r/WeddingPhotography

I just got into family & couple photography, with the hopes to build my skill enough to eventually take on weddings… I’m struggling. I’ve used my professional camera for work in the content space for the last 8 years, so I’m not a total newbie, but NOTHING like this. Shooting outdoors is a whole new world. Posing non-models, wrangling kids. It’s hard!

The worst is editing. I’m agonizing over every gallery I have to deliver. I can never tell if my work feels cohesive to an outsider. I find it so hard to be objective over my own edits. Also I can never seem to STOP tweaking a gallery. I’ll edit half of it, decide it needs less of this or more of that, and have to tweak all the work I’ve already done.

I think a lot of it has to do with the fact that I don’t have a “style” yet, so I’m not sure if I’m getting the “look” clients are expecting & every session feels like a ton of pressure to edit in the style I WANT to do going forward. I don’t want to share an edit that I don’t really love to my feed, in case a future client wants that look.

On the whole, I do enjoy it. I show up at shoots excited + the families I’ve met have all been amazing. I usually find my stride and end up pretty happy when looking at the shots in-camera. I think it’s so cool that I’ve taken precious maternity photos of babies who have since been born!

But then I’m so stressed while editing, feeling sure that I’ll never get the hang of this + wondering if it will always feel so overwhelming.

TLDR: struggling to find my groove with editing & photography. When did you feel you hit your stride editing & delivering galleries?? Or am I doomed?

TLDR:>! I worked my way through college as a newspaper photographer, wedding photog, boudoir photog. 40 years later, about to retire from IT. Should I go back to being a part-time photographer?!<

About me: in the 1980s, I worked for the local photographer after school. General work: portraits, weddings, etc. I worked my way through college as a newspaper photographer: news, sports, pet of the week. Degree in IT, minor in finance (later years would add a masters in healthcare.)

In the 1990s, my (now ex) wife and I did weddings as a sideline. We developed the reputation of being the photographers of choice for the "first trimester bride." In addition to cameras and lenses, we brought a 3 gallon bucket for cases of morning sickness during group shots.

In the late 1990s, we transitioned into boudoir. Again, a good reputation, did very well, but in 2000 the advent of cheap digital photography dried up our business. Plus our children were getting older and "asking questions" so we shut the studio down completely.

From 2000 until now I've transitioned from film to digital, but my shooting has been family stuff. And honestly I use my iPhone for a lot of quick shots. I need to learn a lot more about Adobe Photoshop, and I've never tried Lightroom. Basically I use Photoshop for quick retouches.

My IT career is winding down and in a couple of years I will be forced to retire (contract ending, and ageism is a real thing.) My (new) wife wants me to retire with her, but I worry about feeling relevant. We live in a resort community (population about 35,000) and the prices for wedding photographers here are insane (two years ago we paid $3500 for our wedding photog and that was with a discount! Straight photography, two shooters, 6 hours, no video.)

I'm considering whether to spend the next two years spinning up my photography skills, digging into Photoshop, and maybe open a studio on a part-time basis. I will not "need" the money... I need to feel that I have a use. But I also want to have retirement time with my bride.

Thoughts?

Current gear: Nikon D810, Nikon D7100, multiple prime and f2.8 zooms, Nikon flashes.

I am a new wedding photographer, but not new to photography. My first wedding went pretty well and I delivered over 600 images to the couple for their less than 100 person wedding. They were so appreciative at the event, even insisted on tipping me. I had done an engagement session for them a few months prior and they loved the results and posted them to IG. Fast forward to wedding sneak peeks and then full wedding gallery. They haven’t posted any photos that I took from the wedding. None. And no written review like they seemed so excited to give me at the end of the wedding. I am really concerned that they don’t like the results and are too scared to say anything. When is a normal time to reach out again for a review if they haven’t already after the full gallery delivery? Is it common that couples don’t post their wedding photos when they are otherwise very active on Instagram? I have also experienced the no posting/no feedback with my wedding after this one with their sneak peeks. They only liked my story about it and that was it :/ Maybe I’m reading too much into it, but as an already anxious photographer, it’s driving me a little crazy and making me second guess my editing style.

