This is not an easy question to answer. What don’t you do as a wedding photographer. Although the photographer’s job is technically limited to just photography, it is rarely just that. Once you accept the job as wedding photographer you are also accepting the job or planner and coordinator as well. Often during the wedding you might be ask to do such tasks as getting the bridal party all together, coordinating the signing of the wedding certificate, putting on the boutonnieres and more.
When photography comes into play thats fairly straight forward but a lot comes into play as well. Your main goal as wedding photographer is to capture moments either as they occur or split seconds before. If you watch a situation you can typically see when a moment is coming so it always benefits you to stay alert. Laughter, tears, grief these are typically emotions that only last for a few seconds and then are gone forever. As well as capturing the right moment it is also the photographers job to put the couple at ease. This helps to insure that the most natural photos are taken. This becomes more difficult as the size of the party increases, for example it is easier to keep 8 people in a photo at ease than it is to keep a group of 30.
Every photographer is a little different so this next part is going to reflect that. On average I can shoot between 100-300 photos an hour, so if you see me not shooting its not because I’m just not wanting to take pictures, I’m just not shooting at that moment. That means I typically have anywhere between 1000-3000 photos per wedding that I have to cull and edit. This is why I ask for about 4 weeks for delivery, it gives me enough time to go through all the photos and make sure that the best product I can give is being delivered.
The way I like to think about it is that the photographer is the most intimate “guest” at the wedding. We are with you when you are getting ready, we are with you when you say I do, we are with you in the down time, with you through the party. We have the privilege of photographing it all… capturing the happiness, the tears of joy, the tears of sadness and every bit of this next page of your life.
If you would like to invite me along on your journey you can contact me and I will do my very best to make your wedding day memorable.