I’m a wedding photographer

 

You've dreamed of this day for what seems like an eternity. Now it’s Saturday morning, you’re about to become one with your soul mate.  Your preparations start at around 9am, when you head to the salon to get your hair and makeup done.  You’re excited because it's your dream wedding, and you're going to look amazing. 

 

You may not realize what goes on behind the scenes of every wedding.  It takes months of preparation to get everything lined up just perfectly.  You start by looking at wedding dresses; this will be the first thing that your new mate will see as you walk down the aisle, so your dress has to be perfect.  The next year or so that you take to plan the wedding will be hectic as you scramble to research the DJ, the venue, the church and the wedding photographer. You'll need to get quotes and references, and make sure you get everything booked.  Each vendor requires a deposit, adding to the stress of what is about to be the most important day in your life.

 

Few realize that being a service provider at a wedding also calls for preparation.  As a wedding photographer, I spend countless hours researching different poses, ideas for various shots and locations. I belong to several photography groups where my peers and I can get expert advice from many well-known photographers. 

 

It's not unusual for me to attend the rehearsal so I can meet all the attendants and to get a feel for how your perfect day will begin.  I often start as early as the bride, as I meet her at the boutique or salon and we get some great candid shots of her preparing for the most important day of her life.  I normally follow her around, getting whatever she needs.  Once, I had a bride who lost a filling in her tooth, so I made a quick dash to the pharmacy to buy some filler to get her through the day.  As a photographer, I carry an abundance of supplies, and not just my camera.  I’ve been known to carry BandAids, Neosporin, toilet paper, safety pins, hair pins, etc.  You just never know what you might encounter throughout the day. 

 

My day normally lasts anywhere from 10-12 hours, even if my services have been requested for 6 hours. Many times I put in a 10 hour day on photography alone. 

 

After the "I do’s", the party begins and the bride and groom can let their hair down.  I follow them around town as they make their stops to various locations for some fun shots.   A typical night on a wedding shoot ends for me at around 9, depending on the time of the wedding. 

 

So, now it’s Sunday and the bride and groom awaken to their first morning as husband and wife; I wake to somewhere between 700-1400 pictures that need to be sorted.  The first step of organization requires sorting them into 4 folders; formals, ceremony, reception and getting ready.  This makes my job easier when it comes to uploading to the online gallery for viewing.   Photography is a full time job and many photographers, like myself, also have other full time careers.  

 

Some people don’t understand everything that goes into "processing" a wedding. 

 

It's far more complicated than just clicking a button on the top of the camera and then burning the images to a disc.  A wedding photographer will spend countless hours sorting through images, getting the best shots moved to the correct folders.  We manually adjust the lighting; sometimes this is achievable in camera, but not always.   We  check for skin tone; we check to see if all the people in the photos have their eyes open.  Sometimes it requires manipulating images to swap out a head or a set of eyeballs.  This all takes time, and sometimes just one image can take up to an hour or more to make it perfect.    We spend, on average, 100 hours processing, depending on the wedding. 

 

Edie and I make up DML Photography.  We both have full time careers in addition to providing outstanding service to our photography clients.  2012 is coming to an end and we are finishing up our last wedding of the season.  We want to thank all our existing and new clients who have trusted us to capture their most important and precious moments.

Please take a moment to enjoy the weddings from 2012

Tolbert ♥ Walker

Novachek ♥ Petrey

Gordon ♥ Hish