Wedding season, it’s exciting, inspiring, and full of the kind of magic that made you pick up a camera in the first place. But let’s be real, it’s also exhausting. So, we’re here with our top tips for wedding photographers to survive wedding season.
Long days on your feet, late nights editing, inboxes overflowing with enquiries and back to back weekends on the road can take their toll. When you’re in the thick of it, it’s easy to put yourself at the bottom of your to do list. But staying sane during wedding season isn’t just a luxury, it’s essential for your well being and your business.
If you want to show up fully for your clients and protect your own sanity, here are three tips to survive wedding season.
Tips to help you survive wedding season as a wedding photographer and avoid burnout
1. Prioritise rest (even when it feels impossible)
Rest isn’t lazy, it’s productive. Burnout doesn’t just affect your energy levels, it can impact your creativity, decision making and even your client relationships. That’s why scheduling time to switch off is just as important as scheduling shoots.
Whether it’s a full day off each week, a quiet morning to yourself before editing marathons, or simply committing to getting outside for an hour a day, give yourself moments to pause. Use a calendar app to block out rest days during the photography season before your diary fills up and treat them as a non-negotiable to stay on track. Your future self will thank you for making smart choices during this busy wedding season.
2. Make time for what brings you joy (beyond the lens)
It can be hard to switch out of ‘wedding photographer mode’ when your job is so closely tied to your identity, but making space for things you love outside of weddings helps bring balance and perspective.
Revisit hobbies that light you up. Maybe it’s an early morning swim, an afternoon pottering in the garden, a few pages of your favourite book in an evening, or catching up with friends over coffee. These little joys are your creative fuel. They don’t just help you stay grounded, they remind you there’s a whole world outside of weddings, galleries and deadlines. The more fulfilled you are outside of work, the more you can bring to your clients and your craft.
3. Work smarter, not harder
You don’t need to do everything the hard way. Wedding season is the perfect time to tighten up your systems, automate where you can and use resources that support you behind the scenes.
Whether you are trying to sell more albums, streamline your client communications or simply cut down on admin, we’ve created a bunch of helpful tools to give you a hand.
How we can support you at Folio:
- Free album design service – Save hours in your workflow and still wow your clients with beautiful designs with our expert in-house team.
- Pre-made Canva brochure – Beautifully designed and easy to customise. Use it to showcase your album options without starting from scratch.
- Sales and marketing templates – From email marketing templates to social media posts, these ready to use resources can help you communicate clearly and convert more clients to print.
- Stock images – Elevate your website and socials with our curated collection of style product shots.
- Album markup calculator – Find your profit sweet spot and take the guesswork out of pricing.
We’re here to help you get organised, boost your album sales and free up your time, so you can focus on what you do best, without burning out in the process. Head to the Help Centre to find these tools.
Support that works as hard as you do
As a wedding photographer, wedding season will always be a bit wild, but it doesn’t have to be overwhelming. By prioritising rest, staying connected to your personal joy and using the tools available to you, you can protect your energy, still grow your business and of course survive wedding season with ease! And while we can’t shoot for you or edit your images (as much as we wish we could!), we can help lighten the load in other ways.
Is the aim for your wedding photography business is to work less and earn more? Discover more on our sales and marketing page about all of the helpful and time saving resources we offer to make your life a little easier but your bank a lot fuller.