What I find hard about wedding photography
Wedding photography is often romanticised as this magical, dream job where you get to capture beautiful moments and love stories. But let’s be real—it's also one of the most stressful jobs out there. Sure, there are moments where you feel like you’re living a fairy tale, but there are also plenty of difficult, chaotic, and downright challenging parts. Now, I’m not the most experienced wedding photographer out there, but I’ve done a few which is better than none, and I do remember those difficult moments as they are burnt into my brain.
1. The Time Crunch
Weddings have a strict timeline, and you have a lot of moments to capture in a short amount of time. From the getting-ready shots to the ceremony to the reception, there’s no room for error. A typical wedding day can stretch anywhere from 8 to 12 hours, and you’re on your feet the entire time. You need to be constantly aware of where you should be, what you should be shooting, and how much time you have left before something crucial happens (like the couple’s first kiss, or when they cut the cake). If you miss that shot, it’s gone forever.
2. Lighting Challenges
Lighting can be your best friend or your worst enemy. Weddings often take place in tricky lighting conditions—bright, harsh sun during an outdoor ceremony, dim church interiors, or dark, moody reception halls. And as much as you try to prepare, you can’t control the venue’s lighting setup. Sometimes, you’re dealing with harsh overhead lights that create unflattering shadows, or an entire reception room lit by tiny, flickering candles. You have to work quickly with what you have, adjust your camera settings on the fly, and be ready to get the shot no matter the lighting conditions.
3. People Are Everywhere
Weddings bring together a mix of people—family, friends, guests, children, and sometimes even pets. The chaos of all those people in one place can make it tricky to get the perfect shot. There’s always someone stepping in the way, someone with a phone blocking your view, or that one uncle who insists on chatting with the bride right in the middle of your carefully composed shot. As a photographer, you have to navigate through all of this without losing your cool and still manage to get beautiful, meaningful photos.
4. The Pressure to Perform
Let’s face it: you are the person everyone is relying on to preserve their memories. Brides, grooms, parents, and guests are all counting on you to capture the day in the best way possible. And while that might sound like a lot of pressure, it’s true! You're not just taking snapshots—you’re documenting a once-in-a-lifetime event. If something goes wrong with the photos, the disappointment can be immense. Mistakes can happen, but minimizing them is a big part of the job.
5. Being Everywhere at Once
Weddings have so many moving parts. There’s the ceremony, the portraits, the first dance, the speeches, the cake cutting, the bouquet toss... you get the idea. And as the photographer, you’re expected to be there for it all. You’ll find yourself bouncing between different moments, trying to capture the essence of the day without missing a beat. Sometimes you have to make split-second decisions on what to prioritize—do you focus on the couple’s first kiss, or do you get a candid shot of the mother of the bride tearing up? Being in the right place at the right time, all day long, is a true skill.
6. Dealing with Nerves
You’d think that after shooting a few weddings, the nerves would go away. But for many photographers, every single wedding is a bit nerve-wracking. There’s so much to think about: settings, compositions, lighting, making sure you’re capturing the right moments. Plus, the pressure to get everything perfect can be overwhelming, especially if you’re working with couples who are super particular about their photos. A lot of wedding photographers talk about the adrenaline rush, but also the mental exhaustion at the end of the day.
7. The Long Editing Process
Even if you’ve nailed the shots and everything went smoothly during the day, the work doesn’t stop there. After the wedding, you’ll be staring at hundreds—sometimes thousands—of photos that need to be edited. Color correction, retouching, cropping, and making sure the overall vibe of the photos matches the couple’s style. If you're a perfectionist (as most photographers are), this can take a long time. And for many photographers, it’s the most tedious part of the job. A wedding can easily lead to 10-20 hours of editing, sometimes more, depending on how many photos were taken.
8. The Emotional Toll
Weddings are emotional events. And as a photographer, you’re right there in the thick of it, witnessing all the raw moments—the tears, the laughter, the hugs. It can be overwhelming, and not in a bad way. But you have to keep your composure and stay focused on the task at hand. You’ll feel the emotions of the day, but you can’t let it interfere with your work. Balancing that emotional engagement while remaining professional can be challenging, especially when you’re personally invested in the people and the day.
9. Unpredictable Weather
If you're shooting an outdoor wedding, the weather can be your biggest enemy. On the flip side, you can also get lucky and have the perfect sunny day. But more often than not, things don’t go as planned. Maybe it rains, maybe it's super windy, maybe it’s hotter than expected. Wedding photographers need to be ready to adapt. You need to know how to shoot in all conditions—whether it’s running for cover during a downpour or finding creative ways to work with bad lighting.
At the end of the day, wedding photography is incredibly rewarding. You’re capturing something truly special for your clients, and that makes all the hard work worth it. But it’s definitely not a walk in the park. If you're up for the challenge, though, it can be an amazing career or passion—one that brings both joy and a little bit of stress. And when you see those stunning wedding photos that make you proud, you’ll know all the hard work was totally worth it.