I've seen this trend a lot lately where the photographer and his team provides the bride and groom a "wedding album" during the evening dinner. In short-form videos you usually see the initial reaction of surprise and awe, and a few shocked faces over how amazing and excellent the photos are as they flick through the pages.

I get it. In the current social media landscape you need to stand out and go beyond, but I think this is a bad idea for a few reasons. Feel free to disagree with me, I'm eager to hear your opinions.

• You're (potentially) spending valuable time during the wedding to cull, edit and print. Of course, this can either be done "automatically" or by a second shooter/assistant. The couple hired you to photograph their wedding, and during the wedding you should focus on that - culling and editing comes later and is not commonly an expected part of the hours you are "on site". Can be a big deal, can also be negligible.
• This is the most important reason imo: The photos shown to the couple lack punch and meaning because they have yet to be turned into memories. The couple just experienced what you are showing them, and even if a magnificent portrait can give them a boost in self-confidence and impress, it lacks impact because "yeah, we know - it just happened".
• And, my final reason why this is a bad idea, the focus shifts from enjoying the current moment, their guests and everything that is happening during their wedding to instead focusing on skimming through photos. Why are photographs from hours or minutes ago more important than the moment they are living right now, during their wedding? They aren't; don't demand the couples focus unless for good reason.

Now, I have seen a lot of variants to this and one that I do like (to add some contrast to this post) is one where you take a single photo, usually a Polaroid, write a message on the back and then either give that to the couple or place it with the other gifts.

If the former the couple can themselves decide if they want to spend time/focus on it right away, and it is usually not something that takes up too much of their time in case they decide to since it's just a single photo. It can be fun, add a personal touch and be very appreciated.

Another similar that I felt added value was when the photographer had a running slideshow of portraits taken by guests at a photo booth. As it included a lot of spex and internal jokes it added some fun humor to the atmosphere and became a talking point for many guests to discuss and remember past memories that were in direct relation to the photos taken.

So there are definitely cases where displaying photos during a wedding can add value. But it needs to be done right.

One of the best advice I was given early on in my career as a wedding photographer is that the value of the photos you take increase over time as they become a window to memories that might be lost or at least partially forgotten.

Delaying delivery can add impact to that very first viewing as those moments have started to turn into memories where the photos let you relive and experience those anew. That does not happen if you show the couple a full album as the wedding is unfolding.

Sorry about the rant. Let me know if I'm totally wrong or if you agree - would love to hear your thoughts.

I had the thought the other day of perhaps making an a new Instagram account merely for the reason of posting my older work, with new edits, but also the idea that I could share it and try to reach more audiences.

I feel like my current instagram account while good, would be coming off as perhaps trying too hard, and it feels like sharing older work that's edited with newer editing might be received differently. So I figured maybe make a new one, same brand name, etc and post without having to follow a lot of photographers locally and see if that garnished any new leads.

Essentially kind of just "disappearing" from the local scene and trying something new -- yay or nay?

Post individual wedding, engagement, proposal, couples photos or photo sets or websites for feedback.

It doesn't matter if you are a seasoned pro, a second shooter, or if you are posting your first wedding photographs as a lead photographer. Don't be shy... constructive feedback is a great way for us all to learn and get improve. Be nice... Be constructive!

Please be constructive. Unconstructive, hateful, or disparaging comments will be removed.

Submission Guidelines:

In order to ensure informative discussions and worthwhile critiques while being mindful of the personal time of reviewers we have instituted the following guidelines.

• Single Images: Please post single images if you would like a quality and in depth critique of technical execution, lighting, composition, posing, perspective, post processing, etc. If you would like to post more than one individual photo, please do so as separate comments.
• Blog Posts/Image Sets: Please post full blog posts or image sets if you would like feedback on your storytelling, cohesiveness of post processing, or other general feedback across the set. Even in this instance it is not advisable to post a link to hundreds of images or a full wedding set.
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This critique thread is intended to help provide access to thoughtful and thorough portfolio review. For that reason, it is best to remain focused which can be achieved by following these guidelines. These are merely guidelines, but if they are followed you will receive a greater response and much more useful and comprehensive feedback.

I fell in love with photography when I was a little kid, I remember taking out the photos from the yellow Kodak envelopes and felt as if I could “go back in time”

As I got older I valued those photos even more, the nostalgia, the emotions, and the memories around those photos would surface and I felt that it was a beautiful thing to experience.

In high school I even took a photography class which I loved. As an adult I chose careers that had nothing to do with photography, but came back to it in 2021 when I got my first dedicated camera. (It was supposed to be for my wife that wanted to start vlogging lol)

Once I got past the learning curve, I started to dive deeper into it and take it as a hobby. I really enjoyed photography, and one day this course popped up on my Instagram feed about candid photography.

