Advice I’d Give A New Wedding Photographer (from a 17-year vet)

One of my longest and dearest friends made the comment the other day that she’d been a wedding photographer for 17 years.
And for some reason, that number really caught me off-guard: 17 years?! Aren’t we just 17 years old? (that’s about how old we were when we met each other!)

And it got me thinking: wait, if I photographed my first engagement session and started shadowing other professional photographers in 2008 – that means I have been a photographer for 17 years too!! (insert mind-exploding emoji here)

Over the years, a few newer photographers have asked me for advice as they are just starting out – and I LOVE to help in any way I can. 17 years might have passed since I was brand new and eagerly seeking out any and all information I could find, but it still feels like yesterday. So, with those thoughts and feelings still very vibrant in my mind, I always love to give advice and help to newer photographers who are just starting out on their journeys.

And that got me thinking:
What are the top 5 pieces of advice I’d give NEW wedding photographers?
(And so, here we are!)

1. Dress Appropriately

This used to be a no-brainer, but over the years I have seen a clear down-grade of the way vendors dress at weddings. When I was starting out (17 years ago), I was given the advice that a “good wedding photographer” should blend in with the wedding guests. In other words: a photographer should be able to set their camera and bags down and simply look like a guest attending the wedding.

And what do most people wear to weddings? Ladies wear dresses and guys wear suits.

So, that sealed the deal for me. I wanted to be a good wedding photographer, so I started to collect comfortable, easy-to-move-in, cute, solid (dark colored) dresses. (Finding these types of dresses is much harder than it seems!) But the good news is: once I found 2-3 that I liked, I was set! It didn’t matter if I wore the same thing to every wedding (there was one particular year that I think I wore the same thing to every single wedding – and it struck me as super funny while putting together my annual behind-the-scenes blog post!) These 2-3 dresses became my wedding “uniform” and it made getting ready for weddings so much easier.

And it set me apart as PROFESSIONAL.
Especially as of late: wedding vendors most commonly show up in black leggings and an oversized blouse. And while, sure, I understand that that’s comfortable – it’s definitely NOT professional.
Leggings are a no-go for me, I won’t even leave the house in them (yep, I just labeled my age pretty pointedly there), but it’s true! They are athletic-wear, not “out-and-about” wear. So, I definitely would never wear a pair of leggings to a wedding!
And the same goes for jeans – even if they are a nice pair of jeans – as far as I’m concerned, they have no place at a wedding. (And I see LOTS of vendors show up in jeans.)

To me, for a wedding vendor to show up at a wedding in jeans or leggings simply says: “Your event isn’t special enough for me to dress up more than I would to run to Target.” And that’s rude.

So, that’s why I always tell new photographers: dress up. Be professional, presentable, clean, neat, and blend in with the guests. Trust me: what you wear goes a long way in not only your confidence, but how the bride and groom, their families, bridal parties, and guests perceive you. And as a new wedding photographer – your next job is likely in that room, so present yourself in the most professional way you can. You’d be surprised how far that goes!

2. Bring Two Pairs Of Shoes

Still in the same vein as my No. 1 piece of advice – let’s talk about shoes!

If you are dressing up and blending in with the guests – chances are, your Brookes tennis shoes aren’t going to look right. (But trust me: high heels are 100% out – you will die.)

So, what should you wear?
I’ve tried MANY different types of shoes over the years – from expensive shoes to super cheap ones, and so far, right now my longest standing favorite shoes are a pair of “ballet flat” style shoes that are made by Crocs. Now, I know what you’re thinking: Crocs?! Hear me out! They do not look like the traditional Crocs – they look like a ballet flat, but made out of the Croc material.

Not only are these shoes comfortable, but they are breathable, and I can literally walk through ANYTHING because cleaning them up is as simple as hosing them off. I’ve walked through mud, streams, dirt, and waterfalls in these shoes and they’re amazing.

About a decade ago though I realized: no matter how comfortable your shoes are, your feet are going to HURT after being on them for so many house, running around, and carrying all the gear that a wedding photographer carries. Completely on accident, I discovered that changing your shoes half-way through the day made a HUGE difference in how I felt at the end of the night.

Even wearing my super comfortable shoes – if I change my shoes going into the reception, that little change makes a world of difference in my feet. It changes things up and makes them feel different and suddenly – I no longer fear how sore my feet will be!

