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And who wouldn't trade a bride if they could, eh?
I stopped being romantic about weddings a long time ago, but I suspect that there are many who still are - not least the people getting married. Thus the business of wedding photography employs quite a few people. Some of them work for studios - some of them work for themselves - but they should all work for the married couple
If possible, with them, not against them...
The weddings in Perth go up and down in activity based upon economics and fashion - upon sentiment and legislation - upon religion and civility. The affair may be called a business or a sacrament or a ceremony or an art or anything, but for the photographer it is a trade - the photographer trades their time, skill, and sanity for money. It's a tough life in the Regular Wedding Photographers Regiment and there've been many casualties over the years, so don't join if you are not ready to cry into your lens mount.
a. Regular studios with regular services and regular fee structures can have regular salaried shooters - they may also employ casual shooters, occasionally they get downright sloppy ones, but they don't last. There may be studio work, event work, location work, interior work, and any combination of the above depending upon what the bridal party or planners have thought up.
b. Casual wedding photo services may not be as casual as all that. Several have been doing weddings longer than a number of the studios and they do darned good work. If you are able to think on your feet, go anywhere, deal with people under all sorts of circumstances, and produce good salable images, you may be just the shooter who could fit into this sort of loose posse.
c. You may be a Wedding Uncle or Wedding Aunt who is pressed into service based upon your known skill with a camera. Be careful, as the bridal clients will expect totally professional results at no cost. If they are your family, they may be your problem, but be aware that getting them to switch to a real professional service is sometimes a very wise move. It means that you will not lose your family.
The digital revolution has made the business of wedding shooting easier and harder. The new wide-aperture lenses and cameras that operate at astronomical ISO ratings mean that the old dependence upon flash is ended - you can use it when you need it for some light problems but frequently the camera will cope with even the pokiest of dim old churches. Likewise you need not clatter or intrude as many modern cameras can be as silent as a Leica and out on the side with a long lens.
By the same token, the digital camera takes so many pictures, and so rapidly, that people are now expecting the kind of coverage that NASA used to get for a moon launch. As well, the proliferation of bridal urgers ( I mean the stylists and planners of the industry...) means that the bride has a lot more art in her head that she thinks you can do and that she will look good in. Expect to hop about like a cricket in a frying pan.
The real pearls of wisdom that the regular studios and the long-term services have discoverd, they keep to themselves - the pricing, packages, and payment schedules that make the wedding work as a profitable business. They are likely over a number of decades to have seen pretty much everything that can happen at a wedding - if you are new to it expect to see some of it yourself. If you are lucky you may get a chance to ride along on several before you are in the firing line. Pay attention to the rhythm of what happens and where the pro shooter goes at each point in the show. Watch people and see what they do. Know where the door is.
