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I would say, without any hesitation that wedding photography has taught me more about life and people than just about any job I’ve ever had. Wedding photography can be a combination of chaos and joy. I’m sure you have read articles that cite “things no one tells you about being a wedding photographer” or “how do you know if you are ready to be a wedding photographer” already so I won’t bore you with repeats of those articles. Instead, I hope to provide you with more of an insight of the things that are overlooked in the career. Now, I’m not coming from a position of a decade of wedding photography service, so I won’t pretend to be a veteran here but in my short independent career working for myself we have covered approximately 25-30 weddings a year in a span of 3 years. We have done all this while working full time (our personal choice) and taking on other projects (such as videography and family photography). What we have learned about ourselves and our time management abilities has really expanded in that short period and we thought we would share with you our journey. If you are considering branching out to wedding photography or you are just curious about it we have a few insights and suggestions.
Wedding photographers are ninjas.
No, I’m serious. The first wedding I assisted with I came home after and felt like I got hit by a semi. You really don’t realize how much walking, moving, lifting is required in one entire day. I think for me personally I stay tense most of the day so that I’m always alert and ready (which you have to be, no option) that by the time I get home my body finds it impossible to just retract from that tenseness. Wedding photography isn’t for sissy’s. There is no time for “you” time, there is no time to go home and check on your kids and no, there isn’t really any time for you to do anything but direct and shoot all day. If you cover weddings like I do, you are up early and home late. It is not only physically demanding but can be mentally exhausting, don’t believe me? Come shoot with us some time, you’ll see. Despite all of that though, wedding photography is still worth it.
You probably won’t look pretty doing it.
I kind of laugh when people post their “behind the scenes” pictures from a wedding day that either their other photographer or assistant captured while they were creating their images. I’ve seen some of mine, I look pretty rough. I’m usually sweating (summer weddings) and I’m usually in a unflattering position and almost always something is wrinkled. I’ve worn just about every type of dress/shoe to a wedding and tried just about every hair style and between the stress, the gear, and the straps its impossible for me at least to look really good shooting a wedding. Some of the other photographers I follow seem to have the opposite going on for them, not sure how they do it but for the most part I don’t normally see wedding photographers looking good around reception time. Two words come to mind: hot mess.
Say Goodbye to your Social Life
I don’t mean this to sound abrupt or harsh but our reality is what we have created for ourselves and we accept that and try to stay positive about it. For the most part, because of our personal decision to work full time and do photography full time we have almost no free time. If you are considering this type of career for yourself when shooting weddings, consider yourself warned. From the months of about mid-April to mid November I can tell you that we work roughly 80 hours a week. We don’t watch TV, we don’t go to movies, we usually miss family events, our friends don’t see us as often (and when they do we’re still working), we don’t vacation, and we eat every meal in our office. We want you to understand in reading this that running a wedding photography business is demanding on your time and your life. If you enjoy your free time, don’t want to put that much effort into editing or marketing, and want to spend a lot of time with your kids, it may not be the right style of photography for you. I bow in respect to those peers of mine that manage their busy businesses all while having children, I absolutely can not imagine how they do it. I manage a few Netflix shows here and there but they are always in the background of a constant editing workflow. This year, thankfully, we have been able to schedule in more free time. Our schedule, however, is still a mess. Our families are constantly having to give us over a years notice for events that will occur on upcoming Saturdays (they are not amused, let me tell you).
Weddings are not a portrait session
I know some photographers that are amazing at portraits. They are masters of light. They take the time to meticulously set up each shot and feel very little to no pressure taking the time to get the PERFECT image. On a wedding day, you are lucky to get 20 minutes total of time to pull magic out of a hat with light, technique and style. Wedding photographers are masters at getting good shots in very little to no time. The career requires you to think quickly on your feet and always be reactive. Wedding day schedules are in most cases not photographer friendly and when things are out of your control you have to learn to adapt. I’ve learned that you have to make do with situations you are given (dark ceremony spaces, rain, etc) and have to sometimes use less resources to save time (using small, portable light sources to create a big effect). The most important thing we have learned this year with the incredibly wet summer we have had is that the show must go one, despite rain or bad weather.
A few more humorous things we have learned along the way…..
-Always carry emergency shoes. I’ve stepped in some pretty entertaining things: poo, mud, gum, you name it, I’ve stepped in it.
– Might also want to carry an emergency outfit. I had this really cute dress to wear to an outdoor wedding I shot, one incident climbing up a tree for the perfect shot and it was ripped halfway through the day. The photo was worth it.
-Not ALL animals are friendly. Cows are curious, dogs are adorable but like to jump, and some little critters like to just jump out at you. May the Force be with you.
-You CAN get good “golden hour” images in the reception hall alley ditch.
-Don’t climb something you won’t be able to climb back down from.
– You become masters at eating in the car. Doug and I have even managed late night pizza/salad combinations on our way home after weddings in the car.
– You learn things you never knew you’d ever care about: this year thanks to Pinterest that is: contoured makeup, vintage traditions and themes, and the specific name for every type of bustle on the planet.
-Snakes can, and will, attend your outdoor wedding if its in the right spot.
-Now that I think about it, also bring emergency contacts (if you wear them) you just never know……
-Don’t waste your time worrying about the aunt with the pop up flash camera in your face, she’s going to do it regardless and you might as well just adapt yourself to her presence
– In the business, there is always going to be someone better than you. Try to learn from them. Education is key to success.
-One of my favorite business quotes is to figure out what is wrong with YOUR business before your competitors do. When you focus on what you do well and where your weakness are rather than worrying about your competition you’ll be better off (in my opinion)
-It is possible to over-do it. This time last year we were a mess but we were getting things done. This year, thankfully, we have a better handle on our schedule and its been a smoother season (so far, check back with me in the fall)
We are thankful we were finally able to share this blog, we started it a few months ago and never got a chance to finish it. We like to share some of our lessons learned, maybe it will give you a laugh or some inspiration.
Enjoy the day!
Kate