Hier ist ein präziser Beitrag für Reddit:
Ich suche Empfehlungen für jemanden, der sich auf Websites für Hochzeitsfotografen spezialisiert hat.
Wichtig ist mir, dass es keine klassische Webagentur ist, sondern jemand, der die Hochzeitsbranche wirklich kennt – idealerweise selbst (ehemaliger) Hochzeitsfotograf ist oder seit Jahren ausschließlich mit Hochzeitsfotografen arbeitet.
Gesucht wird ein Komplettpaket aus:
Branding & Positionierung
hochwertigem Webdesign
SEO
guter Nutzerführung
Fokus auf Anfragen statt nur einer schönen Website
Ich suche bewusst Premium-Anbieter mit nachweislich starken Referenzen im deutschsprachigen Raum.
Mit wem habt ihr selbst gute Erfahrungen gemacht oder wen könnt ihr uneingeschränkt empfehlen?

I may be alone in this but I am falling out of love for wedding photography and evidently photography in general.

When I had graduated from photography school, we were told with wedding photography you either really love it or love the money it makes you. I loved both. I loved the schedule you can create. I loved the ability to edit at the comfort of my own home. I loved meeting different folks & experiencing different cultures. But...somewhere along the way, that all changed.

I started to get tired of the anxiety and the OCD overload that paralyzed my body on making sure all my equipment was there & ready to go. I started to get homesick as I developed and grew my little chosen family. I began to resent trends & Pinterest boards, the endless "inspiration." I began to get tired of "know it all" photographers, who think they are god send, blabbing "facts" that simply weren't true for everybody. I got extremely tired of the over saturation in the industry; everybody thinks they can be a photographer. The scams grew, the shitty attitudes became more shitty, and the constant fight to stay on the top worn down my body. Wedding photographers turned into wedding companies, drowning out the locals and their talent. Apps & websites started to rip vendors all off and profit off the hard work vendors do; creating a throne for the CEO to sit on. The “I love this” turned into “I can’t wait to go home.” 

Every Pinterest board or email sent to me about “inspiration” or what I like to call… demands, gave me a feeling in the pit of my stomach of extreme annoyance. I’m not a trendy person and never was… I was simply trained & schooled on how to pose people and I was taught in a technical aspect how to be creative. These folks, these clients, they spend a good portion of their lives on social media getting confused on what is real and what is fabricated for likes & views. I couldn’t be creative anymore. Not in the way I was taught and certainly not what I thought was best. 

The feelings of doubt grew year after year. The money hungry industries preyed on vendors more & more. Prices started to skyrocket and I am spiraling. The inspiration boards became more demanding and not relatable to myself and even the wedding they dreamed of. What was it they called? “A champagne taste with a beer budget.” Some stupid shit like that. I started to delete my social media and read more on the internet of Reddit. I started to pay attention to the words, the complaints, and the constant whining… I started to cringe at how the trends never stopped or seem to slow down. “I graduated!” What the fuck is that? A simple event of celebration & love turned into a show off on who was more original, quirky, or trendy. 

Enough about that…I guess I just sound like a jealous hater. But yet, with every phone call and consultation I had, I started to grow more impatient. I grew impatient with the sexism that is very rampant within the industry. I grew tired of the, “bridesmaids in pjs photos.” I grew tired of the schedule and the expectation of every key “event.” “First look with dad.” “First look with bridesmaids.” “First look with this, that, and the other mother fucking thing.” Oh! Let’s not forget the bouquet dedication or the song they dedicated to the dead, or the anniversary game or the last song of the couple alone in the reception room. But let’s not also forget the Pinterest board! Pinterest, Pinterest, Pinterest. The incorrect terminology and the loss of meaning for “documentary.” What the fuck is even documentary style anymore? 

Documentary… I scoff at this because nothing is documentary worthy. The sea of cellphones trying to capture the “bride” down the aisle. The phones that are seemingly glued to everybody’s hands on the dance floor. The bored expressions of people sitting at the tables. The quiet bickering of a couple all because the “groom” couldn’t do the first dance just exactly the way she wanted. I’m often left defeated in the car feeling like a monkey that had to perform. The drive back home was always exhausting. Time to upload those photos. The doubt comes over. “Did I do enough? Was this even good?” 90% of their “inspiration” photos are out the window. Time constraints, not in the mood, not the right setting, impossible to achieve in most cases… Veil shot, veil shot, veil shot… 

As I finger punch the keyboard making selections, I feel it again. The impatience, the disappointment, the need to run away and never pick up a camera again. This is destroying my love for the beautiful art form that we know as photography. I never wanted to be a wedding photographer. In fact, I wanted to do fine art but I got suckered into believing you could never make a living out of it. But… what is living when you constantly live in anxiety, fear, and self disappointment. Hours start to become days, and days become weeks. It turns into months and I am left feeling… “what the fuck am I living for anymore?” 

