“ The stigma that people have around wedding photographers is that we charge way too much . What those people fail to realize , and something I have to often explain to potential brides , is that I work with them anywhere from six months to two years before and after the wedding day .”
he had created , and the session was a hit . She actually just got married in May and I had the privilege of shooting her wedding and watching her grow up .
“ A huge blessing of when you become someone ’ s photographer is getting the pleasure of watching them or a family change and grow from year to year .”
Lydia says she ’ s tried all kinds of photography , including business headshots , realty , lifestyle and others , but she loves portraits , events and weddings .
“ What ’ s fun about portraits is that I get to help them pick out outfits that best display their personality ; we often do hair and makeup , and I get to know this stranger on many different levels and hopefully make a friend ,” Lydia says . “ With other professions , you often don ’ t have that ability so I really appreciate those moments .”
She says her favorite part at events is capturing moments the participants might not even know were happening , and giving her clients the ability to re-live those moments over and and over again .
Of course , weddings also come with a certain level of challenge .
“ Weddings are so much fun , but can be so incredibly stressful at the same time ,” Lydia says . “ The stigma that people have around wedding photographers is that we charge way too much . What those people fail to realize , and something I have to often explain to potential brides , is that I work with them anywhere from six months to two years before and after the wedding day .”
Lydia says she ’ s basically “ on call ” for emailing , calls , texts and more to answer random questions about things like bridesmaids ’ dress color , all potentially at 3 a . m . Not to mention the in-person consultations , engagement shoots , bridal portraits and more .
“ As a wedding photographer , I often find myself being a bridesmaid , a friend , a wedding planner , and someone who constantly calms down the bride and makes sure she is enjoying this time of her life and not stressing over family or money ,” Lydia explains . “ Even after the wedding , I ’ m spending approximately 8-12 hours behind a computer editing .
“ Dealing with people who are emotionally attached to the money they are spending can be daunting because you want them to be happy with the result , but I ’ ve learned to just take it one task at a time and to not overload myself .”
The work / life balance aspect is one of the hardest parts of being a photographer , as it can frequently be an after-hours and weekend job that makes it hard to prioritize family and friends . Lydia says she edits during the day and often late at night , and tries to schedule shoots during the week or weekend mornings when possible .
“ The stigma that people have around wedding photographers is that we charge way too much . What those people fail to realize , and something I have to often explain to potential brides , is that I work with them anywhere from six months to two years before and after the wedding day .”
“ I ’ ve fallen in love with making people feel beautiful when maybe they didn ’ t think they were ,” she says . “ With photography , I get to show people time and time again how other people and I see them .”
- Lydia Sewell
REVEAL | Q3 2017 11