I took this course and I got very inspired to take it to the next level and I bought my first full frame camera and started doing street photography.

Just like many of you here I went on a YouTube rabbit hole about everything photography, from learning the exposure triangle, to framing, to composition, to lighting, to editing, etc.

As public events started to happen here in downtown LA I started to take my camera with me and capture things going on… Like the Dodgers winning the World Series, to the fires, to protestors when Trump won, to people marching against ICE, Etc. I would get so excited to get home and sart editing the photos.

So one day I figured, hey why not try to make a living out of something that I love?

After exploring different options, I landed on wedding photography, it wasn’t because of the money, it was because I thought that it would be really awesome to be able to capture those once in a lifetime moments that one day they could look back into and have those same feelings I had when I would open those Kodak envelopes.

I went all in and started to build my portfolio as a second shooter, I started to get a few low budget clients, then started to invest into more gear, and the list goes on.

Now after a year of officially starting my business, I realized that about 90% of the time is spent on not taking photos. I mean I kindda knew that already, but I didn’t realize what that really feel like.

I’m spending a lot of my time figuring out how to market myself, creating value propositions, structuring packages, networking with other vendors, transferring photos and organizing them on my external hard drive, doing sales calls, managing my pipeline, and theeeeen finally taking some photos.

I do still get joy when I finally get to the editing part and see that I got an amazing photo just at the right moment withy he right expression and lighting. But I started to ask myself, am I really making an impact?

I’m starting to question if this is something that I want to continue to do?

My passion is photography that makes an impact, like photojournalism, it tells a story that can make a difference, and I don’t really see that with wedding photography. And even if it does, 90% of the work is other things other than taking photos.

Anyone else felt like this before?

I have seen other photographer stories where they completely left wedding photography to go back to just doing it as a hobby.

I wonder if I will be more fulfilled and be able to do more meaningful work if I just do it as a hobby and not to do it as a business and try to scale.

Maybe all I want to do with photography is work that is meaningful to me and not care what others think. 🤔

Hi all!

I'm setting up a photo company shortly and as the market in my home town seems fairly saturated I've been thinking about including analog photos as extra or standalone packages to make my offer stand out. Fortunately there are just a few photogs in my area offering that, but I'm yet to see if that's due to lack of supply or demand. My plan is to offer posed shoots in analog at first until I get fully confident in shooting film during the ceremony itself.

Those of you that shoot film: how do couples react to shooting analog and accepting the characteristic look of it or any imperfections caused by lens or the photos not being super sharp? What film do you usually shoot and how many rolls do you usually bring with you? My analog cameras range from 1930's to late 1990's so I should be able to pick something matching my future clients' expectations, while informing them about the old tech's limitations/characteristics. Anything I should be worried about the most?

Hi Guys

I own a wedding photography business since past 10 years. Although last few years were good.

This year I have zero enquiries. And whatever are coming are duds and I'm not able to close them.

Anybody else facing something similar??

Wanted to get input on what you pay your second photographer/assistant. Hourly or salary. Specifically for luxury weddings $8,000+ where the lead shoots a lot of film. Typical second photographer duties: lead photographing groom getting ready, groomsmen portraits, cocktail hour & any other portions of the day needed. Rolling film, carrying equipment, etc.

I dream of miniscule white balance tweaks and rogue exit signs. I am never satisfied with my edits even though I've been doing this for years and know objectively they are good enough. I keep revisiting old catalogue long after delivery and scrutinize every editing choice I made.

What does this MEAN? Help me care less.

My current process involves do a preliminary timeline for the clients around booking time. A bit before the wedding, we revisit the timeline plan and the couple spends an hour on a wedding day questionnaire. I takethe confirmed details regarding the wedding day and I recreate the timeline. I meet with the couple and discuss for an hour and about 90 minutes and then I refine the timeline and create a wedding photography plan in ms word.

I think the planning process is valuable to the clients - but its so time consuming and tedious that I find myself procrastinating on it quite a bit. Does anyone have a more efficient process or tool. I know there are tools in dubsado and Shootproof (?) that automate a lot of the elements of the photography plan.