I own a lot of different, dressy, flat shoes – but my go-to pairing right now is a pair of Rothy-dupes I actually bought from Aldi (oh a whim – go figure!) and my Croc ballet flats. Between the two of those, I can get through a wedding day with zero foot fatigue!

3. Be Prepared For Anything

Wedding days are the most unpredictable things you can photograph. No matter how much you plan, prep, and prepare – things will go sideways (hopefully not for long, but something always happens).

Changing plans, adapting to a changing schedule, and being flexible are all a wedding photographer’s middle name.

So, do you best to prepare (watch YouTube videos, shadow other photographers, ask for advice in your local Facebook groups, create a timeline so you and the bride and groom are all on the same page), but fully embrace “the unknown”. Because sometimes, pivoting and changing things around from your original plans will turn out better than those original plans.

And listen: as much as you want to walk away from a wedding day with epic photographs to fuel your portfolio (and hopefully book you more weddings) a wedding day is NOT all about the photos.
(Pardon me while I get up on my soapbox for a moment.)
Wedding days center around a holy, solemn commitment of two people, pledging their lives to each other, before God. For better or worse, richer or poorer, in sickness and in health.

So, as wedding photographers, we are there to capture that thinly veiled moment. But it should always be respectfully, professionally, and in honor and reverence.

There are moments on a wedding day that are for structure, posing, and artistry, and there are moments of celebration! But there are also moments of weight, gravity, and importance.

So, as much as we want to walk away with great images – sometimes we need to step back and realize what a wedding actually is all about. And it’s up to us to determine when it’s worthwhile it push the bride and groom just a smidge further for that epic photo, and when it’s time to step back and give space and breathing room. It’s a thin line to dance, so be prepared for anything (and know that it’s not all about you).

4. Stay In The Moment

Leap-frogging off of my last statements about being prepared for anything – a wedding photographer needs to stay in the moment and always alert for what’s happening around them.

I know, especially in today’s day and age, it’s tempting to pull out your phone and scroll social media when there’s a moment of “downtime”. It’s tempting to want to film little “behind-the-scenes” clips for later. It’s tempting to let your guard down and not be actively looking around for special moments.

But I promise, as soon as you let your guard down (or pick your phone up) SOMETHING is going to happen that you will kick yourself later for not being able to capture.

Do I pull out my phone to capture little video clips? Yes, but it’s SUPER sparingly. In fact, if I’m the wedding photographer, most of the behind-the-scenes videos I have are because my phone is on a bracket on top of my camera and it’s recording while I’m shooting. Ain’t nobody got time to put their camera down and pick their phone up on a wedding day (that’s what wedding content creators are for!)

So, as tempting as it is, I give you FULL permission to forget your phone exists.
To keep your camera in your hand at all times.
And to be fully present for each and every moment of the entire wedding day.
(Besides, standing over in the corner, scrolling on your phone is super unprofessional and trust me: guests will take notice.)

5. Download Your Photos Before Going To Bed

Trust me: when you come home from a wedding day, you’re going to be EXHAUSTED.
But, no matter how tired you are – ALWAYS plug in your memory cards and download the images to your computer. After that, I HIGHLY recommend dropping them onto an external hard drive AND letting your computer back-up overnight (you DO have a cloud-backup system in place, right?) That way, as you go to sleep, your photos are in 4 (or 5) locations: the original memory cards, the backup of your memory cards (because you’re shooting on dual cards, right?) your computer’s hard drive, an external hard drive, and the cloud.

FURTHER: never ever ever ever ever delete the photos off of your memory cards (both copies) until you have completely edited the full gallery and delivered it. Memory cards are CHEAP (well, SD cards are anyways, CFexpress cards are still pricey, but they’ve come down quite a bit in the last few years), so buy enough to cover your jobs without having to delete anything before you deliver them.

The absolute worst thing that could happen is for you to lose someone’s wedding photos. Those images should be treated like priceless GOLD, so take every precaution that you possibly can to keep them safe.

Do freak-accidents happen? Sure. Cards can corrupt and technology can fail. But it is your job as the professional wedding photographer to reduce the chances of those failures happening to the best of your ability!

So, grab a snack, turn on some music, and get those cards downloaded and backed up before your head hits the pillow. Trust me: you’ll sleep better once you do!

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Do I have more advice? YEP. But I’ll stop there for now.
Maybe in the future, I’ll write a “5 MORE Pieces Of Advice For New Photographers” post – is that something you’d like to see? If so, let me know!