I’ve spent years collecting tips, completing online courses, researching techniques, and now I’m confident to share some of that knowledge with the world. Of course, I’m still learning and will continue to collect tips for the rest of my career. For now, though, I’ll share a few things I wish I knew sooner.
These tips are more personal than technical. Other articles out there will give you off-camera flash exposure advice or some marketing hints. However, my three things are things that I have learned in my personal wedding photography journey that can save me money or time in my career.
1. Don’t get bogged down with Gear
I’m getting straight to this with a device misconception. A common thought among new wedding planners is that professionals carry a lot of stuff.
I regularly receive emails or texts from new or aspiring wedding photographers asking if they can come along to a wedding and learn from the experience. They almost always say, “I can help you carry your bags.” It’s fun to be given something in exchange for knowledge or experience, but the truth is: I didn’t have a handbag to carry on my wedding day.
I’m definitely the one with the device. I’ve owned and sold more lenses and lighting equipment than I remember. But these days, I’m a total minimalist. Two Fujifilm X-T5 body, one Fujifilm 18mm f/1.8 and a Fujifilm 33mm f/1.8. With these, I can shoot all day. I usually bring them inside the venue, leaving my bags in the car.
The photo below shows a rare image of me, taken at a wedding, taken by my second photographer Max Sarasini. No pockets, no crazy bags or cables. Two cameras, two primes and see how happy I am!
I keep two more lenses and some video lights in the car. All neatly packed in one bag, one Billingham Hadley One. I will collect this bag during the meal, put it in the corner of the room.
My point is that I avoid getting bogged down with heavy or complex equipment. I wish, when I was just starting out, I could have photographed weddings with much less equipment than I would have been in a rolling bag at the time.
You probably know that you need more equipment than I do for your style of wedding photography. I’m a documentary photographer, frankly, so the story I’m capturing is far more important than thinking about gear or changing lenses. But chances are, you’ll eventually learn to survive with less than you think.
2. Show what you want to capture
When I started my wedding photography journey, I knew I loved storytelling photography. I love documentary work even without weddings, the work of street photographers and people documenting real life. However, I find that it took me several years to start booking for clients who appreciate this aspect of my work.
They’ll say how much they love taking a long list of group photos in a particular location, or will come up with a Pinterest board of quirky portrait ideas. All I want to do is straight work. I know clients will appreciate this because the photographers I seek to work with are purely this way.
One of these photographers pointed out my problems, which should have been obvious. My portfolio shows these occasional images, groups, and poses on Pinterest. My website is full of pictures that I don’t like taking. So why do I have staged photos on my homepage if I want to take completely unstaged photos? That’s because I think this is something that people want to see, and of course, some people too. However, these people are not the customers I want to attract.
More difficult than I thought, I decided to show only the photos that I enjoy taking. However, it can take us out of our comfort zone to dismiss a technically excellent photo or one that has received positive criticism. For you, it could be a mix of high-end portraits, documentary work or whatever you want.
Now I just show candid work on my website and I scream from the rooftops that this is what my couples are asking me to create. It has become a niche, so my clients now respect my style and I attract people who want these images.
3. It’s hard work
Ok, I know you guys don’t think our job is easy. But many, many aspiring photographers see weddings as an easy money business. They fantasize about a world where they do the job every day of the week and make thousands of pounds (or dollars) on the weekend filming quirky weddings. They see people doing well, making a lot of money, and think it’s easy for them.
If you want to excel in wedding photography, you really need to work hard and put in hours and hours of effort. Cheaper wedding photography as a part-time job will have some perks, but ultimately, most photographers will want to go further and may be apprehensive about switching to full-time. If weddings are where you decide to spend your time, this job has some great benefits, just you don’t. You need to work for them.
