Weddings are like a big tub of gooey marmite, you either love them or they simply aren’t for you.  As a photographer you have to do what you enjoy, especially when it comes to weddings.  If you are new to the Industry or are thinking about adding wedding photography to your current business, this blog post will give you an insight into the world of the wedding photographer, this could go either way, it will either inspire you, or confirm that weddings aren’t for you!

You absolutely have to love weddings to enjoy them, if you don’t, do something else, it’s as simple as that!  Weddings are tough, life is too short and you will never be a decent wedding photographer if you don’t like weddings.  It’s like dating someone that you know you will never love, it’s never going to work now is it?

I believe that, with experience, and competent photography skills, together with the secret ingredient of heart, soul and creativity, you are well on your way to becoming an excellent wedding photographer.

Before I discuss the inspiring stuff, ask yourself these very real questions …

Are you always early?

Are you prompt?

Can you stick to a schedule?

Are you a people person?

Can you smile all day long?

Can you make people laugh?

Are people comfortable in your company?

Can you put people at ease quickly and naturally?

Do you believe in love?

Are you patient?

Are you fit and healthy?

Do you like children?

Are you prepared to work 14 hour days?

If you have survived that list well done. You have passed the first stage, let’s move on …

As a wedding photographer you sometimes come home after a long and exhausting day and have to pinch yourself.  The wedding you have shot all day was incredible and you feel unbelievably grateful to be doing something you love.  In this blog I’m going to talk about the good stuff, the mushy stuff, the stuff that makes you feel good, and the reason you chose to be a wedding photographer in the first place.

If you are a hopeless romantic at heart and love photography, there’s a pretty good chance that weddings are for you.  There’s so much variety when shooting a wedding. There is laughter, there are tears and there is real raw emotion that most of us don’t see on a regular basis in our everyday lives. You get a rare and intimate insight into the lives of others. You have permission, the bride and groom let you into their lives for one day, and one day only. For most wedding photographers there is an opportunity to shoot in all kinds of ways. You will shoot candid, you will shoot portraits, you will shoot children, you will shoot reportage, you will shoot macro for the details, you will shoot landscape and environmental portraits too. Throughout the day you will use your experience and expertise to direct and compose your clients. What a privilege the wedding photographer has!

If all that isn’t enough, you are challenged constantly with the available light, a single wedding can have beautiful light, flattering light, limited light and even no light at all! If you are lucky, and yes this part is totally down to luck, the heavens may shine upon you and the glorious golden light may make an appearance too. When this appears USE IT. You meet amazing people, listen to wonderful stories and witness families and friends who adore each other. You see LOVE all day long, the more you look for it, the more you see; a tear in Grandpas eyes, the sister kissing the flower girl on the forehead, the groom winking at his best friend. All of this I’m sure you will agree is the magic recipe for beautiful photography. Most of these moments are gone in a second; it’s your job to spot them, because all of these opportunities are priceless photographs in the making, therefore an incredible photographer in the making.

Weddings will challenge you, engage you, inspire you, push you out of your comfort zone, test you creatively, touch you, and are incredibly rewarding. Those things alone are a pretty good mix for a satisfying job. Still engaged? Still thinking wedding photography is for you? After the wedding day is over, there is nothing more rewarding than the moment when you deliver the wedding photography collection to the clients. This can be one of the most nerve-wracking moments of the whole journey; this is what it is all about. You have got the tissues ready, a glass of bubbly on hand, the romantic music for the AV and have pressed play for the slideshow to begin! You’re not bothered about what is on the screen anymore, as discreetly as possible you are scanning the faces of your clients, searching for an expression that demonstrates what they are thinking and feeling about their wedding day collection. It shouldn’t take long for the first smile, tear or nudge of appreciation to appear. When the clients have left, delighted with their photography collection, you are flooded with happiness and relief that you have done a good job, you have reached your clients expectations, all that hard work has paid off!

To conclude, the best advice I can give you is to work hard, after all the harder you work the luckier you get. Have a strong brand that reflects your values, charge what you are worth and you will attract the right clients for you. Ever wondered how you managed to get the perfect client for you?  These things don’t happen by accident. This couple didn’t book you because of luck, or because you were on the second page of Google, or because you have graphics on the side of your car. These things help, of course they do but it goes way deeper than that. This couple booked you because they found common ground with you; they connected with you in some way. They picked up the messages that you are sending our through your brand. They understand you and value you. That is my definition of the perfect client.

Good Luck, Jen xx

Written by Jenny from Jenny Heyworth Photography