Are you interested in becoming a wedding photographer? Weddings are a special time in a couple’s life, and it’s an honor to be trusted to capture those memories. But before you start booking clients, you should know a few things.
First and foremost, being a wedding photographer is not all glamorous. The end product is beautiful, and you get to work with some amazing couples, but it’s a lot of hard work. There will be early mornings and late nights, carrying heavy equipment around and sometimes even shooting in less-than-ideal conditions.
Wedding photography is profitable but also demanding. If you’re not prepared for the commitment, it can be tough to make it as a wedding photographer.
The truth is that as a wedding photographer, you would historically spend 80% of your time at the computer handling the business side of things and 20% of your time photographing clients.
Sure, It’s important to have the right equipment. You’ll need a good camera, lens, flash, and other accessories. Wedding photography can be challenging. You’ll need to be prepared to deal with different lighting conditions, large crowds, and other challenges.
But gear isn’t the most important part of being a wedding photographer.
Your couples will expect so much from you on their wedding day. Not only do they want you to capture every part of their big day, but they also assume and expect the best from you.
Before You Become a Wedding Photographer
With that all said, here are 11 things to know before you create a wedding photography business.
What Imageners Wish They Knew
If you are new here, please know that I work for Imagen, and part of my responsibilities is our community. So I asked the Imagen Community what they wish they knew before becoming a wedding photographer, and here is what some Imageners had to say.
Steve Braglio said he wishes he knew how to have a really efficient workflow.
Having a workflow is essential to any business. But there are tools specifically for photographers that make our lives less stressful. CRMs like StudioNinja and gallery systems like Pic-Time are just two of the many tools out there to streamline workflows. But also, there’s Imagen, and we are glad that to help Steve with the post-production part of his workflow!
Adrienne Ingram said that she wish she knew she would never sleep soundly again.
As a parent of two young kids, a photography business owner, I totally understand her lack of sleep. At Imagen, we believe in mental and physical health over working around the clock. I recommend setting limits and completely shutting work off at a designated time. Then, clear your mind from the “work zone” and prepare for a nice evening, and sleep. Hopefully, Imagen’s post-production tools have helped her get more sleep again!
Garret Torres said he wishes he knew that it’s not about how the photos make them look but rather about how the photos make them feel.
So true, Garret! Having a unique look to your photographs is fun. Of course, we get that. But as Garret said, telling a story to make your clients feel the emotions from their big day is way more important. That is one reason why in the photography industry, you see successful photographers without the ordinary modern and futuristic styles, and also successful photographers with traditional styles. There is no wrong way if you tell a story and deliver emotion.
Samson Learn said he wishes he knew how often it falls on his shoulders to tie ties, calm brides, run back for flowers, and so many other non-photography tasks during a wedding.
The things we do for clients, right? If a groom ever asked me to tie and bowtie, I’d be in trouble. But as a photographer, I have no problem helping in other ways. One of my personal favorites is delivering the bride and groom gifts for each other, because then I also photograph the reactions.
What Imagen’s Talent Photographers Wish They Knew
We asked some of Imagen’s Talent Photographers what they wish they knew before becoming wedding photographers. Here is what they said.
Sarah Edmunds
In a live stream with Sarah Edmunds, she shared that she wished she had ignored the advice people gave her about pricing and instead went with her gut and charged herself as a proper business. Here is what she means. Sarah has multiple business streams: retoucher, portraits, designer, etc.
Sarah wishes she did not subsidize her wedding photography business with income from her retouching business or her portrait business. Rather than keeping them segmented from each other.
Susan Stripling
Photography is not a job that happens on the weekends. That is one thing Susan Stripling wishes she had known before becoming a photographer. She did not realize how much time went into the back-end of a photography business. If only Imagen existed when she started out, right?
John Branch IV
John jumped right into his photography business without even second shooting for another photographer. The one thing John Branch IV wishes he had known before starting his business is how customer service-oriented a photography business truly is.
Charmi Pena
The one thing Charmi Pena wishes she had known before becoming a wedding photographer was how important the fundamentals were to being a professional photographer. The idea of being able to adjust to the unexpected. Adapting is one trait that makes professionals stand out from the crowd. But to adapt perfectly, you must know the fundamentals, like the back of your hand.
37 Frames
In a live stream with Tracey & Dee (37 Frames), they wish they embraced the beginning years and flexibility and playfulness of being a new photographer. They shared that over the years, you begin to streamline your processes so much that, in some ways, you spend less time on the creative side. At the same time, they wish they knew how important the tedious side of a wedding photography business is.
Fer Juiaristi
“You’re going to fail a lot of times” is what Fer Juiaristi has learned over the years. You have to train hard for your craft and learn from your mistakes to improve.
Kevin Mullins
Your bottom line is extremely important as a business owner. Kevin Mullins wishes that he knew how easy it is to lose track of it, and not fully know your assets and expenses as you should. Kevin recommends that all photographers track their time in a way that helps them to understand roughly how long it takes to do certain tasks, like culling and editing. So that way, you know if it is right to outsource those parts of your business.
What is one thing you wish you knew before becoming a wedding photographer?
Share with us in the Imagen Community or on Instagram.
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