As Told To 
1. You don't actually get to spend that much time shooting. The biggest misunderstanding in this career is that you get to travel, take pictures, and make $5,000 a wedding to do only that. In reality, shooting makes up only 15 percent of my time. Running a business is much more consuming and less glamorous: editing, accounting, taxes, packaging, emails, networking, web management, etc. I love it all, but there's a lot more to it than just "taking pictures."
2. It's important to make your style clear to your clients at the start. I meet with every couple, either in person or over Skype or FaceTime before I take on their wedding. I feel like I can deliver the best, most creative images if we are all on the same page aesthetically. Some people love that posed stuff, and it is just not what I do. I have a photo on my site of a bride with a llama who tried to eat her flowers. Her mouth was agape! I've had some people say, "I would never want to hire someone who shot that." But it was a real moment, and I love that! I have met with couples who had different expectations, and I happily referred them to other photographers that would be a better match. One couple I met with last year was planning a wedding that would take place entirely at night. I knew that I couldn't deliver my best work because artificially lit portraits aren't my style.
3. This job is surprisingly physical. Everyone in the industry calls the day after an event "the wedding hangover," and it's not because you had any alcohol — it's because you're so achy. I've never weighed my gear on a scale, but I'm probably carrying at least 15 to 20 pounds of lenses, memory cards, batteries, etc. in my camera bag. During the eight or 10 hours of the wedding day, I'm carting around about 10 to 12 pounds with two camera bodies. I've had to start carrying gear in a backpack. I'm careful to do yoga and other exercise to avoid bad knees and other problems [that could develop] when I get older.
4. Your real job is to serve the couple, even if it's not photo-related. Sometimes I'm the one offering to grab Advil for the bride or thread for a ripped bridesmaid dress. I know every photographer might not offer to do that kind of thing — but for me, serving is at the core of what I do. Maybe that sounds crazy, but the photos come out better when you feel like you're in there as part of the family.
5. There are no sick days. I shot a wedding when I had shingles. During one of the weddings that's on my website now, I was so sick with the flu that I could hardly get out of bed. But honestly, I'd have to be laid up in the hospital to miss a wedding. I committed to this couple months or years ago, and it's the most important day of their lives.
6. Handling wedding guests who get in the way of your shot can be awkward. They're called "Uncle Bobs" in the industry. Before a ceremony starts, I can get a good idea of who the "Uncle Bob" will be, as he/she is sitting on the aisle with a large iPad or SLR. If they lean into the aisle during the early part of the processional, I kindly ask them to move so that they don't ruin the photos. Guests don't always listen, so I just have to work around them the best that I can. At one wedding in New York, I was in the church and the father of the room was leaning in front of his son taking pictures. The groom couldn't even see the bride walking down the aisle! But it's the father of the bride, so you can't say anything.
7. Even after years in the industry, you'll still get nervous. I still have trouble sleeping the night before a wedding. I have nightmares that I forgot my camera or my battery, or that I missed the first dance somehow. I'm always shaking when I take the wedding rings to be photographed! I announce it when I'm handing the rings over because I'm so relieved to be giving these precious items back.
8. You may have to get involved in all kinds of family dynamics. I've had the opportunity to shoot weddings all over the world. I love learning about all of the different cultures and personality types and how that plays into the wedding. But it can be stressful if, say, the bride's divorced parents really don't get along, or if the bride or groom doesn't respond well to stress. I've seen couples argue through their entire portrait time because one small detail was off at their reception. I'm grateful for my psychology degree because a huge part of this job is analyzing relationships and diffusing tension. When chaos hits, I try to be the peacemaker, even if that means being the "bad guy" who has to tell the parents that we don't have time for 1,000 family photos because the couple wants to go to their reception!
9. Travel opportunities are fun, but they can be super stressful. I love to travel, and it's great to have a job that allows me to do that. But it can be a lot: Last year I had six weddings in August alone, and four of them were out-of-state (couples pay for my flight, hotel, rental car, and sometimes a per diem for food if necessary). It's extremely difficult to fly with camera gear. My bags are almost always re-inspected by hand because of all the metal inside, and I've had to defend my right to carry on $12,000 worth of gear on the plane rather than check it. I never want to risk breaking any gear a day before the wedding.
10. Your work will resonate for decades, which is a big honor but a huge responsibility. For me, the idea of creating photos that will become a family's heritage really weighs on me. On one hand, when I start to get burnt out, I can remember: My work matters to this couple and to their great-grandchildren. That brings me back to earth. But on the other hand, that's a heavy thing! It could freak you out if you dwell on it too much. I try to balance the feeling of responsibility by going along with the flow and the joy of the day.
11. It takes years to feel like you've made it in this industry. Ten years ago, this was an entirely different industry: wedding photographers were able to make more revenue and charge more because the field was less competitive. I was blessed to get into weddings at 19, when many of my friends were getting married young with low photography budgets. I started photographing weddings at a discounted rate, and [my business] snowballed quickly through word-of-mouth. I had to hustle: I invested in advertising, read up about the industry, and made friends and contacts in the wedding-photography world. It took me four years before I could consider myself a full-time wedding photographer.
12. Watching couples start their lives together never gets old. Even after 120 weddings, I still feel like I'm watching a romantic movie every weekend. I love seeing my couples go on to have kids, and I do family photography too. It's such a big honor to capture these special moments in people's lives, and I never let myself forget that.
Megan Gielow is a wedding photographer who runs MorningWild Photography, based in Asheville, N.C.
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