It’s time to quit. It’s time to quit. It’s time to quit. Each and every single night those words whisper throughout my mind as I stare at the dark ceiling, unable to rest my soul and body. I stopped resisting and started listening. The excitement grew as the voice got louder then very quickly shifted to the voice of fear. “What about the freedom of schedule?” “What about the good money you make” “What about…” Silence. Stop. No more. The quiet voice would come back, soft at first then stronger and more firm. It’s. Time. To. Quit. And so be it… the roots I developed have dried and withered away. The ambition is nearly gone and I’m grasping onto what is leftover. It’s time to quit…

Perhaps it is time to say goodbye and say hello to other adventures.

Does anyone feel like this or am I crying to the void?

TLDR >!Shot a 10-hour, 12 PM lunch wedding under a brutal 38°C (100°F) Southern European sun for <30 guests. Bride originally wanted "dark & moody," settled for "cinematic." Day-of was a sweatfest but she loved the day and raved about the 30+ photo sneak peek. Once the full gallery dropped: radio silence, followed by a text saying she’s "highly dissatisfied" with my creative choices, admitting she hasn't even looked past the first 25% of the photos. When I empathetically offered to jump on a call and hide the images she "didn't understand," she snapped back. Never heard from her again. How do you handle clients who completely shut down after you offer a solution?!<

Hey everyone, I was talking with a colleague about past wedding seasons, and it brought back memories of a specific event that I'm still not sure if i handled well. I do not know if i need to laugh, or maybe just get a collective hug from people who understand the struggle. Grab a caffe, because this is a long wild ride of expectations vs reality.

Background: I’m a documentary style wedding photographer. Last season, I booked a wedding in a notoriously hot destination in Southern Europe. Normally, summer weddings here happen in the late afternoon/evening because, you know, we enjoy living and not melting. However, this venue managed to convince the couple to do a lunch wedding. I tried to gently warn them about the heat and the lighting, but the schedule was set in stone. To add a little spice, the bride initially told me she wanted a "dark & moody" vibe. I politely guided her to look at my actual portfolio (which isn't really dark and moody anyway), explaining that "dark and moody" doesn't exactly pair well with the blinding, overhead, 38°C (100°F) sun at high noon. She replied that she loved my style anyway, so we compromised on aiming for something like a "cinematic" look. (Spoiler: Cinematic still works with very specific locations and lights, but okay, checked my other galleries and approved). The Wedding Day: It was a 10-hour booking, but with an intimate crowd of less than 30 guests. No getting rready photos. Outdoor ceremony right at midday. A one-hour cocktail hour directly under the blazing sun. After a while, with less than 30 guests in that blinding light, I honestly felt like a vulture hunting for something, anything different to photograph just to survive. A 2-hour intimate indoor lunch (mostly capturing a few speeches and toasts). Early afternoon melting cake cutting, followed by some dancing with live music where I managed to get some nice interactions and some dancing shots in a slightly shaded area. We did a few couple portraits as late as possible, but the sun was still incredibly high, so I had to play exclusively in the shade, no nice playing with the sunset light, no nice soft ligt 🥲 I even stayed an extra 30 minutes past my contract just because the bride requested a few final shots. I left feeling exhausted but confident I did the absolute best possible job given the brutal conditions.

The Rollercoaster: Day 1: The bride texts me thanking me, saying everything was absolutely perfect. Awesome. Later Day 1: I post a generous sneak peek on social media around 30+ photos. The bride is absolutely thrilled, loved them all. The Delivery: A few weeks later, I deliver the full gallery 700-800 photos if i well remeber) And... radio silence. After a week of hearing nothing, I send a polite check in text. Two days later, I get hit with a short but sharp text. She is "highly dissatisfied." She doesn't understand my creative choices, feels totally discouraged, and admits she hasn't even looked past the ceremony photos (which is literally 1/4 of the total gallery). The Reality Check: Naturally, I started questioning my own sanity. I immediately sent the gallery to a few trusted photographer colleagues and a wedding planner I work with frequently. Their thought: The photos are beautiful, completely in line with my style, and they also pointed out that the light was just awful to manage.

