9 Misconceptions About The Wedding Photography Industry

Published by Sam, Editor -
9 Misconceptions About The Wedding Photography Industry

For most people, their wedding day is one of the most important days of their entire lives. Obviously, you want to be able to record everything that happened that day. After all, it isn’t every day that you get married and you also want to be able to show off the photographs of your special day to family members both now and in the future.

However, you need a solid wedding photographer in order to do that. Unfortunately, there are a lot of misconceptions out there about wedding photography in general and more specifically, about photographers that shoot weddings.

Myths & Misconceptions about Wedding Photographers

Below are some of the most common misconceptions about wedding photography and how you can avoid allowing them to turn your special day into a nightmare.

All wedding photographers do is take photographs

Granted, the job of a wedding photographer is indeed to take photographs but that is far from the only thing that is involved in this job.

Wedding photographers have to have all of the technical knowledge that comes with being able to photograph people well and they have to be skilled enough to be able to do it in all different kinds of settings, not just in a studio where the environment can be controlled.

All wedding photographers do is take photographs

Furthermore, a good wedding photographer will be able to handle all the hustle and bustle that is going on at a wedding effectively and get the best shots as a result of it as opposed to allowing it to detract from their work. In reality, a good wedding photographer must be a mixed bag of many things.

They have to be a skilled professional photographer, yet they have to be flexible and personable enough to get the best results from something that is constantly changing. They must be able to not only take great photos, but edit, select and choose photos for albums ensuring they tell the story and capture the emotion of the day.

It’s just a Days work

When hiring a wedding photographer you may meet them before hand, but for the actual job side you will only see them working on your wedding day, there taking photos. However this is just a very small part of what a wedding photographer does, once the photos of taking there is a whole host of tasks that are carried out once back at the office before you get your photos.

Hundreds of photos are taken, the photographer needs to go through these removing the ‘not so good’ shots, and by that, I mean the ones where you have your eyes closed, the test shots, the shots that don’t look great, there is a lot of unseen work that goes into your photos that you won’t see. Photographers can spend around 14 hours editing your photos, that is after a day taking them at your wedding.

If you think all they do is take photos then check out this infographic which shows what they really do.

Wedding Photographers work part time

Professional wedding photographers work full time, long hours, days away depending on the wedding location, shooting at a weekend and maybe in the week. Following on from the previous point, that’s not all they, when they are not at a wedding shooting they are editing photos, ensuring their kit is ready for the next wedding, emailing clients, following up enquiries, posting work on social media, updating their website and sharing weddings on their site.

Being a wedding photographer is hard work and certainly isn’t just a 9-5. Long hours that can vary depending on the wedding, and then long hours infront of the computer screen editing.

It costs too much money to hire a professional

If you really want to hire someone who is good enough to produce the best results, it is not going to be free of charge. However, it also doesn’t need to cost you everything you have and more will be discussed about that in a later paragraph. If you are seriously concerned about your budget, you can still hire a high quality wedding photographer.

Find and shortlist photographers you like, photographies that match your style, will cover where you are getting married and ask for a quote. Prices may vary but the one you love most may not be the most expensive. There are ways to save money on a wedding photographer without compromising on quality, read our budget saving photography tips here.

When it comes to wedding it all costs money, but it is deciding where to spend more and where to save and spend less. A cheaper venue, less flowers, a cheaper cake, decide what is important to you. Remember photos last forever and is one thing you have at the end of your wedding, the cake ends up eaten and pictures are the only thing you have left of it.

Uncle Bob has a new Camera and Photography is his hobby

This one is similar to above, and also a way couples think they can save money by having a family member of friend that has an interest in photography and has the equipment. Equipment is just a tool, it also isn’t the key to great photos which we talk about in another point below.

Wedding photography is so easy anyone can do it

This is definitely one of the biggest misconceptions out there. Are you really prepared to leave something so important in the hands of a novice and then hope for the best? Most people would answer that question with a definite “no”. Wedding photography is hard work and a skill that is developed over time and experience.

Think about it this way. If you are not completely comfortable with the possibility that your wedding photos will be out of focus, off topic or even nonexistent, then you might want to rethink the whole idea about letting just anyone take your wedding day photos.

It is easy to take a photo, yes, but its not so easy to capture hundreds of stunning photos from real time moments that tell a beautiful story of your wedding day. The key is consistency and experience.

Myths and misconceptions about the photography industry

All professional photographers can take wedding photos

A lot of people think that those who take professional photos of landscapes or even those who take photos in a studio will be able to take high quality wedding photos. Unfortunately, this is just not true. A person may be a great photographer, but that doesn’t mean they have the skill or the experience to photograph a wedding properly.

