The REAL Truth About Being A Wedding Photographer
The Truth About Being A Wedding Photographer
#wedding #weddingphotography #weddingphotographer #weddingphotographers
I wanted to post a video on the things I've learned in almost two decades of shooting weddings. If you're looking to join the industry or have been in it for some time and wanna pick up some tips, here's a little video for you. Please leave a comment with any questions you may have
Video I discussed about what to look for when hiring photographers for your team:
• What to look for when hiring photogra...
These are some notes in order of how they were discussed:
Its customer service above all - if you’re treating it like a business which you should, customer service will get you further than anything
Understanding that marketing is key - a mediocre photographer with good marketing will be more successful than an amazing photographer with zero marketing or people skills
There are no days truly off
Dealing with parents can sometimes be the real work or the real joy
Generally speaking people and companies will only support you when you’ve proven yourself. It’s a lonely game in the beginning so you have to be ok being self sufficient and self reliant - once you’re doing well, “people wanna be part of a winning team”. This is a good thing because you should be proving yourself before anyone gives you anything or any support
Your schedule will be the opposite of most of your friends. Weekends you work, weekdays you’re off. I love this because I can go shopping, go to the gym, do what I need to do when everyone else is at work (usually with no traffic since I go in the middle of the day)
You will be the coordinator for a lot of the day. The first time I assisted a wedding in 2006/2007 I remember realizing how much the photographer really dictates the flow of the day. From getting ready pretty much until reception, we have to coordinate sometimes groups of 25-30 in the wedding party and groups of 20-40 in families meanwhile keeping our cool and having fun still
You will be sitting at a desk most of the time. Editing, emails, phone calls, texts, permits, etc will take up a lot of your time. Eventually you can allocate the editing to the team which is what we do but the other customer service work does take up a lot of the day
Once you’ve established yourself and have people working with/for you, being able to read people is a trait you need to build. Whether it’s for hiring to work directly with you or work with one another, being able to put the right teams together that will work the best together is a skill that has to be learned. Also, knowing when someone isn’t a good fit and being able to have the backbone to stand by that
Being able to have fun regardless of all these responsibilities. Putting things in perspective that no matter how much work it is; I’d rather be doing this than for example for me, doing heavy construction labor for 1/10th the day rate. I always say “we’re here to have fun” so even if someone is being difficult, that’s not gonna mess up our fun time. Second photographers; don’t match the grooms energy if they’re low
On long days sometimes you only have 5 minutes to eat before running back to work. Some venues are amazing at scheduling it properly, some are not, so we plan assuming it’ll be quick. Packing snacks, water and anything you may need helps prevent frustration…personally I believe we’re all adults here so I don’t rely on any venue, coordinator, or staff to feed me. I’m not gonna get frustrated over not being fed at 38 years old…
From a monetary perspective, the possibilities are endless. As long as you’re willing to put in the time and the work, you can make as little or as much as you want. “Our rewards will always be in exact proportion to our service. If you don’t like your income, you must devise ways and means of increasing your service” - Earl Nightingale
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