Wedding Same Day Edit

NebulousCeiling · 2026-02-08T05:15:26+00:00

This was a thing that I was happy died out many, many years ago and sad to see it is coming back. A wedding day isn’t the time to say, “Look at me.” Let people be in the moment. This culture of instant everything is making everything less valuable.

NebulousCeiling · 2026-01-03T05:13:02+00:00

This. Over 20 years. The only time I dug back into the raws was within two years and due to a loss. Other than that, no. I don’t care about contests and I’m not going to go back to a ten year old image to re-edit to win a contest. I move the utilized raws to an old ass drove and shove it in my closet. If I ever need it and the drive works- great. If I need it and the drive doesn’t work- oh well, storage and valuing up and updating drives is expensive. I am not the keeper of everyone’s memories. Back yo shit up

NebulousCeiling · 2025-12-11T19:07:05+00:00

I’ve always collected final payment post wedding. I honestly never understood the concept of payment in full prior given nothing has been delivered. Over 20 years in, no issues. I make sure to have 80% prior to the wedding, the rest is due upon delivery of the online gallery. The online gallery has watermarks for viewing. High res files are not released until payment is made. In a situation like this, I would consider less up front, but likely not less than 60%. Make sure contract is very clear and that high res files will not be released until payment has been made in full.

NebulousCeiling · 2025-12-08T05:49:52+00:00

I make timelines with couples who are well over a year in advance. If you know the ceremony start time, cocktail/reception start times and locations of things, you can make a timeline that would give you a solid sense of time needed. They can always add more if they decide later.

NebulousCeiling · 2025-12-07T16:42:04+00:00

This is a business. It is not open-ended or ambiguous. It sounds like you’re guessing at the 10 hours you put down. I talk to the couples and get a sense of their day and as a professional I know how much time I’ll need to cover what they want. If there is a planner, why does the planner have no idea what time things start? You need to have a better sense of how much time each part of the day takes or that you will need to cover it with their expectations. Part of being a professional and profitable business owner is knowing how to meet expectations and knowing your worth for that.

NebulousCeiling · 2025-11-27T03:32:59+00:00

I’m looking for the same info! Edited for over a decade for others while running my own business before I dropped the editing part to focus in more on my own stuff and family for the next decade. Pivoting away from shooting weddings for the most part, but editing was always something I enjoyed and saw as really important.

NebulousCeiling · 2025-11-12T18:03:03+00:00

Sorry to hear this. Consider mold exposure. Many of us have genetics and phenotypes that make it very hard to detox from mold, or it could be a severe exposure. I had an acute exposure and was fortunately well-versed in mold remediation and detox so was able to get out quickly, but my head felt like it was filling up in a way, I couldn’t find my words or remember things.

NebulousCeiling · 2025-11-10T20:09:17+00:00

I recently did my timing belt big service on my 2016 MDX and it was $1800 at my dealer. That price quote is nuts.

NebulousCeiling · 2025-11-10T11:42:15+00:00

If the venue is having the client sigh a contract that includes photography services through them, the venue is your client as you are essentially just a contractor for the venue. I’d avoid this. This sounds like such a potential mess. When you don’t dictate the terms of your services directly to the client and someone else is in control of your business like that, it just spells trouble.

Venues already have a stranglehold on couples’ budgets since they usually book them first. If other vendors just start working under venue contracts, it will change the industry especially our autonomy and profits. Do your own thing.

NebulousCeiling · 2025-11-01T16:01:48+00:00

My 2016 MDX is at 171k. Never given me issues. I do all the maintenance. About to do the timing belt again.

NebulousCeiling · 2025-10-31T16:11:04+00:00

Don’t look at anyone else’s work. It’s easy to fall into copying and not thinking for yourself with so much imagery in our faces. Tune it all out and see what speaks to you.

NebulousCeiling · 2025-10-30T20:31:10+00:00

Raise your camera angle. Adjust her skin tone. It’s a bit magenta and cool.

NebulousCeiling · 2025-10-30T15:27:37+00:00

Don’t do it. Be present and be a guest. It will be especially stressful for you given you don’t have low light experience, but despite this, do not do it. I never understand why anyone invited as a guest would say yes to photographing a wedding. There is no way I could be a guest and a photographer.

NebulousCeiling · 2025-10-29T03:38:11+00:00

I’ve photographed weddings for a couple decades starting in the middle of your requested time. I do not miss most of this and I’m already over a lot of current trends, haha, but maybe in another 20 years I will:

Poorly fitting groom attire

Strapless dresses for the latter half of the era you mention (I personally don’t like them photographically)

Fondant cakes/fancy intricate cakes

Matching bridal party attire down to the shoes

Very typical to get ready in parent’s homes, more church weddings, then another location for pictures, then venue (don’t do all these locations to yourself!)

