I’ve worked with a lot of studios over the years, and one thing keeps genuinely blowing my mind.
Studios charging $3,000, $4,000, $5,000, or more while paying second shooters $150 and lead photographers $400 or $500.
If that’s you, I want you to stop for a second and think about what you’re actually doing.
Forget editing.
Forget years of experience.
Forget travel time.
Forget everything except the job itself.
You show up carrying thousands of dollars’ worth of equipment.
Two camera bodies.
Multiple lenses.
Flashes.
Batteries.
Memory cards.
Backup equipment.
You spend ten or twelve hours on your feet.
You solve problems.
You adapt.
You work under pressure.
And all of that is important.
But that’s not the most valuable thing you’re bringing to the wedding.
The most valuable thing you’re bringing is responsibility.
People outside the industry don’t always understand this, but photographers don’t just document wedding days. In many ways, we help run them.
We’re keeping track of time.
Watching the weather.
Finding family members.
Keeping nervous couples calm.
Adjusting ties.
Fixing dresses.
Changing locations.
Creating backup plans.
Making sure the day keeps moving.
Making sure moments aren’t missed.
Photographers are one of the few vendors who stay for almost the entire day.
The planner leaves.
The florist leaves.
The makeup artist leaves.
The photographer is still there.
A photographer can make a wedding day feel effortless.
A photographer can also make a wedding day feel stressful, rushed, awkward, and chaotic.
That’s how much influence we have.
Couples trust us with one of the most important days of their lives.
That’s a tremendous amount of responsibility, and it deserves to be treated that way.
So, if you’re working for rates that barely cover your time, your equipment, your travel, your experience, and the pressure that comes with the job, ask yourself a simple question:
Would a studio hand one of its clients to someone who wasn’t valuable?
Of course not.
Never forget that.