I hate Weddings
IMPORTANT NOTE: Today is our 5th wedding anniversary.
Now you can keep on reading why I hate weddings.
Thank you.
I DONT LIKE WEDDINGS
Let me be frank: I almost hate being in weddings and/or christenings as a photographer. I've done a few of each and haven't completely regretted it, but it's really hard to convince me to take on such an assignment again.
On this ground, I am never going to get wedding photography burnout.
THE BEST WEDDING CEREMONY EVER
There was never a moment when I remember myself dreaming of my future outfit as a groom. Nevertheless, I met the greatest woman I could dream of and there I was in front of a church.
Our wedding was the best ceremony ever, in terms of what we wanted. We both knew what we wanted; a simple wedding with all of our loved ones and a nice party afterwards. Judging by the distance of time, I can honestly say that it was the best wedding we could have dreamed of and we are truly proud of this big day in our lives.
“Be thankful for problems. If they were less difficult, someone with less ability might have your job.”
THE TRICKY PARTS
I am used to take photographs of beautiful landscapes, when no-one is around and just wait patiently for the right light to kick in. In weddings (or christenings for that matter) this is never the case. You have to be more of a sports photographer, than a landscape one.
So, here are some things I don’t like in wedding photography (in no particular order):
Almost everyone wants the same “staged” photographs,
You wish you could be in two places at once too often,
There will be usually random strangers that will ask you to “take their picture”,
The long hours you have to be on your feet and the even longer hours you have to spend later in editing and album creation,
Some tricky people you have to deal with,
There is actually not much room for creativity,
You cannot control the light as you’d like to,
There are many, often lengthy, meetings with the couple before and after the event,
Many times the couple is very stressed and not sure for what type of images they want,
The whole process is very stressful for the photographer as well.
TRUTH BE TOLD
Of course, there are some admirable aspects to note about the skills of wedding photographers:
They need to be able to take great portraits, landscape photos, environmental images, macro shots, architecture shots, reportage style photos, all for the same session,
They need to look and feel calm and confident, while being very fast and accurate,
They have to perform under high-stress conditions,
After the day is off, they are exhausted,
This is one of the hardest job photographers can do.
Of course, the money is very good, but wedding photographers are worth every penny they ask for.
WILL I DO IT AGAIN?
I will definitely photograph another wedding in the future.* The challenge is always there and the difficulties don't scare me.
However, since I don’t particularly like it as a niche, I want the bride and groom to spark that enthusiasm in me and grant me the privilege of capturing their unique day.
It's really amazing how much interaction there is on such a special day and how much emotion people have for each other, so for me it's extremely important to be happy for them and not just do it for the money.
Can’t wait for the next two lovely people I will photograph!
*For a christening, I'm not so sure.
Photos of our marriage by © Stefanos Gogos