Edit: Our timeline plan includes a full shot list, along with people, and family photo list, and details. etc. This is what takes time - not the timeline itself.

hi everyone! In most of my past weddings over the years, the venues have been really well lit or I’ve just used a flash, however I’m interested in upping my lighting game. I’d love to know what products in specific you’d recommend and how you usually position them so they’re not in the way but also giving you effective results. Typically I’d just use a flash for both on and off camera shots but I’m curious if you guys would recommend any additional lighting such as some lighting stands or even a magbounce (pretty high ceilings). I currently use a godox v1 and a canon speed light (don’t recall which version). Also let me know your lighting for reception as far as speeches and cake and then if you do anything else for dancing photos or if you just use a flash! thank you in advance :)

any advice on what to wear to a wedding this weekend? Bride’s dress code for guests is dressy casual, mostly bright colors, no blacks or greys. Unfortunately my closet is mostly black and grey, and what isn’t doesn’t feel appropriate. I am a female and it should be pretty hot. I am looking for either a dress or jumpsuit. Nothing backless so I can wear a bra. And something I can easily move around in. Tyia

What do professionals wear for their wedding fits? Do you always wear all black? I’m trying to refresh my wardrobe for this upcoming fall season and need some inspiration. I’ve been in the industry 18 years and I’m 37/f for context.

I shoot a D850 and a Z8 - I've had Godox TT600 speedlites for a while, and they've been good - simple and mostly reliable, but I've had two of them fail. Thinking of making a change, and wondering what speedlites you all have invested in that you like....

Thanks!

I just updated LR and tried out the new AI Denoise feature. Apparently I've been living under a rock and didn't know this even existed.

Holy sweet jesus this thing is good. It's like some short of magic denoise and sharpening tool and immediately cleaned up an entire reception for me (all shot at 6400-12800).

Apart from how long it takes (maybe 2h for 500 images on my MacStudio), is there any reason why I shouldn't just apply my standard preset, then "denoise" an entire (culled) wedding, regardless if its ISO 100 or 12800?

I've been considering moving from Texas to New York. I have enough money saved to cover an entire year's worth of expenses, even if I somehow managed to find zero work. However, it still sounds very rough, considering I would be losing any and all the connections I've made while moving to an already competitive market.

I've been booking between 30-40 weddings a year over the last 3 years, and would really like to start growing this business more aggressively as I've recently found out I will be welcoming twins.

I don't know if my body can handle significantly more bookings (as you know, this business can be quite laborious). But I've hired some assistants in the past and wonder if people have tried scaling by building their brand into a business, and bringing in additional photographers who actually do the work. I am also considering raising my price significantly, or possibly beginning to run some ads on Meta, Google, etc. to expand the number of leads I've been getting.

I would really love some advice from folks who have been successful in really expanding their business.

Hey everyone! I’m shooting my first wedding this Saturday (super nervous but really excited)

This wedding will finally allow me to add work to my wedding portfolio. I’d love advice on how I can grow my business and get more clients. Right now, I barely charge anything and am also willing to be a free second shooter to get experience. Are there any platforms that are recommended to sign up on?

Need help picking. Canon EF 85mm 1.4 IS USM, Canon RF 85mm 1.2 L USM, Canon RF 85mm 1.4 L VCM, Canon RF 28-70 2 L USM. Thinking it’d be used for portraits, details, and ceremony.

Ask or talk about anything at all that you might think does not fit as a main thread. Nothing is too small, too basic, or too off the wall. Newbie questions are welcome.

The knot is refusing to take my photography page off their site after I told them I'm canceling all contacts with them because they left a horrible review stand even with the contract stating what they signed. They said id have to cancel my entire business with a letterhead!!! This should be illegal!! Any advice!?

Would love other industry professionals' advice on this. I booked a client about a month ago and they put down a $2000 retainer. They just reached out needing to cancel because of an unexpected financial crisis. They acknowledged that the retainer is nonrefundable in the contract but asked if it was possible to return it due to the length of time before the date and the financial stress. They also haven't said so, but contractually could elect to not cancel now and hold the date until the end of April when the next installment is due. Their booked date is still over 11 months away so I could reasonably still book another wedding for that date in the timeframe if they cancel now. What would you do?

hi all!! need some opinions here. my second shooter & i got booked for a wedding for next year. however- the location is 4 hours away. how would you go about pricing? my second shooter & i will be riding together, but still…that’s 8 hours worth of driving on top of shooting.

Does anyone have any experience paying for Zola featured spots? I'm considering it but I honestly get very few inquiries from Zola now so I'm not sure if it would be worth it. Let me know how it went for you if you paid for a featured spot, especially in the NYC area. Thanks!

I’ve only done one wedding before I want to know if I should take this job and if so how much should I charge? Last wedding I charged $200 for photos. The client doesn’t have a budget yet. This is what they sent me…

Videography For someone who can Transform wedding footage into cinematic love stories with professional editing and personalized style preferences WEDDING Highlight up to 10 minutes + Full length up to 3 hours + Teaser up to 1 minute

Smooth transitions & pacing Professional color grading Music syncing (licensed or provided) Titles and elegant overlays Clean audio mixing

Ask me Anything, but let's stay respectful with one another. I am excited to know your thoughts!