Where it goes off the rails: I replied to her with maximum empathy. I asked her what specifically was bothering her. I explained that in documentary photography, some candid photos might not be "traditionally perfect" but they serve to tell the authentic story of the guests. I offered to jump on a call, look through the photos together, and hide/remove any specific images she "didn't understand." Her response? A super annoyed, defensive text basically saying: "I don’t even understand what it is you're trying to offer me right now." I am honestly baffled. You loved the day, you loved the 30+ sneak peeks, you haven't even looked at 75% of the gallery, and now you're treating my offer to help like I'm speaking an alien language. In the end, I just let her cool down, wait for a replay i never had and left the gallery as it was, but im still got this stiff feeling in my gut, it never happened before and i Hope it will never happen again.

but I’m curious: how would you handle a client who completely shuts down and gets combative like this after you've offered a genuine solution?

I've set up a YELP business page, cause it's free and just another way to the business name out there. Of course, now I'm getting bombarded with calls from YELP to advertise with them. They make some pretty wild claims that their click through rates are in the 50%-60% range, which is BANANAS to me.

Has anyone had success getting good leads through YELP, either with or without advertising with them?

Thanks!

We are currently wanting to have a baby. Our first month of trying was unsuccessful, due date would have been beginning of March. Now we are faced with the decision to try again and have an April 8 due date. As full time wedding photographers we have 5 weddings in May the first one being May 8th. If we don’t try this next month the next window for us that we can try would be a January 2028 due date. So it’s now or in 6 more months. I’m just wondering if this is a smart decision for us to try to conceive one more time or if will be too close to our wedding season to recover in time. Need advice!!

Ask or talk about anything at all that you might think does not fit as a main thread. Nothing is too small, too basic, or too off the wall. Newbie questions are welcome.

Hello, i am 20 years old and in college for a psychology degree, on track to graduate next year. I have been running a small photography business for the past couple years since high school, and i would say im pretty good at it. i genuinely hate the idea of working in an office job or something where i dont get to be creative but realistically i haven't found anything else that would be stable and allow for the lifestyle i want later in life (ideally wanting to start a family with my bf in the next couple years and possibly stay home/wfh with our future babies). wanting to hear if anyone else with similar passions to me (photography, art, reading, design etc) has been able to make a successful career out of it where they are not extremely burn out. i'm trying to be realistic though and i feel like the older i get im going to have to be unhappy with some part of my career and stop looking for an unrealistic "perfect career" any advice from someone older would be helpful, thanks!

Hey everyone, I am currently setting up the business side of things for my new wedding photography setup and trying to keep my overhead as close to absolute zero as possible. I keep seeing everyone recommend HoneyBook, Dubsado, or Studio Ninja for like $40+ a month, but it honestly feels like total overkill for just a solo photographer starting out.

My plan is to keep things super minimalist:

• Booking: Just lock in the wedding date on Google Calendar and throw the client details in the description.
• Deposit: Send a manual Stripe invoice for 30% to lock in the booking.
• Balance: Manually count backward 6 weeks on my phone calendar and set a Google reminder to send the remaining 70% invoice.

This seems incredibly simple to me, but I am honestly terrified of missing a payment deadline or looking totally unprofessional early on. Before I commit to doing it this way, I have three quick questions for the vets here:

1. Is managing the split payments and tracking those relative event dates manually actually that much of a headache in reality?
2. Am I missing something massive here that is going to blow up in my face later?
3. Or are people just paying for these big CRMs because they like the fancy features?

Would love a reality check from anyone who prefers to keep things simple!

Hi! I already have 2x Z6 II and i need another camera for Wedding Photography. Can't decide between Z6 II or Z5 II. Any suggestion?

