A career in wedding photography could be quite satisfying
for a professional photographer, but just like any other job, it is essential
to keep in mind that this line can be extremely difficult as well.
Below are a few of the most common challenges one can expect to face as a professional wedding photographer.
Wedding Photography Challenge # 1: The Financial Aspect
Right from the initial financial investment required to purchase the professional gear, to the actual costs of business like editing, printing, travel and accommodation, business cards, just to name a few, must be considered before deciding to quitting your day job. It could take several years for beginner professional wedding photographers to actually start making enough money, so generating the ROI on your investment will take time. You should save enough beforehand and/or keep backups to help you get by during down times, else you’ll end up in serious financial trouble before long.
Professional Wedding Photography Challenge # 2: The Catch-22
You won’t find many customers without prior experience as a Professional Wedding Photographer, and you don’t get enough experience without clients. It’s a classic situation which almost anyone starting out face, unless you are lucky to have supportive people who give you the responsibility of their important wedding photo shoot. You might have to work on a number of projects as a second shooter, or even certain less paying jobs before you are able to gain required experience.
Wedding Photography Challenge # 3: Dealing With The Pressure
Wedding Photography could get really taxing and not quite as interesting for the photographer as for others. In order to be a successful wedding photographer you would have to become a number of things- business developer, marketer, bookkeeper, your own PA, etc. The work required to be put for every customer could take a few months in advance flooded with tons of meetings, written and verbal communication, discussions, and the actual wedding photo shoot could take anywhere from 8-14 hours, not to forget the tasks post the shoot such as printing and editing. You’d have to deal with intense emotional and physical requests and learn to continue despite continuous burn-outs and frustrations.
Wedding Photography Problem # 4: Making Ends Meet
It’s a common idea among aspiring photographers that Wedding Photography is high paying, which may hold true for a few of the experienced photographers, but should not be considered a rule of thumb. Weddings are limited to a few month, with most months in a year having no weddings while the rest few months jam packed with weddings. So generating a constant source of income during the year tends to be a problem that needs to be taken into accounted. Additionally, the continuous weekend gigs prevents the wedding photographers spending time with loved ones.
Wedding Photography Challenge # 5: Creating Your Mark
That is the thing about weddings- they could be similar like church weddings, or differently themed like beach wedding photography. It is up to the photographer to give every single photo shoot his/her own touch. In order to establish your name in this profession and get more recommendations, you’ll have to learn the skill of unique wedding photography.
We hope the above insights will help you understand the challenges faced by photographers, and learn to overcome them to become successful in the business of wedding photography.
Below are a few of the most common challenges one can expect to face as a professional wedding photographer.
Wedding Photography Challenge # 1: The Financial Aspect
Right from the initial financial investment required to purchase the professional gear, to the actual costs of business like editing, printing, travel and accommodation, business cards, just to name a few, must be considered before deciding to quitting your day job. It could take several years for beginner professional wedding photographers to actually start making enough money, so generating the ROI on your investment will take time. You should save enough beforehand and/or keep backups to help you get by during down times, else you’ll end up in serious financial trouble before long.
Professional Wedding Photography Challenge # 2: The Catch-22
You won’t find many customers without prior experience as a Professional Wedding Photographer, and you don’t get enough experience without clients. It’s a classic situation which almost anyone starting out face, unless you are lucky to have supportive people who give you the responsibility of their important wedding photo shoot. You might have to work on a number of projects as a second shooter, or even certain less paying jobs before you are able to gain required experience.
Wedding Photography Challenge # 3: Dealing With The Pressure
Wedding Photography could get really taxing and not quite as interesting for the photographer as for others. In order to be a successful wedding photographer you would have to become a number of things- business developer, marketer, bookkeeper, your own PA, etc. The work required to be put for every customer could take a few months in advance flooded with tons of meetings, written and verbal communication, discussions, and the actual wedding photo shoot could take anywhere from 8-14 hours, not to forget the tasks post the shoot such as printing and editing. You’d have to deal with intense emotional and physical requests and learn to continue despite continuous burn-outs and frustrations.
Wedding Photography Problem # 4: Making Ends Meet
It’s a common idea among aspiring photographers that Wedding Photography is high paying, which may hold true for a few of the experienced photographers, but should not be considered a rule of thumb. Weddings are limited to a few month, with most months in a year having no weddings while the rest few months jam packed with weddings. So generating a constant source of income during the year tends to be a problem that needs to be taken into accounted. Additionally, the continuous weekend gigs prevents the wedding photographers spending time with loved ones.
Wedding Photography Challenge # 5: Creating Your Mark
That is the thing about weddings- they could be similar like church weddings, or differently themed like beach wedding photography. It is up to the photographer to give every single photo shoot his/her own touch. In order to establish your name in this profession and get more recommendations, you’ll have to learn the skill of unique wedding photography.
We hope the above insights will help you understand the challenges faced by photographers, and learn to overcome them to become successful in the business of wedding photography.
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