I was in a workshop, my web site displayed on a large screen, 14 strangers present. The instructor started raking me through coals… I can’t remember what he said because my PTSD took over. I started shaking and tearing up, trying to hold it in, knowing I’d be labeled a wimp and someone who doesn’t want to learn. If I didn’t take the abuse, I would never get better, because that’s what I “NEED.” I crawled under the table and stayed there for ten minutes.
It took two hours for the PTSD to let go of my core. Two hours of crying and realizing I was nothing but trash. Which wasn’t true, of course. Then I decided this behavior has to stop. The abuse we go through as wedding photographers has to stop. No one talks about these dirty little secrets, and I’m tired of it.
This blog series is a permanent installment on my blog. I’m hoping it will circulate and cause a change. I will be pitching to national blogs, podcasts, magazines, and newspapers. What you will read in this series will shock you.
This series isn’t meant to bash the industry that I love so much. It’s not meant to bash educators or my competition. It’s purely to shed light on what happens to us, what happens in this industry. Time and time again, wedding photography has earned a spot on the “Worst jobs to have” lists online. In April of 2019, 24/7 Wall Street named photography the 25th worst job to have in America, only above food servers. And that was just general photography. Wedding photography is it’s own special animal. Do the Google thing and you’ll see it all over the internet.
This series isn’t meant to target or humiliate anyone. Except when quoting professionals with their permission, I will not be using names. I also won’t be talking exclusively about the negative. I will be highlighting why we do what we do, why it’s so important, and why we’ve put up with the abuse. Some of the topics I’ll discuss are:
- Public critiques
- Education
- Working while very ill
- Sexual harassment
- Verbal abuse from videographers
- Competitive hostility
- Cliques
- And much much more
It’s clear from this article that wedding photographers don’t talk about these things. They continue to give safe answers as to what they “hate” about their jobs, such as needy clients or weather. Believe me, those aren’t problems. For decades we’ve been suffering in silence. I’m here to tell you the truth. If you don’t want to miss an installment, sign up below. Dirty Little Secrets will drop into your inbox weekly. See you next week!
Legal Disclaimer: This is a personal blog series. It should in no way be taken as fact, and is simply a collection of opinion editorials. The thoughts contained in this blog are all my own, unless otherwise cited within the contents of the blog, and are not being made herein with ill intent and/or motive. The information contained in this blog is for entertainment purposes only, and should not be construed as legal, medical or other professional advice.