Wedding Photography is Trivial

  by realSMILEY 

That’s right, wedding photography is trivial. In fact, you can teach yourself how to shoot a wedding like a pro in a weekend. Don’t believe me? I’ll give you proof from one of the best known photography authors out there. All you have to do is buy Scott Kelby’s, The Digital Photography Book: The step-by-step secrets for how to make your photos look like the pros’!, read chapter three titled “Shooting Weddings Like a Pro” and, as the book’s subtitle states, you’ll be shooting like a pro.

If you detect a little sarcasm mixed with angst in my writing, you’d be right.

Lately I’ve been thinking about how the art and profession of photography is cheapened to the point where anyone with a digital camera believes shooting a wedding is trivial. It’s unfortunate that Scott Kelby’s book only adds to this misconception, as there is a wide gulf between owning a camera and having the skill set to competently photograph a wedding.

Am I a professional wedding photographer? Nope, but I have a great deal of respect for anyone who shoots weddings for a living.

For me, the very idea of shooting a wedding scares me. Why? Here are just a few reasons that come to mind:

1. You have to deal with people — a lot of people — who expect you to get all the shots. Of course, they’ll be popping in and out of your posed shots with their point-and-shot cameras, iPhones or DSLRs, too.
2. It’s the last place you want to have the thought “How do I …”
3. You must never, never let slip the word “whoops!”
4. You have to know the mechanics of your profession so well that your actions are muscle memory driven.
5. Your equipment has to be dependable.
6. You should have backups for your equipment.
7. You should have backups for your backups.
8. Don’t even think about calling in sick. (see 7)
9. Mistakes are not permitted – at least they must go undetected during the shoot.
10. You have to know the sequence of events, and be there at the right time, throughout entire wedding, which may be from morning until evening.
11. You can get sued for inadequacies, real or imagined.
12. There are no acceptable excuses for ruining the bride’s day. None. (see 11)
13. It requires the energy and stamina to lug equipment, direct people and be mentally alert enough to anticipate the next great shot.
14. Unlike portraiture, offering a free second setting, if you mess up, is not an option.
15. Every wedding shoot has the potential of garnering you either more or fewer future clients.
16. You have to appear in control, even when you’re not feeling like it.
17. The day of the wedding is neither the beginning nor the end of your job, just the day everyone remembers.
18. You have to convince potential clients that, no, their nephew with his new DSLR cannot provide the same level of quality you can with your twenty years of experience.
19. You have to be consistent day in and day out.
20. You have to know it all – from food photography, to portraiture, to architectural shots –  and do it without slowing down.
21. You must be ever present and yet unobtrusive.
22. You must not forget the “must have” shots.
23. And finally, do all of this in the most congenial manner you can muster.

For the record, when my wife and I were married, nearly 33 years ago, we couldn’t afford a professional photographer, both being grad students at the time. Instead, we opted for one of my wife’s high school teachers who shot weddings to supplement his income. (This was during the time when there weren’t hordes of novices with DSLRs and “how to be a pro” books.) It really didn’t turn out bad, and he was rather pleasant to work with. Though, I do remember one story he told us at the time. He confided in us that he had had the bad experience of arriving at a wedding and realizing, only after having shot a few frames, that there wasn’t any film in his camera. In fact, he had forgotten to bring any film with him – don’t ask me how this could happen. Anyway, I asked him how he handled the situation. He said, seeing as how there wasn’t enough time to get film, he just kept on shooting, as if he had the film. His reasoning was that he didn’t want to ruin their day by telling them that bad news then. Now, I’m not sure if I’ve got that story exactly right, but it did make an impression on me enough that I remembered it all these years. Needless to say, it didn’t instill a lot of confidence in me for his abilities at the time.

So, having just ranted about the decline of respect for wedding photographers, I would love to hear from the professional wedding photographers out there — yes, the real ones — as to what sends chills up your spine.  And, if you have any good stories, your own or others, that you’d like to share, please feel free to add them.

Comments

[Jeff]

I like Kelby. He does share some very helpful hints as far as post work goes. I don't think much of him as a photographer though. I subscribe to his online training site and whenever he does a video of himself shooting something he comes off as a shill for different products and doesn't really look like he knows what he's doing. Maybe he should read his book eh?