PRO-1 or the Canon imagePROGRAF PRO-1000, both of which give him the high quality he needs to impress his clients. The Canon imagePROGRAF PRO-1000's 12-ink system prints up to A2 without compromising quality, across all kinds of papers and canvases. Sanjay favours printing on matte fine art paper, rather than a gloss or satin surface. "The lack of reflection means you perceive more detail," he says.

A bride in an intricately detailed mint green dress stands in front of the stone facade of a London building. Taken by wedding photographer Sanjay Jogia.
This bridal portrait was taken before a wedding ceremony in central London and conveys "an aspiration of the flawless bride on her perfect day," says Sanjay. It hangs as a piece of oversized wall art in the couple's London home. Taken on a Canon EOS-1D X with a Canon EF 24-70mm f/2.8L II USM lens at 1/200 sec, f/5 and ISO1600. © Sanjay Jogia
A couple riding camels are led by a guide over sand dunes in Dubai. Taken by wedding photographer Sanjay Jogia.
Couples often choose to have a framed image on display at the venue on their big day. "This image was created during an engagement shoot in Dubai to reflect the bride's love of the Middle East," he says. "The shot was printed, framed and displayed at their wedding reception as part of an upsell on their photography investment." Taken on a Canon EOS-1D X with a Canon EF 24-70mm f/2.8L II USM lens at 1/250 sec, f/11 and ISO640. © Sanjay Jogia
A printer printing out a black-and-white portrait of an older man.

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Canon Ambassador Clive Booth and Canon printing expert Suhaib Hussain reveal how to make your own pro-quality photo prints.

3. Open up avenues for upsell

Showcasing a special photograph as a formal print can be an opportunity to make further sales, says Sanjay. When couples fall in love with a photo of their special day, "it's usually the first formal print they have of themselves as a couple; they value that and want more, because they know they're going to get a great reaction from friends and family," he says. "Then they start to imagine what their wedding album will look like."

It's also about knowing your audience, explains Sanjay. Different family members will appreciate certain kinds of photographs more than others. "The formal photographs are very important in Indian weddings – families, and especially the parents, really value those images and tend to have them blown up for wall art. The couples usually prefer the stylised portraits, where they're looking their very best on the biggest day of their lives. They tend to buy multiple framed prints or use them as double-page spreads in an album."

Sanjay is able to produce his own large-scale prints for framing. "The Canon imagePROGRAF PRO-1000 prints up to A2, which is great for a framed print," he says. "After the event, when we make the albums, the couple might have found some extra budget for upgrades, and then we can print up to A2 and have a custom frame made. Printing offers plenty of opportunities for upsell."

A black-and-white image of a bride being embraced by tearful members of her family. Taken by wedding photographer Sanjay Jogia.
As this image demonstrates, a wedding evokes many emotions – and different family members will appreciate different types of photo. Here, several generations of a family are pictured bidding an emotional farewell to the bride. Taken on a Canon EOS-1D X with a Canon EF 24-70mm f/2.8L II USM lens at 1/60 sec, f/4 and ISO10000. © Sanjay Jogia

4. Produce quality competition entries

Sanjay doesn't just print images for clients. "I print a lot of images for competitions as well, because it keeps me on my toes, both creatively and technically," he says. It's vital that the images he creates for competitions are of excellent quality, and Sanjay has enjoyed learning how to perfect his technique. "The Canon imagePROGRAF PRO-1000 is incredibly consistent right across the image," he explains. "It has the ability to handle a large colour gamut [the range of colours a device can produce] and faithfully reproduces the details of your images."

Prints made using Canon's LUCIA PRO inks can last approximately 200 years in a photo album, and up to 60 years exposed to light, making them ideal if you want to exhibit your work.

For Sanjay, the benefits of printing his own images are innumerable and it's a skill he recommends all photographers get to grips with. "Learn how to print and understand colour management and you can tap into the profit that printing provides," he says.

Written by Kevin Carter


Sanjay Jogia's kitbag

The key kit pros use to take their photographs

The Canon imagePROGRAF PRO-1000.

Camera

Canon EOS-1D X Mark III

The successor to the Canon EOS-1D X that Sanjay loves. Life is full of unrepeatable moments: capture more of them with the EOS-1D X Mark III and tell your visual story to the world.

Lenses

Canon EF 24-70mm f/2.8L II USM

A professional-quality standard zoom that offers outstanding image quality and a fast f/2.8 aperture throughout its zoom range.

Printers

Canon imagePROGRAF PRO-1000

Print in stunning quality with a 12-ink system up to A2. "It's incredibly consistent right across the image," he says. "It has the ability to handle a large colour gamut and faithfully reproduces the details of your images."

Canon PIXMA PRO-1

Discover the ultimate quality A3 printer with commercial scale productivity. "Once or twice on the PRO-1 when I haven't used it for, say, three or four months, it might say it needs it needs a clean up, and then I just run the maintenance procedure on it. And when you print off the test print, everything's bang on what it's supposed to be. It's never given me any issue at all. Absolutely brilliant."

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