Inside a Wedding Photographer's Brain (as told in Mean Girl Gifs): What a wedding photographer will never tell you

There's some things we think you should know. 

**you can certainly sit with us, but I had to have this gif somewhere**

1. We all know each other: in this industry, we like to use the phrase "community over competition" which basically equates to "let's be friends and not bash each other." There are so many photographers in this area and if we all hated each other, our businesses would suffer. We all lift each other up, help each other with business and hang out together on off-season! I have a ton of photogs on speed dial. 

2. We constantly struggle with showing pricing on our website: There are so many resources that tell us to show our full pricing on our site and so many others that tell us not to. The theory behind this: if we only give you our starting price, it requires you to reach out to us and then it is our job to win you over with a conversation. Kind of like; let's not give all the goods out right away. It's a struggle guys. I'd love to hear your non-photographer perspective! 

3. There's anxiety in this industry: According to the internet, creatives are more likely to suffer from depression and/or anxiety. This job comes with LOADS of anxiety. There are pressures to make the experience amazing for the couple, to make the images stellar, to deliver in a timely manner, it really doesn't end. A lot of photographers refuse to shoot weddings simply due to the anxiety involved. Even if we never show it, just know it is happening behind the scenes. 

4. We hate being ghosted: Listen, price hunting and ghosting are two different things. We get it. Everyone price shops. But if we spend time with you, build timelines, basically get to the point where the contract is ready to be signed and then we never hear from you again, it is incredibly frustrating! Don't be that person, please. 

5. No news is not always good news in our mind: oh, that pesky little phrase. A lot of times, after we delivery a gallery, we are hitting refresh constantly to see if you've seen them and responded. We like feedback. It we don't hear from you, it should be good. It should mean you love them so much that you are jumping for joy and simply aren't even thinking of emailing us. And I'm sure that's the case most of the time. But do you know what we are doing on the other side? Thinking the WORST. Confidence doesn't always swim in our veins. 

6. We love feedback: Piggy-backing off of the last one; we thrive on feedback. Yes, we are creating our own art, but you are the subject and you are the most important person to make happy. We want to know what you think! And if you have constructive feedback, it only helps us grow. Reviews are the best tips! 

7. We are apart of major networks of other entrepreneurs: With Facebook, we are able to be connected to other wedding professionals all over the world. There are tons of groups online that we are apart of where we seek advice, tips and feedback on our work. We can have a question answered virtually any time of day or night. 

8. We question our talent: I know everyone questions their work in their jobs. Everyday can't be perfect. But because our talent and skill is applied to one of the most important days of someone ELSE'S life, it puts the pressure on. Some days, we just feel off and can come home from a shoot and just feel like we're slipping. We're not, but in our heads, the doubt can be real. 

9. We hope you like us: Everyone wants to be loved, but to be loved by your clients is top tier goals. I mean, who wants to shoot for someone that only feels "eh" about you? #awkward We truly strive for you to feel comfy with us and sincerely LIKE us. I don't want to be another vendor to you, I want to be your FAVORITE vendor. 

10. We hate being asked about our equipment: A great photographer doesn't need the highest level equipment to make magic. Sure, it helps. But I'm going to say it. Telling a photographer that their camera takes great images is about the same as telling a chef that the meal was so good because of the pan he used. The talent and skill comes from the photographer, not the camera. So please please, don't tell a photographer that their camera takes nice photos. 

11. We hate the photoshop assumption: We know photoshop. We kind of have to. But that doesn't mean we are wizards, my friends. Yea. We can photoshop that zit off of your face. Yes. We can photoshop that coffee stain. But!!! When your aunt's best friend's nephew's girlfriend asks for a photo and then says, "can you photoshop to make me look skinny?" we have to do a major internal eye roll. Please just don't assume that we can (and will) fix everything with our photoshop wizardry. 

12. We've thought about quitting: I haven't taken a poll of all of my photographer friends, but I can say this with certainty that a majority of them have thought of quitting at least once. I have. It happened in 2015 when I had a major tech issue. It happens to the best of us. It's important for our circle of peers to be there and uplift us because we have all been there!

Thanks for reading! My next installment is coming soon!