The Truth about Wedding Photographers and What They Really Get up to!
Time and time again I hear and see comments online about the cost of wedding photography, how they charge so much, and how it is so expensive. With these thoughts and mind frame, they can also think it is simple, and easy in terms of what professional photographers do, and what they are paying for.
What Wedding Photographers Really Do…
On the other side there are the couples who have got married and are left with disappointing photos of their day. It is heard far to often and stories just keep popping up where couples have hired a semi professional, a hobbies or just a family friend who ‘likes’ photography.
Setting the record straight!
Of course there is more to wedding photography then just turning up and taking photos, it is an art. The camera of a photographer is just a tool to do the job, the ingredients to a chef are just ingredients, it is what you do with them that makes the difference.
We can all cook an evening meal, it will vary in standard and quality, however does that mean we can all get a job in a michelin star restaurant as a head chef? Surely being a chef is easy right? The same with photographer, we can all use a camera, and with every phone having a camera we are all photographers, but that doesn’t mean we can all be a professional wedding photographer.
Most people are likely enough to be able to walk, we take it for granted, but when we were young and first learning to walk it was difficult, it was a struggle, it was a learning curve. However over time you get better and better, you become more confident on your feet and walking becomes easy, it is the same for a lot of things, you learn the skill of how to do something and the more you do it the better and more confident you become.
The fact is with years of experience as a wedding photographer it doesn’t become easy, you just become more confident. Knowledge and experience has developed. You learn skills of what works, what doesn’t, things to consider when just taking a single shot, experience of knowing where to be at the right moment to get the perfect shot as you kiss your partner for the first time after tying the knot.
There is no second chance, there is no ‘sorry everyone can you just kiss each other again so I can get a good shot of this’. It is all about experience and a developing knowledge.
Once you have booked a photographer the next time you see them maybe just when they turn up to your wedding day, they will be there capturing it throughout, and then once done they return back home back to their office.
Once the photos are taken the work doesn’t stop there. A photographer will take hundreds if not into the thousands of photos, these all need going through and cutting, then they need editing to ensure they look the best they can.
As you can see in the photography infographic above, most photographers will spend between 8-12 hours editing your photos. So once your wedding is over some photographers maybe spending more time editing then how long they were at your wedding taking photos.
Even before the day itself your photographer may go and visit your venue to hunt out the best spots for those romantic photos and beautiful couple shots, they will spend time the evening before ensuring all their kit is ready to go, charged, back up batteries, memory cards, there is more to is then a single camera.
This infographic below shows what you are paying for and how it is more than just someone with a camera and why uncle bob that does it as a hobby isn’t the way to go.
Wedding Photography Infographic (It’s long!)
This shows what wedding really do when they come to capture your wedding day. This infographic is based on the original version by Francesco Spighi.
Feel free to share this infographic on your site, just please credit and link to us.
Wedding Photography is ‘Easy’
The feelings and thoughts of people that think wedding photography easy is based on the fact that they turn up with a camera, take photos throughout the day, go home, upload onto a memory stick and pass them on. Job done. Easy. Is this incorrect? Well they will turn up with a camera, of course, they will take photos throughout the day, they will certainly go home at some point, and you will likely get your photos on a USB pen too, so yes it is correct to a certain degree.
The thing is anything is easy when you look at it in its most simplistic and rawest form. Playing the piano, it is just tapping keys. Being an author, it is just words on paper. Being a chef, it is just throwing ingredients into a bowl. The list can go on and on, think about your job and what it looks like in its most simplistic form. Is your job easy?
Think Again
Some of you may have got to this point in the article and maybe thinking ‘well this is site about wedding photography, it is a biased article’. The aim of this article isn’t about ‘bigging up’ wedding photographers and what they do, the aim of this article is about raising awareness to those people that think it is easy. Why? Because you only have one chance to capture your wedding day, it is a once in a lifetime chance to capture these moments on your big day.
If you think it is easy and do not appreciate the art and value of wedding photography, and the chances are you are looking for the cheapest way to capture your day, be it through a friend, family member, a cheap photographer or someone that does it as a hobby.
Taking photos is easy, taking beautiful photos that tell a beautiful story is the tricky part, it isn’t easy, but it is easier when you have years of experience which helps you know how to capture those once in a lifetime moments through photography and create that beautiful story of that single day where you marry your partner you shall spend your rest of your life with.
If anything I hope this makes you think twice. Don’t be left regretting your wedding photos and realising what you really wanted was a beautiful story of your day told through beauitful photos. I hope you found this useful and please do share this infographic.
Richard Harris
“the aim of this article is about raising awareness to those people that think it is easy.”
Worthwhile, I think, so if it makes just a few people reconsider then it’s a good thing.
I’m sure like most people I speak to well over a hundred engaged couples each year and it is easy to know when someone genuinely values what you are offering and those who are just looking for the cheapest possible and don’t care too much about the results.
The thing is the people who supposedly don’t care at that time aren’t bad people (well, certainly not all of them!). A lot of them just haven’t thought it through 100%, or have been misguided by someone they know.
If posts such as yours make a few people think otherwise, then that’s surely a good thing.
Tim Emmerton
Interesting read on wedding photography! Each photographer is different on how they edit and what they do, but on the whole refreshing to see, thanks for raising awareness for all the behind the scenes action.
Kevin Cleaver
Sound advice for those who don’t care about the cost of some hotel with nowhere to take their photographs but complain if the photographer is more expensive than 50p for a full day digital images and an album.
Voyteck
excellent article! very well written!
Gareth Newstead Photography
Love this infographic, great way of sharing what happens in the background both before in terms of learning and after with post production, thanks for sharing!
Gosia
Well said! Thanks for sharing!
Jarek Lepak
Interesting read. Thanks for sharing.
Ian France
Amen to that !!
Matt
Finally an article with sense, seen so many urging a wedding couple to get a family member or friend to capture the day.
Neli
Great article. Thank you. I’ve shared on my website the link but didn’t know what more credit to do since it was the whole link back to the site and the article but please feel free to comment or to connect.
https://www.facebook.com/nprahova
Tommy
Interesting read and raises issues that concern photographers worldwide.
David Green
Excellent article, and so good that a listing site like yourperfectweddingphotographer is being thoughtful and proactive too with this kind of highly relevant content.
Ria
Thanks for posting this well written article – I will share it with my couples 🙂
Blue Lily Weddings
Excellent article, explains a lot to people asking why we chargo so much!
Phil Pell Photography
Great article! This really gets into the nitty gritty 🙂
Christopher James Hall
Great article, really explains what is behind the scenes of Wedding photography. People often just think you turn up and take photos. They forget about everything else that goes with it.
Erin
Excellent article! Well written indeed
irich photography
Very good blog