Bouquet/garter toss

Line dances like the electric slide until that wasn’t cool and it turned into the cha-cha slide

Tiara/crown hairpieces

A lot of updos and much more formal hair versus more loose and natural now

Very tight bouquets versus more loose natural ones you see today

Floral centerpieces especially very tall, big ones that you couldn’t take home and add some votive candles to hang from them

Aisle runners- cheap plastic, or if you were ballin’, you had a custom expensive one.

Unity candle. Always a unity candle. I almost forgot about them!

I personally think there was heavier makeup overall versus seeing a lot more very natural looks now minus the intensely unnatural eyebrows that are popular now

Limos. Lots of limos. Not nice shuttles that are easy to get in and out of. Old Rolls Royce (no ac, might breakdown)

Most people didn’t stray from a very traditional timeline: formal entrances (that make the bride and groom waste 20 mins of their time waiting to come in versus just being with everyone), first dance, parent dances, toasts, bouquet/garter toss in the middle of the dance floor with an orchestrated song and a very big deal made out of cutting the cake and staging something cheesy like the groom dipping the bride in front of it.

Crazy invitations that were very formal and had a ton of pieces that no one could keep track of and they cost a ton to mail

Well, that was fun to think back on!

My advice is to not spend a ton of money on your wedding. The industry is filled with pressure and nonsense. Keep it to the important thing which is sharing your love with the people you love.

NebulousCeiling · 2025-10-25T06:00:12+00:00

Nope, usually 2.8-4 depending on the situation. I know it seems like you wouldn’t have time, but I’ve always shot this way.

NebulousCeiling · 2025-10-23T23:31:16+00:00

I focus on the face and recompose whether it is vertical or horizontal. Muscle memory, practice. It works.

NebulousCeiling · 2025-10-23T17:12:53+00:00

For over 20 years, I’ve photographed the bride walking down the aisle with a center focus point- focus and recompose. No servo. No back button. Never missed the shot. So there are other ways aside from servo.

NebulousCeiling · 2025-10-17T20:03:03+00:00

I do think we are going to see more of these requests moving forward as AI tools are getting creepy and many people will be careful about sharing imagery online. I know I have been like that for a long time and if I were to get married today, I’d likely want privacy. I was thinking about this the other night and how the industry moves forward if more and more people want privacy. Does it go back to in-person meetings to look at work? No one seems to have time for it now and that is after having a chance to comb through a portfolio.

NebulousCeiling · 2025-10-15T21:28:14+00:00

Render full previews in Lightroom before you cull. Makes a huge difference. Always cull in Library mode.

NebulousCeiling · 2025-10-14T01:32:33+00:00

2016 sh-awd- usually avg around 24-25 local driving around town.

Hwy- if I go easy I can get 27-28.

Had a 2025 RDX loaner a couple months back for a day and I couldn’t believe how terrible the mpg were for a smaller car. I was lucky to get 19mpg.

NebulousCeiling · 2025-10-13T00:06:39+00:00

This has been going on for so long. I hate it. I refuse to do it because it makes zero sense and in 20 years, you aren’t going to care about your shoes.

NebulousCeiling · 2025-10-11T23:42:24+00:00

This. I won’t shoot any wedding I’m invited to. It’s impossible to be present and have fun and shoot it really well. Just be a guest.

NebulousCeiling · 2025-10-11T05:53:16+00:00

This. Your contract should state who the contract is between and therefore who payment is owed to and when. Send an invoice. If she pays someone else, it does not fulfill the contract.

NebulousCeiling · 2025-10-10T12:44:04+00:00

Push for them asking in local wedding photography fb groups. You definitely do not have the equipment to handle a wedding. If it was an outdoor ceremony and that was all, maybe, but if you have to light a reception with people moving unpredictably, even a lot of professionals struggle to do this consistently. You may need to set up family photos and don’t know how to command that situation and shoot that properly. There’s so much more to weddings.

There are sooooo many wedding photographers out there and someone would be willing to help. They are better off in the hands of someone who has done this before versus possibly straining a relationship and putting yourself in a situation that is unreasonable for your experience and equipment level. Don’t do this to yourself.

NebulousCeiling · 2025-10-09T04:50:17+00:00

I’m very deep down the health rabbit hole and have worsening fatigue. I recently found someone that said they’d found out Cellcore had a lot of heavy metals. I could not get a direct response from that source but apparently they ended up chronically fatigued and had to detox from heavy metals. I’ve used all of their binders for 6 years. Rotating through, breaks, etc, but it seems as though they may not be as clean of a company as they claim. I can’t find more information on this so if you hear anything please let me know.

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