4 Things You Need To Know Before Becoming A Wedding Photographer
Wedding photography is one of the most longed-for industry nowadays. A lot of people want to be part of this profession because of numerous perks. It does not require a person to spend at least eight hours in the office doing repetitive jobs. If you are a wedding photographer, your position is filled with lots of heartwarming moments and find yourself surrounded by smiling, happy people. But before you consider shifting careers to become a professional wedding photographer, here are several things that you need to know.
Invest in The Right Set of Equipment
Working as a photographer requires you to use high-quality cameras to come up with the best outputs. Since professional wedding photographers depend on their equipment for their job, you need to do thorough research to see which of the cameras would work best for the profession. Some of the main equipment that you need to have include:
- Camera (plus another one for spare)
- Medium zoom lens such as 24-70 f/2/8 lens
- A telephoto lens like 70-200mm
- Wide-angle lens and time lens
- External flash
- Spare batteries
- Tripod and light stand
- Flash diffuser
- Camera bag
Prepare for A Grueling Day
If you want to become a wedding photographer, you must prepare your mind and body to face a very long and exhausting day every time you cover an event. If a couple hires you to take pictures of their wedding, they would expect to see lots of pictures to remind them about their special day. It means that you need to be there before the day’s preparation begins. It will allow you to capture every moment leading to the ceremony. Because of this, you have to travel to the venue as early as possible. Then you have to be at the event the entire day. Since a lot of events will take place, you must expect to miss some meals and stand up the whole day.
To prepare for this, make sure that you have enough sleep the day before the wedding. You must also eat a hearty breakfast before going to the location, and bring packets of biscuits or crackers to fill your tummy if you get hungry.
Build Relationships
To expand your client base as a wedding photographer, you need to expand your network, so people will immediately think of you whenever they need someone to take their pictures. You must develop a good relationship with the couple or their wedding planners. Most importantly, show them high-quality outputs so they will not think twice about recommending you to other people.
Be Prepared For Off-Seasons
Since your job depends on couples getting married, it means that there are times when no one in your area will tie the knot for some time. It usually happens during the winter, esp if the only wedding venues near you cater to warm-weather weddings. But there are times when work comes in clusters, particularly from May to August. When this happens, make sure that you saved up enough funds for the off-peak seasons, you can have something to spend even if you do not have clients for a while.
Wedding photography can be a dream job for anyone who loves weddings and taking pictures. But since it is a real profession, you need to make sure that you will respect the industry by making sure that you will provide your clients their expected output that deserves every cent that they spent on it.