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Writer's pictureNathan O'Brien

Why Hire a Wedding Photographer for: EVENTS

Wedding photographers go through a lot, it's a hard and exhausting job, it's fast pace... so why not hire a "wedding photographer" for your event...

 

From Pace to Control

Wedding photographers have to keep up with the pace of a wedding from start to finish. Having worked both weddings and events I definitely find events a little easier at events as they have less pressure points.


Weddings have Prep which starts slow and within the hour it's battle-stations and everyone is active and doing something, I have to catch everything form the smiles, to the tears of joy and I'm always there if anyone needs a hand carrying a bag or two.



At events or festivals, the build up is very well planned, most events start off steady with guests arriving in a slow and steady stream. Not all events do a welcome photo too so if it's a candid style event then you've got a steady pace to start with.


Then from the prep it's (mostly) in the car, off to the venue to catch the (typically) groom waiting and the guests arriving. Getting everyone seated and waiting for the bride to arrive all in about half an hour. The ceremony... well, you can't get it wrong. You have no control here, as a photographer, it's all in the hands of whoever is leading the ceremony and you just have to be ready for everything and anything.


Event's do differ in that they're all specific to themselves with what happens next, some have entertainment in the middle, some have speeches, some, like festivals, have smaller artists playing sets and so you get to explore the field and get to everything throughout the mid part of an event.



Weddings do then settle once the group shots are done and you've controlled the crowd, and you've taken the happy couple off for their solo shoot(s).


Events however tend to pick up a little bit during the latter stages, the big acts come on and the the big drops at festivals, the big speeches or some special entertainment maybe or the end result of some prize draw, a sporting event so you have to be ready and on hand to make sure you don't miss a thing!




Lighting (or the lack of)

Weddings and Events do have this bit in common... lighting. From Churches to big halls, to event tents or a small rustic space... weddings and events give us some of the best and worst lighting situations. As a wedding photographer you don't want to be flashing away during a ceremony but during the first dance it's fine... at an event well, a flash is either distracting, useless if you're at the back of a crowd or you have to have a great flash sync set up on the stage/ surroundings that links up to your camera and lights the room at the right time (and doesn't take away from the spectacle on stage).




So... Weddings Vs Events...

Spoiler - theres no winner here, not in my eyes anyway. I enjoy both but sometimes people see a Wedding Photographer as just a wedding photographer. We're really not, we can handle it all as Weddings incorporate so much of what an event does, they're practically the same thing but with different meanings and different outcomes for the clients.



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