This is a unique environment that requires a specific set of skills not every professional photographer possesses. A fashion photographer will have the model strike poses giving plenty of time for the photography to grab the shot, a landscape photographer can take time to set up the shot, find the perfect angle with the best light. With a wedding you can’t ask the bride and groom to walk down the aisle again, or ‘can you just kiss each other again’ I missed that moment. It is a live event, it is the bride and grooms day, they are not models. Wedding photographers have one chance, one shot, they have to be in the right place at the right time.

Great photos are the result of good equipment

An artist can produce beautiful work whatever brushes they are given, the skill is in the craft they have developed for many years. The same goes for photography, it is a creative art, the camera is just the tool to capture the moment. You can learn to use the camera, set it up but to get a good photo you need to know where to point it, what makes a good photo, thinking about light and composition.

Uncle Bob can have an expensive camera, that doesn’t mean he will produce great photos you truly love.

Cost is directly related to quality

This misconception ties back into the one that was previously discussed concerning the need to stay on budget. Many people are under the impression that cost goes hand in hand with quality and to a certain extent, that is true. With that being said, you don’t have to pay an exorbitant amount of money in order to get pictures that are truly breathtaking.

You do, however, have to make sure that you only hire someone who has the skill to get the job done. They also have to care about their work enough to ensure that they don’t cut corners just because it makes things more convenient.

The more you pay does not mean the better they are, and just because they are cheaper does not always mean they are not so good. You can have a wedding photographer that has started out and shot a few weddings and falls under the more expensive price bracket, yet someone cheaper could have years of experience and produce stunning albums of beautiful photos.

When looking for a wedding photographer you want someone with experience, you want a high consistency of photos that capture the day, you want someone you get on with, and you want someone you trust.

You can just ‘Photoshop’ it

With celebrities editing photos for that perfect instagram shot, sometimes there is a feeling that wedding photographers will happily photoshop all your photos to get that perfect final image.

If you want a documentary style to your photos then expect those candid shot and beautiful natural moments to be captured, that is what this style is all about, real natural moments, naturally captured. Wedding photographers can use their experience to help with how you stand, using the natural light to their advantage so that you get natural shots and so their is no need for ‘photoshopping’.

Remember, wedding photographers are photographers, there to capture real moments. Using their experience they will reduce the need for any such editing to the image itself, such as removing a double chin, or reaching a waistline. Photoshop is a great tool and can be used to change an image that isn’t what wedding photography is about, or is it their job to so.

What other misconceptions do you think there are with regards to wedding photography and the industry?

7 Comments

  1. Sarah W

    Great article, value is always a common one, relating to cost and what you get, and what they think they are paying for not understanding everything else that they are paying for and that goes on once you get home from capturing their wedding.

    Reply
  2. Sam & Louise Photography

    Great article!
    The “wedding tax” is one that comes up often too on wedding groups. Many people have been led to believe that you are being charged more by money grabbing vendors simply because the word wedding is mentioned.
    Suppliers (on the whole) really aren’t charging more JUST because it’s a wedding they’re working on. When a supplier is quoting more for what seems to be a “like for like” service on the surface, there are usually several very good reasons why. Such as their insurance requirements (and therefore their premiums) being greater for delivering their services at multi million pound wedding venues vs providing a service in your home. Or the fact that they can only take on one wedding a day vs otherwise being able to block book appointments back to back.

    Reply
  3. Christopher James Hall

    This is a great article. There is so much stigma about the wedding photography (and weddings as a whole) industry and that prices are increased just because it’s a wedding.

    The fact is though that you are not paying simply for the attendance on the day. There is the experience that has been gained over the years. Then there is the work that is carried out before and after the wedding, the planning, the admin, the travel, the insurance, the equipment, the editing, the software licences (I could go on).

    I must admit that there are some photographers that I look at and think, ‘how do you justify your costs?’. Some newer photographers seem to look at other photographers in their area and match the price. As photographers we need to look at our ideal client, how much we need to earn from a wedding then adjust the way that we work according to that.

    It seems that so many wedding photographers, wrongly or rightly, target the high end weddings with the higher price tag. There is a huge market out there for those who cannot afford the high prices but would still appreciate a high end service.

    Reply
  4. Roberta Perrone

    Thanks for writing this article that help to clarify to people how we work and how much effort, experience, knowledge, money, time, love we put in every sigle shoot.

    Reply
  5. Jeff Sham Photography

    Thank you for this – everything summed-up very nicely – informative and educational! These are pretty much the most common things I hear. I will be sharing on my wedding blog and will link back.

    Reply

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