In honor of the finale last night, I bring you gifs of this season to show how wedding photographers maintain that work/life balance. Or try to.
I can't tell you how many times I've been told "you're so lucky you don't have a 9-5." Yes. I know. Because I used to work that 9-5 and I hated it. The routine part I loved. But the whole like, working for someone else for the majority of your life; not so much my thing.
Yes. I get to sleep in until I want to. Yes. I can go to random lunches throughout the day. Yes. I can take pilates classes at 10:30am while you are in your office. But guys. It's a balance. Have you ever heard the whole saying of "entrepreneurs are willing to work 80 hours a week to avoid working 40 hours per week?" It's true. We may not work 9-5 everyday, but we work whenever we can and that includes 11:48pm, 3:42am and even *Saturdays*. I mean. Wedding photographers give up their weekends for a majority of the year to work. So while you are Instagram story-ing your wild Saturday night (this includes Netflix nights bc that's wild too) we are working. Alas, I give you the pros and cons of this lovely work/life balance of a wedding photographer.
1. no co-workers: For some people, this would be heaven. For others, like me (an extrovert), it can get really lonely working from home. Unless I call my mom during the day, I don't usually get to speak to a human until Tim gets home at 4:00pm. My inner dialogue gets super loud and if you were to be a fly on my wall, I'm fairly certain you would catch some funny conversations I have with myself out loud. Someone has to keep me company!
2. dog annoyances: Listen, I love Benny. You all know this. But like any relationship, there are annoyances. Benny knows just what to do to drive me crazy (pawing on my thigh) when I just have to get that edit done. It helps that I've gotten him into a routine throughout the day and I can pretty much predict when he will be asleep and when he won't (he's a child, what can I say). But I'm not lying when I tell you that I try to schedule client calls around Tim's schedule just so he can be on Benny duty. **I'm fully aware this is much more difficult with real human children. Props to those entrepreneurs doing it with kids!!**
3. pilates during the day: One of the perks of being on your own schedule is having workout classes pretty much to yourself. Wait, that's a lie. I take workout classes with all the older ladies at the gym. They are the only other folks who are free at 10:30am on a Wednesday!
4. burst of energy at night: Call it a myth, but I've heard creatives are more night owls than early birds. I don't know why, but I've always been this way. My brain doesn't REALLY turn on until about 11:00am. Can't change it. My peak productivity hours are at night. It's when I feel the most creative, energetic and motivated to work. So during the day, I look like Demi here. Don't get me wrong, I work during the day. But when Tim is just getting home at 4:00pm is when I'm ready to get started.
5. device overload: Stemming off of that night owl thing, I'm not proud to admit that all of my devices are constantly in my reach on my nightstand. I literally will tune into my prime time shows, prop open my laptop and start working. My phone is set for all the notifications, all the time, so vibes and lights are always going off and my iPad dings with a new email. It can become sensory overload and get overwhelming. But part of being a business owner means you are all things. You are customer service to your clients and making sure you are there when they have a question is important. I'm still learning the balance of juggling all my devices and trying not to be glued to everything all the time. When you have a business that relies on social media, though, it's hard to power off.
6. vendor brunches during the week: Perk. Especially during off season, us vendors like to get together and have some fun. Heck, in the next week I have two vendor brunches I'm going to just for some mimosas, Benedict's and friendssss! Yes, this industry is small. We all really know each other and hang out!
7. work weekends: Working Saturdays comes with the job. If you don't want to work weekends, the wedding industry is NOT for you. So yes, we don't have an office job where we are there M-F and get weekends off, but we do work M-F and still work weekends. We get to hop on social and see all of our non-industry friends living it up while we work. I will say though, my work is probably, most likely, guaranteed, a lot more fun than yours, so that Saturday wedding I'm working is still preferred over your office Christmas party.
8. off season: When off-season comes, I'm outta that work mode as fast as Colton was over that fence. Well, part of work mode. Off-season brings an entirely different set of workflows. Instead of weekly weddings and constant shooting, we're working behind the scenes on business logistics, bookings and marketing strategies for the upcoming year. I compare this time of the year to being a teacher on summer break. Sure, we're not "working", but yea, we're still working.
9. october: Lord help us in October. October is to photographers what April is to accountants. It is our busiest time of the year (at least here in the Midwest). It seems like October has been the most popular year for weddings for awhile now and it also brings with it every single engagement session. Everyone wants those fall colors and it takes every ounce of energy to survive this month as a wedding photographer.
10. photography conferences: each year, there are tons of conferences, conventions and events for wedding photographers to attend. Most of these come with alcohol and parties. And most of these are not in Illinois, so you have to travel. Luckily, there almost always in a warm location. Let's call this the equivalent to your work trip for us in the industry. Except with a lot more drinking. Maybe not though? I don't know; I've never actually gone on a company work trip!
I couldn't end this blog post without a steamy shower scene from Colton. Enjoy.
