Valentine's Day, love it or hate it there is no avoiding it when February 14 rolls around.

For those of us outside of relationships, most of the day is spent bemoaning how commercial the holiday is and how cloying everyone can be with their grand gestures of flower snad chocolates delivered ostentatiously to the office. Those within the warm embrace of a relationship - new or old - are faced with a different dillemma.

The spirit of romance is forced into the atmosphere like a cat into an embarrassing sweater and everyone is expected to play along. Like the cat, romance doesn't like to be forced into anything. It's best when it's spontaneous and enigmatic, coming at you by surprise. Valentine's Day is the opposite of that, it's the same day every year with virtually the same trappings hanging off it. Flowers, check. Chocolate, check. Red, check. Cupid, check. Hearts, check. Difficulty getting a seat at a restaurant, check.

“It is a truth universally acknowledged, that a single man in possession of a good fortune, must be in want of a wife." - Jane Austen, Pride and Prejudice

If my recent foray onto Pinterest is to be believed, the truth today is that a single lady in possession of an Internet connection, must be in want of a wedding. There are boards festooned with dresses, flowers and a million little pieces that will one day be whipped into a wedding like cream into butter. Unfortunately, one thing stands in the way for women in want of a husband and men in want of a wife.

Your terrible self-portraits.

In the last book we tried to make sales a little less intimidating for photographers. It isn’t enough to not be frightened by sales, successful wedding photographers need to embrace sales and their identity as salespeople.

Like it or not, the moment you put out your shingle as a photographer you became a businessperson. That means it isn’t just your job to take pictures, it’s your job to keep the lights on, make sure everyone gets paid, manage customers and a thousand and one other things that make sure that business can survive.

What do a Massachusetts snowfall and your bridal gown have in common?

In both you should avoid anything that comes in yellow. White is the traditional color for a bride to wear on her wedding day, and even as couples are creating new twists on the old tale it still predominates. There's just something about slipping into an elaborate white dress on a warm New England summer that turns a day like any other into a fairytale.

Sell.

For most photographers it’s the dirtiest of the four-letter words, but it doesn’t have to be. For the photographer hoping to build a business it must not be.

Photography is a romantic profession. Our understanding of the photographer is as an artist perfecting a craft to create these beautiful moments stolen out of time. Pursuing art is supposed to be a lifestyle, not a job. Wedding photography is by its nature then, doubly romantic. The belief that art should speak for itself - that art should sell itself - pervades.

Art history is laden with counter-examples. Vincent van Gogh died penniless and Thomas Kinkade - painter of bland nostalgia pieces - has made millions from prints and licensing. It has never been enough to simply make art, successful artists have always been schmoozers and salesmen often with as much ability to find the right client as they have to produce the right work.

Just like you couldn’t become an artist overnight, building sales skills takes time and starts with a few basic building blocks.

Photographer Loses Shirt on Mayan Apocalypse:

If the History Channel is to be believed, the world will suffer some horrible fate next December as the Mayan calender changes over. Someone with fewer scruples might be tempted to overbook for 2013 to get a lot of cash before the end of the world, but not me. So on December 21 I won't have to apologize to all the couples I scammed while betting the world was going to be devoured by the feathered serpent Quetzalcoatl.

If I'm wrong, I won't live to regret it.

What follows is a deranged scramble to find a gift that doesn't make you look like a putz, but doesn't require weeks of deliberate planning. Unfortunately, mistakes are often made while you're standing in line at the gas station.

Just use the code YOUR15 at checkout to get the discount.

*Discount coupons do not apply to personalization fees, gift cards, charity donations, fine jewelry rental, Lenox, Wedgewood, Vera Wang, Waterford, Joan Hornig, kate spade new york, wedding postage, Invitations by The Knot Shop with Wedding Paper Divas or digital items including frames, key chains and camcorders. 

While you're there, you might just want to say a lot of nice things about your favorite wedding photographers (which is us). Happy Holidays.

Our premium albums are hand-finished with the finest quality materials to hold your most precious memories for a lifetime. We also offer a more inexpensive range of fine-quality albums (pricing is available in our downloadable guide).

Ordering your album is easy too, with an online consultation we can help you select images from your wedding that perfectly capture your day. Once your images are selected we'll proof a layout for your approval before making final edits to any images included in your album (albums average approximately 1.75 images per page).

To take advantage of these great savings and get started ordering your album, please e-mail us at photographer@ryanrichardsonphotography.com or call (508) 472-3077.

(Please note, that this offer may not be combined with any other deals or sales).