June 29, 2022
When it comes to wedding photography, there can be a whole lot of myths flying around. These quote on quote “myths” can deter people from making quality investments in their wedding photography coverage solely because they are scared. However, I feel like it’s my job to help you debunk some of these and let you know the 7 biggest myths about wedding photography.
Myth #1: All Wedding Photographers Are All The Same
You have no idea how many times over the years I have heard this saying that “all wedding photographers are the same”. While yes we wedding photographers do share something in common, that we all photograph weddings that’s about all that is the same. Each wedding photographer has their own certain shooting style, equipement and editing style that is uniquely theirs. Whether you’re looking for light & airy or dark and moody, there is a photographer out there for you. Every wedding photographer’s experience and style vary, so choose wisely when you’re deciding which wedding photographer to hire!
Myth #2: My Phone Can Produce The Same Work
Okay, so while smartphones are great for many things… wedding photography is not one of them. Don’t get me wrong, the camera’s on phone nowadays have tremendously improved but that does not substitute your photos being taken by a professional. While your phone may get the photos that you’re looking for, nothing will compare to the quality and professionalism of hiring a wedding professional for your wedding day. With a professional camera, wedding photographers are able to adjust lighting and angles easier and more efficiently than a smartphone. You know that graininess you experience when you take a photo in low light? Yeah, none of that when we’ve got a professional camera. Just remember that your phone may be the end all be all for a lot of things, but not when it comes to wedding photography.
Myth #3: Wedding Photographers Only Work on The Wedding Day
We all know that wedding photography can be a large investment, but with good reason. There is a common misconception that wedding photographers only do work on the wedding day and that’s it. Oh but how far from the truth that is. Each wedding photographer has their own certain processes and systems whenever they work with their couples. Most of the time however, we are working a ton behind the scenes to make sure your wedding day is as close to perfect as ever. Some of these things include, but are not limited to:
- Scheduling, planning and organizing your engagement session (if you want one)
- Creating and planning your wedding day timeline
- Gathering up SD cards, flash, harnesses and equipment for the day of the wedding
- Communicating & coordinating with other wedding vendors
- Photographing between an 8-12 hour wedding day
- Culling through thousands of images and narrowing down the best
- Editing images into your final delivered gallery
- Curating and designing wedding albums (if you choose to get one)
So in all actuality, your wedding photographer is going through a whole lot more than just photographing your actual wedding day. You’re not only making the investment on receiving beautiful photos back, but also on the experience itself!
Myth #4: Wedding Photography Is A Luxurious Lifestyle
While yes, many wedding photographers have the opportunity to photograph at a lot of amazing, beautiful and luxurious wedding venues, that isn’t always the case. Sometimes being a wedding photographer means having to get down and dirty in order to get the *perfect* photo. Sometimes that means lying on the ground, standing in the hot sun all day or freezing your buns off in the dead of winter. Wedding photographers do have the opportunity to shoot at a lot of beautiful wedding venues with amazing couples, but luxurious and glamorous is definitely not the words we would describe. We like to say realistic, adventurous and never boring – that’s for sure!
Myth #5: Everything is Photo-Shoppable
Don’t get me wrong, some wedding photographers can work WONDERS in photoshop. However, that isn’t the case for all wedding photographers. In fact, most wedding photographers will offer only slight photoshop tweaks to your wedding photos because that is just not their area of expertise. Things that can be photoshopped are: acne, slight distractions in the background, street signs, debris, etc. What can’t be photoshopped are: facial expressions, severe tan lines, your entire body, etc. While we can definitely do some slight tweaks to make your eyes sparkle a bit more or have you some texture erased, wedding photographers are not miracle workers.
Myth #6: Wedding Photography is TOO Expensive
As I mentioned above, wedding photographers acknowledge that the investment to have your day documented can be a lot. However, what a wedding photographer charges is completely up to the discretion of said wedding photographer and no one else. While to the outside world, wedding photography seems like tons of “wasteless” dollars, there are a lot of different components that go into why wedding photographers charge what they charge. Some of those including:
- Experience (how long they have been photographing weddings)
- Photography Gear (camera, flash, SD cards, external lighting equipment, etc)
- Editing softwares & programs
- Pre wedding day prep (meetings, timeline building, coordination with vendors)
- Labor (shooting your actual wedding day)
- Travel (if there is any)
- Culling through images
- Editing
- Education & perfecting your craft
Typically the more experience your wedding photographer has, the more they will charge. Wedding photographers take YEARS to perfect their craft and they are constantly learning new techniques to help better their work. So while yes, wedding photography may seem TOO expensive it’s with good reason!
Myth #7: You Need To Have Good Weather, For Good Photos
So yes, having good weather can equal out to your wedding photos turning out beautifully. Good weather can equal out to having some pretty bomb lighting, which if you know anything about photography, means everything! However, you can still have beautiful wedding images even when it’s cloudy and rainy out. The most important thing is that you’re prepped and ready for these kind of conditions. If it’s raining out, make sure that you are packed with some clear umbrellas and BOOM, you’re golden. The main thing to remember is to not to get down in the dumps thinking your wedding photos won’t turn out well, just because of the weather. Wedding photographers train and gain experience specifically for moments like this, remember that. Find a wedding photographer who you trust and everything else will fall into place, trust me!
So hopefully after reading through this it gives you a piece of mind when or if you decide to invest in wedding photography coverage. These 7 biggest myths about wedding photography have officially been debunked and I hope this gives you all the clarity you need in order to have your dream wedding!
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