Happy New Year everyone, I didn't get a chance to update my blog last month but I'm managing to get some time away from the camera for a few weeks ahead of the start to this year.
It's a slower start than I normally have as I don't have my first wedding until 1.3.25 and even then my next isn't until April. All my weddings are crammed into a hectic few months from May to September this year, a total of 35 currently booked in which is fantastic news, and quite a few more than last year! There is also still some time available towards the end of the year.....
I had my first pre wed meeting last weekend at the lovely Ashfield House in Wigan, which is my first Wedding Venue of the year. So things have officially started for the year.
Last year Weddings ended on the 28th December for me and editing is now all done. I actually have a little time now and it's nice to finally have some downtime. I don't think anyone truly appreciates how hectic it is during the season for wedding photographers. I do still work as well but my days reduce to 2 a week during peak season which gives me time in the week for pre weds, weddings and editing. Without this flexibility it would be impossible to combine it with working as well, during winter my working week increases to 4 days a week which works hand in hand with the seasonality of Wedding Photography.
The only downside is I rarely get time for myself or family. If I'm not at a wedding or pre wed I'm usually editing and this is the case until 10-11pm most week nights and full days when I have the opportunity. Editing can be good fun but it can also be tough, not that looking at my lovely couples is hard work, it's the monotony of looking at the same people image after image in hundreds of photos. I have a good attention span but I need regular distraction. I've chewed through many Netflix Series while editing in the past but I think this must slow me down especially with a great series. I've started monitoring the time spent editing per wedding recently to ensure its still profitable. So this year I've decided this year I'm going to try Audio books, I'll probably need to try a few genres to find out what works the best but hopefully this will speed me up in what will be an extremely busy year.
It's difficult to find time for hobbies as a result and believe it or not photography still remains one of mine, despite taking tens of thousands of photos each year at weddings. We've also started to get interested in pottery after doing classes locally last year and completed our first home builds in the last couple of weeks. We now have a very small home kiln and wheel so we are enjoying getting started with it and hope to refine our talents as we get time to practise. Nothing has cleared my mind like pottery does, you just get absorbed by what you are doing and thats also been part of the attraction of learning a new craft. Plus there's nothing like drinking from a mug you made yourself! You might even see a bit more on my instagram stories over the coming year.
I only have one short holiday planned, peak season again in July lol but its always a good time for a break if I can fit it in. Holidays are one thing that you need to plan well in advance to ensure you keep certain weeks free, at least a year in advance. That might also allow me to read a book or two as its so difficult to get time for that as well, I start a book in the evening and I read the same page about 4 times before I wake up with it on my face.
As the days get longer I'll be doing a bit more walking to increase my wedding fitness I have a few periods of multiple weddings in consecutive days this year so its always at the forefront of your mind when you are on your feet for the majority of each day. Its amazing how quickly that drops off during the winter but I'll be ready when the busy run starts in May.
I'm going to try and give you a little more info on the weddings in the blogs this year so fingers crossed I have the time to do so!
Here's a couple from the December Weddings
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