Welcome to "The Weekend Wedding Warriors" … yup, it's another photography related podcast, but this one not only covers mastering the art of being a wedding photographer, but also how to build thriving businesses, all whilst being part of a vibrant community of like-minded creatives to share ideas with. I'm your host, Chris Such, and I'm on this epic journey with you.
So why “The Weekend Wedding Warriors”?
I want people who are into wedding photography or those who wish to be into it, to be awesome wedding photographers and know how to attract the couples out there who dig wedding photography and value it, and for those couples to have the amazing memories they are wishing for. And I wish to do this with a community of photographers all growing and improving together. Being a full time wedding photographer can be quite an isolated lifestyle, yes we immerse ourselves in the social of a wedding day, but most of it is behind scenes, locked away in post production and admin, so it's kool to have a community vibe with us all helping each other with ideas and happy playground chit-chat.
Personally I've spent the past 3 decades immersed in this world of weddings. I've heard about, read about and seen countless horror stories relating to poor wedding photography. We have to get it right on the day, every time, regardless of what is throw at us, and yeah sure I've seen endless amazing wedding photography also of course, but every failed attempt is one too many, one too many couples upset and I want wedding photography to be recognised as something epic to have, something couples really want to splash out for, for it to be a high priority wedding item list.
So I find myself here at this point on my journey. 3 decades deep… the first decade was spent locked away in a darkroom printing dull 90's style wedding photography, followed by 2 decades being a full time professional wedding photographer.
In 2018, and I joined the Master Photographers Association, became qualified, won some awards, eventually becoming a director of the association sharing the lessons I've learned over two decades of being a wedding photographer. And it was during that period whilst mentoring and helping other photographers in the association that the first sparks of where I wanted to be started forming. Did I wish to carry on full bore concentrating solely on shooting weddings, or how kool would it be to pass on my knowledge to others who wanted to learn.
And this is where "The Weekend Wedding Warriors" is born from – a desire to pass on my skills and knowledge to equip others to become wedding photographers. It's about helping you, whether you're just starting out on your journey, looking to improve your business, or ready to take the leap into becoming a full-time professional.
Building a successful wedding photography business isn't just about running ads and booking more weddings in the diary, and becoming a better wedding photographer isn't just about learning to take better photographs.
My journey has been filled with maaany lessons learned, maaany challenges faced and overcome, and I've had the privilege of capturing the magic of over 700 weddings, delivering half a million cherished memories, and designing 50,000 album pages. My camera shutters have clicked well over a million times.
I've never chased the numbers either, I've been of the thought why frazzle yourself rattling out 60-80 weddings a year when you can shoot 30-odd weddings and simply charge twice as much; yeah put more into each wedding, do things differently, y'know build connections and shoot better stuff… it's work smart, not hard type stuff.
So, anyway, what can you expect from "The Weekend Wedding Warriors" podcast? Well, I'll be diving deep into all aspects of wedding photography – from the art of capturing beautiful moments to the business of building a successful wedding photography career.
From time to time I may well invite guests along, maybe industry experts, maybe fellow photographers, and maybe business-savvy entrepreneurs, who I'll coheres into sharing their insights, experiences, and any advice and tips to help you thrive. However, most of it will me and my dulcet tones, pouring out my knowledge, and sharing my wedding wisdoms with you.
We'll also explore the warrior spirit that's essential for a wedding photographer. We'll talk about adaptability, resilience, and staying zen in the face of challenges, which, let's face it, is every wedding. I think Bruce Lee summed it up in his famous 'be water my friend' quote, because just like water, we need to flow and adapt to capture those perfect moments whilst in the heat of battle (i.e. a wedding day)
But it's not just a podcast. It's a community, a place where you can connect with fellow wedding warriors, share your wins, discuss your challenges, and learn from each other. This is how we grow.
There'll also be courses that go beyond the basics, delving deep into what it takes to build and grow a successful wedding photography business. Plus, we'll have valuable guides and resources for you.
So, whether you're just starting your journey, or looking to improve your skills, or dreaming of becoming a full-time professional wedding photographer, "The Weekend Wedding Warriors" is here to guide you, support you, and help you thrive on your journey. And this is gonna sound a bit whimsical here, but within all of us lies this inexhaustible well of potential, each one of us can achieve amazing things, and it beckons us to take a leap of faith into the unknown, and build a business and life with purpose.
Anyway, I totally look forward to you joining me on this adventure, a quest even seeing as we're all wedding warrior together here. Together, we'll learn, grow, and embrace the warrior spirit that defines us as photographers. The world awaits our magic, and we need to show up and be magnificent… So, hit that subscribe button and stay tuned, and I will see you next time, on “The Weekend Wedding Warriors”