A Day in the Life of a Wedding Photographer
Helping create and follow a timeline for a wedding day is one thing, but what about the rest of the day? What does a wedding photographer do?
For me, it starts the night before.
I spend the evening before a wedding charging my cameras and the batteries for my flashes and extra lights, ensuring my memory cards are formatted, and gathering up all the equipment - like tripods, umbrellas, and power sources - so it’s all ready to go for the morning.
The day of a wedding, I’m up early to double check that my gear is ready and I have backups packed. I like to take a few extra minutes at breakfast to review the location information and timeline for the day. Even when everything is well-planned I can’t assume that the day will run perfectly smoothly; I’ve found being over prepared makes it easier for me to adjust on the spot and make mental notes about how to approach any specific shots I still want to get! I fill my water bottle and toss a couple Gatorades and granola bars into my bag; 90% of the time I’m running around too much to have time for a real lunch, so I grab bites throughout the day when I can.
Without fail, I am a ball of excited, nervous energy when I pull up to the venue because I can’t wait to get started - and because I want to do a kick-ass job for my couple too! My first priority is to check in with the couple and their wedding planner, after which I get right to work on detail photos. I bounce back and forth between each getting ready space, but place emphasis on being present for the special moments like Mom zipping up the bride’s dress or Dad helping the groom with his tie. From there, I jump right into photos with the couple, making sure to always ALWAYS have them wrapped up at least 30 minutes before the ceremony starts so they can have a little time to grab a drink, have a snack, relax, and hide away while their guests arrive.
I’ll typically use this time to down at least one bottle of water and sneak a quick bathroom break before I get positioned in the ceremony space. The ceremony always flies by and before I know it I’m bringing out my friendly teacher voice to get various groups organized for family photos! I prioritize the order from largest groups to smallest so that folks can move on to cocktail hour as soon as I’m done with them, unless there are young children included…with a toddler of my own, I place a high value on nap time so I’ll do anything in my power to get those kiddos done with pictures and off to their naps. :)
During cocktail hour you’ll find me circulating through the crowd, quietly catching candid moments of guests and arranging small group photos of folks visiting with each other. I’ll take the opportunity to sneak into the reception space to grab shots of the cake, centerpieces, and any other unique elements the couple has included. After dinner, we focus on toasts, cutting the cake, and the first dances before the party really kicks off! After sneaking my couple out for sunset photos, I finish out my night by living it up with the guests on the dance floor!
When the night comes to a close, I check in with my couple to make sure we captured all the images they hoped for and then I load up my car to head home!
But there’s still one more thing…
When I get home, the most important thing is backing up all the images and storing them in a fireproof safe before I hit the pillow. It’s always a long, exhausting day but it’s worth every minute!
Originally posted April 3, 2023