The day in the life of a wedding photographer is one that people believe is confined to the wedding day, the one day that people are likely to see the photographer. However, anyone who is a photographer or knows a photographer is well aware of the fact that there is so much work that is done behind the scenes. So, this one is for all the wedding photographers out there. I hope this helps a few people understand how the hours, days, and even weeks disappear while working on a project.
The wedding day is the most obvious place you’ll find a wedding photographer. You will see them, peering around corners or kneeling near the bushes, capturing as many moments of the special day, while doing their best to remain out of the spotlight or draw any attention to themselves. Once the day is over, they pack up, and leave, just like all the other guests. However, unlike the other guests, they still have a job to do. Once a photographer returns home, the likelihood that they will dive deep into their task. I’ve covered it before, but as a reminder, the average wedding photographer captures thousands of images on the wedding day. But that doesn’t mean the quantity you receive is comparable. According to my research, a photographer will deliver between 400 and 800 photos to the couple. For reference, I will deliver about 500 photos to my clients But that doesn’t come without hours and hours of hard work.
Before any photos get delivered, there are still hours of editing to be done. Meticulous panning through thousands of images, ensuring there are no apparent flaws, and refining the lighting, colors, and contrast over the course of hours and even days that it will take to finish the job. Not to mention the culling of any obvious defects and sometimes even ones that aren’t nearly as obvious. The amount of time spent dedicated to the craft is a persistence that is not often praised enough in our modern culture. This takes a critical eye at the very least to truly comb through each individual file. At the best, it takes an artistic touch to include in the editing process.
Outside of the editing process, there is still the matter of acquiring more clients. A dedicated wedding photographer will spend an unreasonable amount of time acquiring new clients, mainly in the early days of getting started. The further a photographer is into the process, the easier it gets, but when you are just starting out, there is a lot of groundwork to cover. Referrals, whether by word of mouth or by a website review, are your best bet for work. Building out your email list, social media, and partnering with wedding sites to list you as a recommendation are all viable options to create the best visibility for your business.
A day in the life of a wedding photographer is far from menial. There is an entire new world behind the scenes for wedding photographers. The amount of determination behind a wedding photographer is something to be respected. For the record, this is purely focused on other wedding photographers and not myself, I chose this path because it is what I love to do and that is enough payment. I hope that you have learned something today and that you have an excellent week.
Warmest regards,
Logan Clark