Being a Wedding Photographer

So, i recently saw a post on social media that went something like this "Hi looking for wedding photographer that doesn't charge a fortune for a days work"

Now a "fortune" is open to interpretation but, what got me more than anything,  was the "days work" comment!

Shooting a wedding is  much  more than a days work, for every client there is the time spent dealing with emails, scoping out the venue, meeting clients a few times before the wedding, the day shooting the wedding and the hours spent editing the photos of your big day, the cost of the presentation materials (USB, Albums, Web Hosting etc), camera equipment, insurances plus if its our main source of income we have the same day to day costs as everyone else, rent or mortgage etc having said that the majority of costs are transferable for other self employed people too, mechanics, plumbers etc

Now, we don't begrudge doing any of this, its what we do, we love it, its what drives us, to create brilliant images of your special day, however sometimes people don't appreciate the time and effort and cost involved. I've lost count the amount of times people have said to me "you certainly earn your money don't you"

So what does shooting a wedding entail?

I arrive for bridal prep normally around two hours before the ceremony (anytime between 9am and 11am) and I will be with you for around an hour after your first dance ( If the party is in full swing then i'll stay longer)!

When we say goodbye the rest of the work starts, I personally won't got to bed until i've downloaded your images, made sure they are backed up and i've posted your "sneak peak" image to Facebook and Instagram for you to see in the morning, sometimes this can be 1 or 2am.

Then there is the sifting through the 100's of images i've shot that day, I love doing this, its great to see the moments i've captured through the day and love between couples, friends and family. When going through the images I cull duplicates and any others that aren't up to scratch, then apply colour correction, cropping, small blemish removal, then the extra editing for the more dramatic shots you see on my website, perhaps remove that tree that seems to draw your eye away. Review, review and review until i'm happy!

Once they've been edited, I upload them to your online gallery, copy them to USB and deliver them.

Shooting a Wedding,  its not just a days work, its a passion! Wedding Photographers are a dedicated and commited bunch to ensure you receive great service and images. It can be long hours and hard work but we love it.

Thanks for reading.

Simon