Weddings and Why I am Quitting…

Wedding photography has been the back bone of Suzanne Taylor Photography.  Over the years I have photographed countless weddings for many wonderful couples and have become quite artful in capturing so many precious memories.  I have really enjoyed every second of my professional career capturing the love between the two people uniting forever.  Just writing that statement reinforces what a difficult decision it has been for me to make as its always hard to say goodbye and shut down one of the foundations of your business.

So why am I quitting my wedding photography career as of now?  Why now that I have rebranded, have become an award-winning wedding photographer and felt like I finally have my shooting flow down-pat?  Well…a few reasons actually.

The first is just economical.  I have been working as a part-time photographer for almost 10 years now and in that near decade of shooting, editing, learning, shooting, editing (notice the cyclical rhythm of this cycle?) I have matured in the art of photography and it is quite difficult to compete against newbies charging anywhere between $50-$500 to shoot a wedding.  It has become the status quo where many brides bargain hunt to save a few dollars on the photography in order to stretch their budget to include the limo or the ‘extras’ of the day that will sadly be forgotten not long after the event.  How many times have I heard from women they they just wished they had invested more into the photography of their wedding day then waste it on something rather forgetful as the years go on.  We have all read the horror stories on social media of couples who ‘cheap out’ on their photography and live to regret it – yet it keeps happening.  I cannot compete with the pricing structure of someone who is just starting off…nor should I be asked to.  I run a business and there is a cost to the art I provide – if $50 is good enough, then I can’t compete with that and it is ok.  I don’t want to and that is the first reason I am quitting wedding photography.

The second reason is that I am feeling really down from our economy.  In Alberta, we have hit a major recession and people cannot afford what they used to.  I took a partial deposit a few months ago from a couple I never heard from again and have spent countless hours speaking with people who often decide that they can get that ‘good enough’ photography again from someone more ‘economical’ for them.  The problem with that is that I spend my time away from my paying customers work, my family and myself to consult, discuss and plan how Suzanne Taylor Photography would capture their day – and then I never hear back from them.  I love planning and I love discussing the hopes and dreams for people’s events but while booking a photographer from a bride and grooms side is all just part of the process, for the photographer who isn’t booked its time lost and in turn, income.  I certainly don’t think that people do this to waste time – their’s is valuable too…it is just that the majority of my wedding inquiries end up that way.

Finally, it is a huge time commitment.  A wedding includes between the pre-consult, consult, travel, shooting, culling, editing and delivery between 20-48 hours I would guess depending on the event, compared to a creative child session or a family fine art session…that often will come to about the same income but with about 5-10 hours invested in it.  The time is non-comparable and the extra time I can spend with my family, possibly some ‘me’ time or maybe even doing another job.

Now – I never say Never-Ever in photography.  I have had a goal for quite sometime to get excellent at all genres of photography and wedding was no exception.  I hate that the skills i have worked so hard on will be limited away from weddings and if someone was willing to book then I would give it serious consideration.  Photography is a labor of love and I HATE giving up on anything but the match has to be correct for both parties for me to book it.

I do have one last wedding this year and I would like to assure my beautiful bride that I will be there and will bring the last scheduled wedding I have planned everything I have – as I would have regardless.  I would like to thank all the couples that have trusted me with their wedding photos over the past several years and have allowed me to share the magic that they feel in their hearts between them.

Quitting isn’t easy.  Thank you again to the brides and grooms that have entrusted me all of these years – you helped build me as a photographer and my brand and I am forever grateful and wish you a lifetime of happiness and love.

Suzie
XO