Busting misconceptions about wedding photography | Studio 31
There are certain myths and assumptions that usually surround wedding photography and wedding photographers. We’re here to set these things right and tell you what the actual reality is in the wedding photography industry.
Authored by Divya Babu
It’s a widely held belief amongst people — Photographers have it super easy, and being wedding photographers is all the more a cakewalk. All they’d need to do is to take a few pictures, make a few edits, and voila! Job done. Right?
That is incredibly false. There’s so much to unpack here. Neither do photographers have it easy nor is it easy to run a wedding photography business? Being a wedding photographer is a high-pressure job, to put it mildly. You are responsible for someone’s once-in-a-lifetime moments.
Here are some of the biggest misconceptions about wedding photographers we intend to bust:
Wedding photography — easiest job ever.
The hard truth here is that the weight of the couple’s happiness is on your shoulders. That is a tough thing to have on your mind while doing your job. On the big day, photographers have no control in ensuring that the perfect portraits turn out. There’s a lack of time, a lot of crowds, and little scope to produce one complete output.
What a glamorous life.
How glamorous must life be for wedding photographers! Travel to beautiful venues, capture a few pictures and earn money to get back to their glamorous life, right? No.
Wedding photography is anything but glamorous. Work isn’t all rainbows and ponies. Every wedding is a huge project, that sometimes tests your patience and will to be prepared for things that could go awry at any moment.
There are so many things that could adrift at the wrong moment and the photographer must always be ready for it. Preparing oneself for unforeseen changes is an integral part of being a successful photographer.
Troubles, troubles, troubles.
Troubles with equipment, with the venue, the lighting, the weather, the décor — and the list would go on. Always have a plan B. Carry extra equipment, make use of natural light available there, hunt for small corners around the place — and if all of this fails, go with your instinct.
One more factor adding to this is coming across clients who do not cooperate as much as it is required for a photographer to capture what was asked of them. We don’t blame the clients. Through the course of your meetings, the scenarios are different. But the actual wedding day is a completely different ball game altogether. Time is always a constraint and clients assume that the photographer will still churn out the best out of this.
Clients are required to cooperate with the photographers to produce the portraits they have dreamt of having. Teamwork is key to this. Divide and rule. This is how you can function effectively.
Workaholics, whether you like it or not.
A day in the life of a wedding photographer often lasts for like 28 hours. No, we’re serious. They are usually the first ones at a venue and also the last ones to leave. Photographers are on his/her feet for 10 to 12 hours straight at every wedding. Post-production is just as tedious as the actual shoot itself. It takes a lot of time to glean, coordinate and perfect the photographs. It’s a strenuous job that requires 70+ hours every week. Let’s not forget — It’s a lonely job, often requiring you to be in solitary. Say goodbye to your social life.
Wedding photography is a beautiful field to work in. Your actual everyday job requires you to capture magical moments that couples can use to look back on about their special day. It’s obviously not all bad. But the point of this article was to make aware of the misconceptions that do exist. The joy that you get to create by being a wedding photographer surpasses any misconceptions people might have about photographers or the field itself.
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About Studio 31
Studio 31 is a 12-year-old premium wedding photography and film company based out of Chennai. The company captures over 400 weddings every year across South Indian cities including Chennai, Hyderabad, Bengaluru, Mysore, Coimbatore, Trichy, Salem, Nellore, Visakhapatnam, etc. They also shoot weddings internationally in Sri Lanka, Singapore, and Germany.
We’re one of the only tech-enabled wedding photography companies in India that use simple technology to provide their customers with a world-class customer experience. The company gets over 78% of its yearly bookings via customer referrals.
We have been featured in leading publications, including The Hindu, The Economic Times, Your Story, and The New Indian Express.
