An increasing number of professionals are offering wedding coverage alongside other specialities, and for many this area has become a rewarding and
enjoyable sideline

Diversity is the name of the game in the world of professional photography these days and, as the challenge to make a living becomes increasingly intense, more and more businesses out there are looking to diversify and to widen the scope of what they are offering to ensure that enough work continues to come through the door.
Not surprisingly weddings is an area that many working in non related photographic genres have taken a serious look at, and many are now finding that their skills behind the camera, coupled with an ability to work well with people and to handle the cut and thrust of a typical wedding event, is standing them in good stead as they move into a new sector of the business.

Those who are making a success of tackling weddings alongside other areas are undoubtedly the ones who have entered this field with the right attitude. They have done so wholeheartedly and with enthusiasm, and they are in this area to offer something different, to enjoy the challenge and to widen their catchment area. Often the results they produce will be radically different to conventional wedding coverage, and they appeal to a clientele which might be reticent about hiring someone who was more of a conventional wedding specialist.

The photographers featured over the following pages are typical of the people who are now looking at weddings as another strand to their business. None of them have arrived at this point through desperation and all clearly feel they are tackling weddings on their own terms and in their own style. Their backgrounds are diverse – everything from sports photography through to fine art, architecture and rock music – but all of them clearly enjoys the different discipline that weddings demand. Obviously the approach is working since every photographer here reports that the wedding work is going well, usually fuelled by word of mouth rather than conventional advertising.
The truth is that there are still many professionals out there who would rather starve than move into the wedding market at any level. Others have realised that the solid business is one that never turns away work and that weddings, being one of the most dependable and well paid areas of all, is worth looking at seriously and can also be a lot of fun at the same time. With many of the photographers interviewed here taking on around 15 weddings a year, the involvement in this area is serious but a long way short of full time, and it permits a steady stream of income to be generated while allowing the business to continue to be focused elsewhere. As such it’s a happy mix and a way of staying afloat that can still be creatively rewarding and enjoyable at the same time. .