 The Truth About Wedding Photography
Having been in the business, on and off, for more years than I’d like to admit I have some observations about my primary love in this business - wedding photography.
What most people think is that the wedding photographer stands around in a church, takes pictures including cutting of the cake, the first dance, etc, and then magically produces an album or two followed by laughing all the way to the bank. None of that is actually true. We work hard in our profession.
From my observation the typical professional wedding photographer works very hard to produce excellent results the first time, of which 90% of the wedding iceberg is underwater. The casual observer doesn’t see any of that.
Here are the numbers:
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50% of the time is spent marketing and showing the photographer's work.
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35% of the time is spent working on the digital images, which can run easily into the thousands, processing, editing, modifying them, preparing an album design, creating slides shows and generally taking the raw product into a finished work of art. And then spending time with the client showing the work. The client sees only the end result.
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The final 15% is spent taking the pictures and applying the many skills learned over years to take pictures with the correct exposure, using the correct lens aperture for the desired result, pressing the shutter release at the right moment, thinking about how that photography will be used, getting the right angle, applying knowledge and discipline, and so on.
 Think of the car mechanic with all types of certifications. Based on experience, he can likely diagnose a problem very quickly, and know exactly what needs to be done and how to do it. He may be expensive, or not, but the job is done properly the first time.
And the first is the only time that the wedding photographer has to get it right. There is no second opportunity to shoot a wedding.
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