For the first time, I offered photo and video for a wedding I did back in April. Already delivered the photo gallery and couple is so happy with it. I have yet to deliver the videos they were promised because the videographer I hired is completely ghosting on me. I paid him to shoot the wedding and get the edits done for me. I paid him a pretty penny. I met with him several times over Zoom and saw all of his work so I trusted him. Totally learning my lesson now. Its been weeks since the edits were originally due and Im lucky if I ever even get a text back from him. When im following up im mostly ignored and then Ive gotten a few texts back saying hes working on the edits but then any follow up questions I ask he just ignores. He mentioned he cant do the edits in the way we originally planned because he doesnt have enough footage. In my opinion hes just unorganized and its clear from his social media that he overbooks himself. I dont know what to do at this point. Should I wait and hope he delivers or should I try to hire someone to edit with the footage I have? I have majority of his video footage but its all compressed files so its not the raw videos. Im so disappointed from this situation and am concerned that I’ll have to give the couple a discount. Mostly im upset that they trusted me and I wont be able to give them the quality they want. What would you do in this situation?

Hi all, I’m based in the UK and will be doing a couple of destination weddings next year. They’ve been a real headache to plan especially from trying to figure out if I need special work permits etc, but now found out this whole thing about carnets!

Anyone know anything about them/is this something you have to do?

Thank you so much!

For background. I'm a music festival and event photographer part time. The couple who hired me met me through my festival work and I've shot them multiple times at festivals so they know my typical style. They requested me to shoot their small wedding this summer. I told them how weddings are not my bread and butter and it's a new subject to me and they didn't seem to care because they like my festival work. Fast forward to the day of. Shot some getting ready BTS at one of the bridesmaid's house but half the bridal party didn't show up on time, so it was hurried by the time people arrived.( I was early). The ceremony was held at a small fire hall-esque building and not very tidy. Because of everyone being slightly late, I had no time to set-up my OFC, and had about 10 minutes to do all the family portraits. The indoor lighting was very sterile but I did my absolute best I could. The reception was held at a brewery, where the photo style was more in my wheelhouse. I re edited things multiple times and just keep not being happy with the result. The couple seems to like it, I just have had a rock in my stomach since delivery because it is so unlike the photos they are used to from me, or my style as a whole. Anyone have tips to deal with this feeling of delivering ( in your mind) a gallery not up to snuff?

(Also this is a lovely couple, none of this is on them, and I have no personal issues with anyone getting a lower cost/ non pretty venue)

I know we all dread them haha but honestly what are we doing when brides send a list then on the day feel overwhelmed and say “fu*k it just do whoever” and start calling families themselves / complain later when a group is missed?

Does anyone also feel like it’s not their job as a photographer to manage behaviour of the children of the couple or their guests? If the couple let them run wild and get dirty or say they don’t have to be in photos or they are in and out of photos as they like I just don’t feel that should fall on me if a family photo without them is missed if the couple says it’s ok for them to go play etc

The situation: I was shooting a friend’s baby shower for practice, but my other friend saw my photos and asked me to photograph his wedding next year. Being familiar enough with event photography, and willing to help a friend out when he can’t afford an actual professional, such as yourselves, I said sure.

The main questions: What can I do to prepare for a wedding shoot, and what advice would you give a person who is doing this for the first time?

The details: I am currently shooting on a Canon EOS M50 mkii, I got the kit lens (15-45), a telephoto (55-200), and a prime Viltrox 23mm f/1.4.

The wedding is in eastern Arizona in September of next year. That is the only plan at this moment.

Not sure if many people follow him, but he was a successful wedding photographer and has transitioned into teaching. I listen to his podcast, Make Your Break, and resonate with a lot of his advice.

But the way he talks about things like marketing make it sound so simple (like standing out, and focusing on specific thing) that it makes me wonder why everyone hasn't done it of it's so easy?

Like, is his advice actually solid, or is he just another podcaster taking advantage of people and funneling people to pay for his courses? I don't want to change my entire approach to my business and marketing if it's not actually going to help me. Would love to hear what others think.

I sometimes have some imposter syndrome so somewhat scared to make changes or sometimes I'm so anxious or ADHD that I don't want to do anything at all :(

Edit: I'm not interested in paying for any of his courses or worried about that. I'm mostly wondering if anyone has seen results from following his free advice (via podcasts etc) and if it's worth investing my time into restructuring my business accordingly.