To be an awesomely-amazing photographer it takes a lot in a person to be one. You have to have the right gifts and values to be THE awesomely-amazing photographer. It can also take a lot of gut at times. I've been asked before, "Why do photographer's charge so much?" or "It seems so easy to just 'snap a photo' and get a lot of profit out of it." Being a photographer isn't as easy as it sounds. There's a lot more to being a photographer because not only do photographers have to survive running a business, it's also using a lot of time, effort, patience, pace-making, cost and energy just to make the perfect shot!
To put in perspective what a value is in a photographer, I have to few pointers. I know weddings can be very costly. You have to think about the dress, the shoes, the outfits, the photos, family flying in town, rehearsals, tux's, honeymoon, etc. It can add up to being a very expensive wedding. As a photographer I understand the pain of spending a lot of money for photos. Let me just explain what a process a photographer goes through in the wedding.
To be the awesomely-amazing photographer that everyone loves, it requires a few specs:
~Personality
It is a MUST that the photographer has a great personality (a bonus with a great sense of humor!). Not only the awesomely-amazing photographers are taking fantastic photos, they are also the center of entertainment. It is our job to make you smile and by that it might require a bit of humor. It can take a lot of energy out of us to keep everyone happy while focusing to make that shot fantastically-spectacular! It's also fun at the same time. You can't beat having a laugh while you're getting photos taken! ;)
~Patience
YES!! Patience is what wedding photography is all about and it is THE most important value! It is the photographer's duty to be the peace-maker. When things get out of whack and out of hand, we got to make things right before we capture the perfect shot! While doing so the #1 goal is to ALWAYS KEEP THE BRIDE HAPPY! Disasters are bound to happen from time to time, but for a photographer, there's no time for panic!!
Here's something that might be going through a photographer's mind during a shoot:
"Stupid glasses catching glare!!" "What are these weird shadows on their faces?!?" "UGH!" "Great! Just great! There's a spec on my lens!" "Uh I think I just made Uncle Fred look like a mole..." "I'm a terrible photographer!!" "NONE of these photos are coming out right!!" "ARGHHHHH!!!" "I SUCK!"
No matter what goes on in a photographer's mind, we have to stay positive, happy, energetic, and excited! Never show any negative at any time!! NEVER!!
~Equipment
This is also very important because without the right equipment, how could our job get done and done so well? There are a lot to keep with equipment. Not only is there just a basic camera and flash but you have to have a back up camera and a back up flash. One motto to remember when you're a photographer: ALWAYS BACKING UP!! Got to have back-up batteries for the camera, back-up batteries for the flash, back-up memory cards, back-up cords, back-up storage, Back-up, Back-up, Back-up, etc, etc, etc. It can be a lot to keep up! On top of that the cost of each can be pricey! Let's just say photography is NOT a cheap hobby! And when you are self-employed owner of your photography business, it all comes out of your own pocket!
~Time
It's takes a lot of time and planning doing a wedding. It also takes a lot of time and planning just photographing a wedding! You may think it's just a 'point and shot' kind of job, it's really not! Think about the time is takes to do the hair, the nails, getting dressed, make-up, etc it can take up a whole morning! The little details do matter because it is what makes that perfectly-awesomely-amazing photo! Those little details to make sure your photos are OUTSTANDING will take a little time of perfection. Most photographers are perfectionist! They make sure they take time to make it perfect and if not perfect the first shot, it will be the next shot!
You may see photographers taking pictures but actually a lot of the time and effort goes into editing. ALL those photos they spent the whole day shooting, is being uploaded, corrected, edited, imported, exported, backed-up, etc. Yes, about 95% of our time is spent on editing! Let's do a little math for a moment, let's just say I took 300 photos on your wedding. If I spent 10 minutes on each photo in photoshop, I will get it done in 50 hours. That's 3,000 minutes of editing!! Yes, it takes a lot of time and effort to be an awesomely-fantasically-amazing photographer.
~Costs
Finally! We can go on topic about where the cost comes in for all those efforts! Nothing is free, I mean literally NOTHING! I can relate to those photographers who know it's nearly impossible to get anywhere without a car. I really don't know how I could run a business without a car. SO, if you have to have a car, that usually involves car payments. Of course you have to have the insurance and to drive anywhere gas is very important. These days gas is very high and to make it convenient for our clients, we are willing to drive where ever the event may be. Also, as-human-as-we-are, we gotta fit food in our lives... otherwise we wouldn't have a life at all! Not to mention most photographers have rent cost, phone bills, and other personal expenses to make a living. We also have the business expenses such as equipment maintenance, business registrations, promotional material, equipment replacement, etc. On top of all that we have to pay our 15% tax of self-employment. So for a not-so-cheap-hobby for a not-so-cheap business, it is why our rates are what they are.
So, to end this blog to my final note, I have a very strong passion in my photography. I love it, I live it and I carry it everywhere! It's a huge part of my life. It may seem that most photographers don't have a life or they just seem like those 'point and shoot' peeps but there's a whole world to being a photographer then just a camera. Looking at the world through the lens is only the start.
I hope you enjoyed reading this. If you have any comments, stories, or insults(:P) you're more then welcome to email me: mslauren730@gmail.com
Until then,
Lauren Smith owner of
Cirolay Photography
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