I am reminded today of why I continue to be a professional wedding photographer. It is not about the money…wedding photographers are not top wage-earners in our society. Our profit is around 25-35% of what we charge for a service. I continue to be a wedding photographer because I feel I want to give my clients a lasting legacy. I want their children and grandchildren to be obsessed with their photographs in a beautiful printed album and lovingly framed prints hanging on their wall during their lifetime. Wedding photography is not only a celebration of the couple, it is a celebration of family and the legacy that the family passes on, and the future generations that will cherish these printed heirlooms.
I am reminded of the long-term value of what I do when I got an email from my May 2015 bride, Emily. Emily is like me…very sentimental and nostalgic and treasures these fleeting moments in time because we know how quickly they go away. We are “old souls”. Emily saw a photograph on my website when she was looking for her wedding photographer. It was this photograph of the generations kissing that I had taken at a wedding in Ireland:
We had a rainy day in Colorado too for Emily’s wedding, but we made sure to go outside to capture this moment of the generations together in a kiss.
And yesterday I got this email from the bride Emily,
“I just want to thank you again for our beautiful wedding photos. They are so precious to us, now more than ever. James’ dad passed away suddenly in December, and we have been looking at our wedding photos over and over just to see him. That was the last time we were with him, and I know our wedding and the days leading up to it are now especially precious to James. The group image of us and our parents kissing by the lake was the first photo we had made and framed, and I am so glad we did. It is extra special to us to have their love and their commitment to each other on display in our home. Thank you for all you do to create lasting memories for people that are so
beautiful and precious. You just never know how long you have with someone, but we have a great hope and promise that we will see him again someday!”
These moments in life are the ones that we hold on to. I feel grateful that I can give this gift of long-term value with my job as a wedding photographer. With ten years of experience photographing weddings this year, I take my job very seriously as people trust me to capture these moments and people in their lives. I realise that my work has long term value and these are the photographs that my clients will carry with them through the years, sometimes across the world and pass on to the next generation. Don’t be short-sighted with your wedding photography. It may seem like another job to tick off of your list, but it is the one thing that will last beyond the wedding day (along with the rings and the marriage itself).