A couple people have asked if I would shoot their special event when they learned I am a photographer. My answer was “No”, as it always is! When people learn I’m a photographer they immediately think I will shoot a special event. There is a real misconception among the general public that all photographers shoot special events. That is far from the truth.
There are many photographers that do amazing work shooting special events. I applaud those photographers that do shoot special events. The question is, Why don’t I photograph special events?
I’ve heard about many success and failure stories among photographers shooting special events. The money is good, many times the photographer gets to enjoy the amenities such as food and much more. For me, I do photography because it is my passion. I enjoy snapping photos and learning more about photography along the way.
Personally, I just don’t want the stress of everything that goes into a successful special event. Special events require a great deal of effort before, during and after the event. This is extra work and stress I just don’t want to do myself.
The photographer must meet the main subjects and/or organizer before the event to understand what they want. Follow the party around at the event snapping as many photos as possible to capture the moments. Afterwards, spend many hours reviewing and editing photos to build the memorable moments for the subjects.
Another problem with shooting special events is dealing with tricky people while maintaining a smile. Many people will try to talk down the price thinking the photographer only works a few hours during the event. A good photographer is well worth every penny they charge. You are paying for their time, work preparing, working the event and post processing the photos.
People Factor
Why don’t I want to shoot special events? Honestly, I just don’t care about photographing people. Photographing people just isn’t exciting to me. When photographing people at special events you are trying to capture memorable smiles and intriguing moments.
I deal with people constantly in my daily work, I don’t need to deal with more people in my hobby. Photography is a hobby that I am passionate about and I never want it to feel like a job. I don’t need the additional stress from a special event.
When photographing a special event it is all about creating a memorable story for your subjects. This means moving around snapping photos of everyone and everything at the event. I could imagine a special event creating some very stressful moments. I personally just don’t want to deal with the hassle.
My Photography Enjoyment
If I don’t shoot special events then what do I shoot? As an avid outdoorsman, I personally enjoy shooting the great outdoors. My favorite types of photography are landscapes, wildlife, and astrophotography along with anything else outdoors. When I’m outdoors everything slows down and I find myself naturally relaxed.
There are so many endless beautiful places in the great outdoors to visit and photograph. One thing I love about my photography is the opportunity to share with others. I have encountered many people who can’t get out for one reason or another. It feels good when I share my photos with others and read the comments from others. I have received many thanks for sharing my photos from people who can’t get out and visit these places. This is my way of giving back to others.
Summary
For me personally, special events take the joy out of photography. I enjoy photography on my time, my theme and my compositions. There are plenty photographers that do some amazing work for special events and I’m thankful for them. I for one will not be a special events photographer.
Don’t assume someone will photograph a special event just because they are a photographer. There are many photographers like me that enjoy freelancing on our own time. Each photographer out there has their own style and they each offer a different perspective.
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