Wedding jobs can go wrong

For those of us who are wedding photographers, whether you’re a professional or a beginner there can be times when things don’t quite go according to plan.

There are some situations  when Wedding Jobs can go wrong and when they do we try not to think about it but in many cases have to find a resolve. But must have a back up plan of sorts stored away in our minds for when wedding jobs can go wrong.

For example Wedding Jobs can go wrong, this can range from the smallest issues too much bigger problems ensuing. Let’s have a look at some issues you as wedding photographers could and will face at some point.

1, Equipment problems

We may have all done it as photographers at one point, we may have forgotten a piece of vital equipment needed. From camera batteries to memory cards, lenses there are many items that we have to remember to pack. For me personally it’s all about plan, plan, plan.

Weeks before, night before check twice shoot once as they may say. Double-checking your equipment is vital for a successful day shooting. Make a check list of what you need after all every wedding is & can be very different from one to the other. Having the equipment you need will make you focus on the day ahead.

2,Time…

Always arrive early to the client it shows that your prompt and professional but also your keen that simple A key part of any wedding is time so this can definitely be classed as wedding jobs can go wrong.

Having time to photograph everything you need to complete you’re in most cases contract with the client is the second best rule. And as part of the planning stage leave yourself enough time to get to different locations for the ceremony or reception etc. Arriving prior to the main couple. For me the bridal pre shoot and ceremony followed by formal shots is the real work and concentration part. Then moving on to the reception you can relax a lot more with a more open-ended type of shooting style.

3, Bridezilla’s…

Yes that word that pops up for us wedding photographers at times. I don’t always blame the bride, it’s a stressful day for them with months sometimes years in the planning all hinged on one day.

If you look at it for us photographers it seems really stressful however our job is to focus on capturing it.

More than stressing about it, getting your mind-set in gear and capturing those magical moments takes time.

Brides can get a little uptight they expect quite a lot from their day after all and why not, when I first meet them remember your photographer is your friend, and he will make you look gorgeous, if you upset him he may lose his ability to concentrate to capture you at your best. However on the day keep smiling and connect with your bride and groom make them feel happy with jokes and humorous actions as they will become more comfortable.

4, weather…

All wedding photographers nightmares what to do when it rains. It is a question of if you have done your planning right & had a good look round the ceremony and reception locations. Then you should have made some notes on possible indoor locations in the event of bad weather.

However, if you know that bad weather may come into it lets say shooting in the rainy season or winter. Then equipment protection will be required from rain covers to even suitable clothing all come into play.

Does the venue place provide umbrellas if not then you may have to bring some along with you. It’s the little details that show the client that you are a professional at what you do and have thought of the little details for them that goes a long way. Here is the only real-time that bad weather arrived at a wedding that only effected some formal and group shots.

5,Unforeseen problems…

Though rare on very odd occasions when Wedding Jobs can go wrong could be let’s say internal problems.

Either with families or the clients themselves there is really not much you can do except talk to the clients about how they want to do. Sadly there is no manual or leaflet on this subject sometimes what is, is what is.

Though rare it’s something that can creep into your mind, clients can talk to you earlier to the big day stating that there may be a family feud going on or something similar.

6, Illness…

Do you have a contracted in place for what you do? As we often think about how we want to plan your clients day. But what happens if we ourselves become ill or have accident just before a venue date.

Do you have fail safes in place, a back up photographer or a refund system in place? To try to save the day you would need to do what ever it takes to keep the clients happy.

All to often I hear of clients stating that there photographer has vanished and taken their money or not offered a good service or refund, to keep clients happy. We must have something in place to counter act problems from our end as professionals after all you want the good feedback.

You want the clients to pass the word around about how good your services are. So when considering your wedding photography business always think on what could go wrong and are you covered.

7, Insurance…

There is plenty of professional wedding photographers out there that are all covered with insurance. Both liability and indemnity if anything should happen during the wedding. Slips fall and after the event insurance cover is very important it covers you and other people.

8, After the venue…

You have completed the venue day you have the images and the editing begins. What happens if your clients have an issue with your choice of photographs taken. What happens then, in most cases talk to your clients and ask what they fill is wrong with the images something else when wedding jobs can go wrong.

At first maybe they are some that feel didn’t capture the magic as they expected. Or sometimes they saw an image on your website that they wanted to replicate. But feel it does not look the same. Sadly this does come up at times though we can explain to clients that not only is their venue location unique to them.

But the style of their photographs portrays this, however with editing comes most solutions with re-editing and fine-tuning most problems can be solved with simply communication. You can also read more about this in my wedding workflow blog here

9, Backup…

Once you have finished your wedding shoot packed your gear away. You will have that overwhelming feeling of getting those raw images back home. Storing them safe kicks in all to often, a word to the wise backup, backup, backup once you start the upload to your pc or laptop. Make at least another or two backups on separate drives in case of damage or equipment loss once this is done you will feel a lot more at ease. Because if you lost them with no back up there gone in most cases.

10,Website showcase…

After every wedding is completed the edits have been done and the client has their finished product and the business is concluded. I like to ensure that a selection of wedding images from that event are showcased on my website. However, do check with your clients before adding them to your website that they are ok with it. 9 times out of 10 they are only too happy to share their day with your website. As this shows other potential clients your work. However, their can be odd occasions whereby clients can get a little funny about having their images show to the world, and it could lead to court cases against you in extreme cases.

For image examples You can view my wedding photo gallery by clicking here.

11,Global viruses.

Quite!! something we all went through and would all sooner forget in a hurry.

Who would of thought it would make it into this listing.?

Covid-19 was a massive thorn in the side of the hospitality industry and was one of the last industries to recover from, even today it has had it’s side effects with couples changing how they plan there day from budget to to duration they require photographers. Something the photography industry does not and cannot afford to repeat itself. So be safe out there.

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