Oh boy oh boy is there a lot that goes on behind the scenes of being a wedding photographer! Let me start off by saying that it is the absolute best decision I have made, and that I LOVE my job! But the reality of it all is that only about 10% of my time is spent with brides and fluffy wedding dresses and fresh curls. The truth? Most of my time is spent like the photo above! Spandex shorts, XL t-shirt that I got from a blood drive, no makeup, glasses on, and my hair in a messy bun. Oh and not to mention, cuddling my rescue pitty, Pinky!
You guys! Being a wedding photographer is NOT glamorous! I typically work from 7:30am to 6:00pm throughout the week. During this time I am working to answer emails, edit photos, photograph content, make blog posts, communicate with clients, handle accounting, market my business, schedule posts, make graphics, learn and improve, and create community! Then weekends consist of shooting weddings or other shoots that are not wedding related. Photographers don’t usually have the weekend to chill from their week of work. Instead, thats when we take on out 8+ hour days! A lot of times wedding days involve spending hours in the car. Or game planning how you are going to tackle the wedding day. Many late nights not being able to get home until 1 in the morning.
The day after a wedding day? We are TIRED! Someone explain to me how photographing the most beautiful days can lead to you feeling like you’ve been hit by a cement truck the next day! On the wedding day, we are not just in charge of taking pictures. It is about coming up with game plans for the whole wedding schedule when monsoons hit on days with 0% chance of rain. It is about making sure your clients feel like the ABSOLUTE most important person in the world because, on that day, they 100% are!
Its about controlling 100+ hungry family members by standing on a chair telling everyone where they need to be and when they need to be there! Its about strategizing to get every single shot that will carry with your couple for the rest of their lives. It’s about spending 20+ hours editing a wedding. Its about running for batteries for your flash and handling SD cards. Making sure the bride and groom don’t see each other and making sure that the grandmother is taken care of! By the time we get to eat a very quick meal at dinner before going back to shoot more details, that is usually the first time we have sat down all day. You guys… that is just a fraction of it all.
Why do we do it? Why do I do it? It’s simple, really. I treat each of my brides wedding days as my own. I focus on the moments of a father kissing his daughter on the forehead one last time before he gives her away. The moments when the grandmother admires her granddaughter going down the isle wearing her veil, and remembering herself on her wedding day.
This is what I live for. To give my clients photographs that are truly their first family heirloom to hand down to the future generations. If I’ve shot your wedding, you’ve seen me running around the venue to get that perfect shot. I do it because I would want that moment captured on my day. I see each and every one of my clients as more than a customer. When I hug you at the end of your wedding day and wish you the best, I truly feel that I am hugging family. And that is why I do it. That is why I work day and night on being there for my clients. Why I get so excited about learning how to better my business.
Being a wedding photographer is not always what it seems like. It is very demanding and stressful. But let me tell ya…I wouldn’t trade it for the world. Being able to see your couple dance with a smile on their face during their reception and watching your groom shed a few tears from seeing his bride for the first time is truly the most amazing thing.
I am able to sit front row on the most important day of peoples lives and that is something that I will cherish forever. I want to thank all of my couples who have made this possible. Who have given me something to be so passionate about and work so hard for. You guys are what makes this work. So there ya have it! What it is REALLY like to be a wedding photographer! Like anythings good in life, it comes with all of the hard, trying, rewarding, and beautiful moments.
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