If you can picture yourself as a wedding photographer, you may wonder how to turn your vision into reality. The fact is that there are many different ways to establish yourself as a professional in this exiting (but also very high stress!) field. Regardless of what route you take, though, just keep in mind that you will need to be passionate about what you do in order to achieve the very best results.
Not Just A Job
Whether you want to be a wedding photographer full time or prefer to explore this more as a part-time gig, when you accept a job shooting a wedding, you are actually making a serious commitment, saying “I do” to stand by the bridal couple and help them capture the very heart of their special day.
A Big Responsibility
A wedding photographer needs to have an eye for telling a story visually and getting just the right shots. You should also have a strong entrepreneurial bent, since you will need to approach photography not just as art but also as a way to make a living. That’s why you need to be flexible and also persistent, since there are no second chances should something go wrong. In fact, while most other jobs can make allowances for errors, bad weather and days when you are feeling ill, wedding photographers have to be at the top of their game all of the time, rain or shine, sick or well. In addition, if, you experience technical difficulties, camera equipment malfunctions or have something happen to your film or its exposure, you can’t go back and get a second chance.
Most wedding photographers account for this by having doubles of their most important equipment and even taking photos with two different cameras so they have backups of everything. Finally, remember that most weddings take place on the weekends, so if you become successful in this field, you will need to plan your own social schedule accordingly. This can be a lot to put up with, but your satisfaction with the results can make it all well worth it in the end.
A Large Time Allotment
While most people know that covering a wedding requires the photographer to be completely “on” on the day of the event, it is a much less known fact is that there is also significant behind-the-scenes work that exists. You will want to factor this in when determining the amount of time you will dedicate to each job. For instance, you may need to take engagement photos and bridal portraits, attend the rehearsal dinner and meet once (or multiple times) with the couple to determine what wedding shots they would like you to get and in what style. In addition, you will need to process your work after the wedding has come and gone, and provide proofs from which the couple can select the photos they want. Some photographers not only print the final photo order but also compile it into a special bridal album and albums for the parents of the bride and groom and members of the wedding party. All of this can be time consuming. Therefore, when you are determining the number of hours to allot to your career, you should take all of these factors into account. Of course if your talent ends up being in high demand, your hard work will pay off in the amount of money you will be able to command.
