Are You Ready to Start Booking Weddings?

Well, are you? How do you begin to assess your readiness to cover possibly the most important day of a couple's life? There is no black and white answer to this question; instead, I pose a series of questions to help you answer that for yourself.

Do you have the right equipment?

While gear isn’t nearly the most important aspect of photography, not having the correct gear can bring the day to a grinding halt. What I mean by that is, if the shutter fails while the bride and groom are standing at the altar, and there is no backup camera body, to put it bluntly; you’re screwed. The wedding isn’t going to wait for you to have someone bring one by. Hell, it’s not even going to slow down as it runs you over.

Aside from outright failure, the gear should at least be capable of capturing images in very low light. In particular, the reception tends to have lighting situations that are unfavorable at best. In order to increase your chances of success, a combination of fast lenses and a body that can comfortably handle 6,400 ISO, paired with the adept use of a speedlight, are needed.

Do you have enough memory, and then some?

Flash memory can fail just like a hard drive. It can get wet, or corrupt the partition. Aside from having enough memory to cover the day, it’s also wise to have extra in the event of a failed card. What about data redundancy? I won’t delve into the meat of backup strategy, as Tony Roslund has already done a fantastic job. I’ve always held the mentality: if your data doesn’t exist in three places, it doesn’t exist at all. When on destination wedding assignments and away from my RAID backup, I always import to two locations and keep the extra drive separate, in case something happens to one piece of luggage.

Are you highly proficient with your tools?

Knowing exactly how your gear performs under the gamut of situations is imperative, situations arise quickly and you must act or miss the moment. Getting the correct exposure the first time isn’t required, while being close and instinctively adjusting the settings as if the camera were an extension of oneself should be. Do you know how your light is going to bounce off of the wall and ceiling and light your subject? Ryan Brenizer’s video on wedding lighting is a great place to start.

Are you adaptable?

Wedding photographers need to be discreet and unnoticed one moment and the next, capable of standing on a chair directing the entire wedding party. Most of the time, keeping the group focused is like herding cats. Keeping the bride assured and sane is one of the biggest “other duties as assigned” the photographer takes on. Whether it’s drama in the wedding party or the weather being uncooperative, the job must be done, and it’s the photographer's responsibility (or burden) to be the adaptable problem solver. If you aren’t confident, the bride will become anxious and that’s the last thing you want, so practice your game face and stay frosty. Speaking of game face, learn to smile when you have the distinct urge to ninja chop someone in the neck; for instance, gracefully handling the Uncle Bob that won’t get out of your shot or the iPad wielding family member in the aisle. I’ve even heard a bridesmaid tell the bride not to smile, because it was ugly. Smile and reassure the bride she is beautiful, and do not ninja chop her bridesmaid. You'll need to be able to recover the day when the timeline inevitably implodes, not like any wedding has started on time, but the bride needs to know it will be okay.

Are you in shape?

When was the last time you stood for 8 to 10 hours straight while holding 5 pounds around your neck nonetheless? While physical training isn’t necessary for shooting weddings, having a strong core will enhance the overall experience, and your back will thank you. Hopefully food wasn’t on your agenda either, because the window frame to eat will be slim to none. So pack some power food that you can inhale while nobody's looking. The last time I shot a wedding with my Jawbone UP, I averaged around 10,000 steps, so you’ll be burning a ton of calories.

Do you have enough shooting time?

Shooting a handful of family portraits or seniors isn’t going to come close to preparing you for what a wedding day might throw your way. As stated above, the days can be around 10 hours long and you’ll have to be on your game every minute. A great way to peek into the wedding world, and a great opportunity to gain experience, is to second shoot for someone that is already established. If you don’t have the experience for that, start off assisting; we always need an extra set of hands. If this is your first wedding, it’s probably a friend or relative that has been asking you to shoot it so they can save a buck. Firstly, you may be severely undercutting a professional. Not to mention, you’re also increasing the risk of straining your relationship. It wouldn’t be the first or the last time a relationship collapsed due to working for family and friends. I put together a whole article on that subject alone.

Other things to keep in mind are contracts; there are a ton available online for you to pick and choose clauses from. You will also add to them as unforeseen experiences come about as more experience is gained. I highly recommend consulting a lawyer and working together to draft a solid contract that protects both you and the client, and will hold up if one party faults.

It’s all too often that I hear someone 10 years later deeply unhappy with their wedding photos because they didn’t hire someone that was qualified. It breaks my heart. If you can ask yourself these questions and feel comfortable with someone's once-in-a-lifetime event in your hands, then by all means make the jump and book that wedding. If not, start second shooting and gaining experience.  Good luck.