5 UNEXPECTED SKILLS I’VE LEARNED AS A WEDDING PHOTOGRAPHER

When I first jumped into wedding photography, I knew I needed certain skills to be successful. There were the obvious skills like being able to use a camera to properly expose a photo, creative composition, use of color theory, a consistent style, and so forth. I mean without these skills, I wouldn’t be able to take photos, and therefore wouldn’t be able to be a professional photographer at all. Over the years I’ve spent countless hours, weeks, and months practicing these skills, attending education workshops and classes, and doing anything else I could and can do to keep my skills growing. In the world of photography and entrepreneurship, you are never done learning, which is part of what I love about being a photographer.

Then there’s a whole separate sub-section of skills I need like being able to diffuse stressful situations like fighting family members, being efficient in time management and workflows, traveling, and a ton of other things. Much of these skills have been learned on the job and from learning from failure. Then there are offbeat skills as a wedding photographer I never knew I would need, but have come in handy in all kinds of situations.

1) How To Tie A Tie

To be honest, I’ve known how to tie a tie since I was six, at least the basic style, but it’s odd how many times I’ve been in situations where no one knew, except for me. Most often rented men’s suites come with those pre-tied ties that just slip on, but not always, especially when people choose custom tie options to fit their wedding theme. Sadly, I still have no clue how to tie a bow tie with any real skill.

2) How To Iron Clothes

Ironing clothes is another skill I’ve had since childhood, but one that comes in handy at almost every wedding. I guess many people don’t iron their clothes these days, relying on their dryer instead to do the heavy work, but this skill is another one I use a lot! On a wedding day, you typically don’t have access to a dryer, and many of the articles of clothing aren’t able to be placed in a dryer anyways.

3) How To Quickly Fluff The Train On A Wedding Dress

Definitely not a skill I’ve ever needed in life, but one that’s always used at pretty much every wedding. Many people in the bridal party try to adjust the train one section at a time which takes forever and always seems to be more work. Once you get one section perfect, it’s totally ruined while adjusting the next section. The easiest way is to just lift the whole train up at once and let it fall to the ground allowing gravity to do all the work. There might be a few spots to adjust from there, but almost all the work is done for you.

4) How To Securely Pin A Boutonniere

Unless there’s a wedding planner or coordinator at the wedding, there never seems to be anyone that properly knows how to secure the boutonnieres. Often they end up leaning to one side or the other with the sharp pin sticking out waiting to stab someone. I always let the mom or whomever is going to put the boutonniere on give it a go first so I can get the photos I need, but the majority of the time, I end up putting the boutonnieres on everyone.

5) How To Lace Up A Wedding Dress

This is another skill I never even thought of, but have learned from experience photographing weddings. I always suggest that the maid of honor or another person in the wedding party always attend at least the last dress fitting in order to learn how to properly lace up, zip up, button, or however the wedding dress will close. This helps ensure someone knows exactly how to do it to speed up the getting ready process and avoid any issues surrounding putting the dress on. Nonetheless, I’ve definitely been in situations where no one knew how to lace up the dress except me. Luckily, it’s not a situation I find myself in often, but it’s a great skill to have to calm everyone down when they start freaking out.

My name is Matt Druin and I’m an Atlanta wedding photographer that specializes in unique, offbeat weddings for all awesome people! Not only do I shoot amazing Atlanta weddings, but I also travel frequently for destination weddings, and weddings all over, with no travel fees in the US for amazing wedding photography. I also shoot Atlanta engagement sessions for newly engaged couples. I’ve even been known to travel, and far, for engagement sessions too!

Contact Atlanta Wedding Photographer Matthew Druin

Email [email protected]

Phone 678-551-0115

Address 225 Parkway 575 #66 Woodstock, Georgia 30188

Portfolios www.matthewdruin.com

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