wedding togs with children

ernesto said:
If you have a 9-5 job and work every weekend you may find you just don't get the time you want and something will have to give. This is not even just about kids, I don't understand people who work all the hours possible, when do they do what they want to do? I would hate to look back at my life when I retire at 75 (realistic age these days!) and think all I ever did was work (especially if working for another company)
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I've never seen the point myself - work to live, not live to work has always been a motto of mine. Yeah alright I'm not super successful oozing cash but what's the point having tons of money when you don't have time to spend any of it?

An old boss of mine once tried to tell me it's better to be rich (as he was) and miserable (as he certainly was) than to be poor and happy. How ridiculous.
 
At the moment its great because my son is at nursery 3 days a week so I get to see him the 2 days he's at home during the week. It will change when he goes to school in September but i'll shift my work pattern to spend time with him when he finishes school.
I chose to be a full time wedding photographer & so accept that weekends are workdays but even shooting 60+ weddings this year I've only got 6 back to back Saturday/Sunday weddings so I'll still have most Sundays free
 
Just to add most of my weddings don't kick off that early so if I'm leaving the house at 9.30-10 there will have been time to spend with Jack beforehand
 
I suppose if photography is your only income then you are likely to take on as much work as possible to keep the business running well financially. Also, weddings are seasonal so you will have busy periods and the quieter months with more time at home. I think finding a healthy family and work life balance is the way forward, well for me it was. I was working flat out at weekends and at home with the kids during the week, but I never saw my husband, he would get thoroughly fed up watching the kids at the weekend and tired from his working week. Now I work my diary around my kids and home life. I actually look back only a year ago and remember how fed up and tired everyone was, including me!
 
joescrivens said:
How do you guys find it having children and working every weekend? If those children are at school during the week it means you hardly ever get to spend time with them at all - how does that work in your families?
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I carry in the back of my car balls and chains,,,, behave or I will force you into road building you little /*#@*~#
 
joescrivens said:
I'm of a different frame of mind to this. I'm a very hands on parent. If I had to work all day and all weekend and the only time I got to see my children was to kiss them goodnight whilst they were asleep just so I could provide a future for them financially I wouldn't see that as having a life at all.
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This....^....by miles


joescrivens said:
That's not a judgement on those that choose that life. It's just not for me.
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I have no problem judging peeps who are never at home
 
Boarding school, that's the future.;)

Crikey I see hundreds of little snot jockies every day..... The weekends with no kids is a joy to behold!!!!!!

all understood and very nice.....

So here is another question. Why on Earth if you have a day job, would you want to do Weddings or another job??

If lifestyle and and seeing family are that dear to you?

The first question should not arise as most on value their time with offspring then the answer is 'Do not do a weekend job!'

Simples!!!!

Crikey life is hard enouigh with 3 wives (someone elses) let alone have kids as well.....................:lol:
 
I work all week and do weddings at weekends. It's tough but you have to work around it if you want to shoot weddings. I've made changes this year, last year was my first big year of weddings so there was a lot of focus on that, but now I'll only take on a maximum of 25 weddings in the year. I don't do any work between the time I get home from the day job (5:15) and when the kids have gone to bed. I also now don't do anything work related on Sundays at all, which has meant stopping portraits and Christenings but that's something I'm happy to do so that the kids get more of me. I'm also limiting the amount of double headers I do and will take at least a two week break around late July/early August.

Some weddings don't start until lunchtime so I still get the morning with them, and more often than not on a weekday wedding I get to do the school run which I usually miss out on. So yes, there are some days where they won't see me in the evening but all in all I've now managed to strike a good balance and it doesn't have much of an impact.
 
My friend works full time as a photographer he has two little girls,he does a lot of wedding,but as he said the time he away say doing wedding he make up at others times,being self employed.

The big problem a pro photographer can face is when it become more than just a job,it begins to overtake your life,your working all hours because you just can't let it go.

:)
 
Daryl said:
So here is another question. Why on Earth if you have a day job, would you want to do Weddings or another job??

If lifestyle and and seeing family are that dear to you?
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Because it's something they want to do? because they want to build up to leaving their day job and doing it full time but want a bit of security to start? because they want to make a little extra cash to provide a better life for their kids?

There's lot of reasons why.
 
joescrivens said:
How do you guys find it having children and working every weekend? If those children are at school during the week it means you hardly ever get to spend time with them at all - how does that work in your families?
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Pretty much as any other career working unsociable hours. You bite the bullet and make the time. Or go on the dole
 
Harvey_nikon said:
Because it's something they want to do? because they want to build up to leaving their day job and doing it full time but want a bit of security to start? because they want to make a little extra cash to provide a better life for their kids?

There's lot of reasons why.
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If you want security,forget it their are better jobs for that,it is by its very nature an out of hours job,also sometimes a lot of risk are factors involved.

Unless your ready to make some sacrifice,and that include family life your better of staying where you are.

:)
 
simonblue said:
If you want security,forget it their are better jobs for that,it is by its very nature an out of hours job,also sometimes a lot of risk are factors involved.

Unless your ready to make some sacrifice,and that include family life your better of staying where you are.

:)
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The security comes from the other job while you are gaining experience/reputation/bookings etc. I don't remember saying that photography was secure, but leaving a full time job for no bookings is stupid!

For me, leaving a full time job making decent money in a company that made £65 mil last year to start a photography company is insane. So, you build up your reputation, get the bookings coming in etc. That's why you work 2 jobs, why you work harder, why I go with less sleep when needed. Once the work is coming then you make the move.
 
I think the choice breaks down as crudely as this - on your deathbed you're either going to wish you had spent more time seeing your children grow up or that you spent more time taking photographs of other people.

I do the odd weekend photography job myself, but I wouldn't want to do it full time firstly for the reasons you allude but also because photography is a hobby which gives me a great amount of pleasure and if I turned it into a profession I somehow think photography might turn into a chore and my enjoyment of it will diminish.
I do keep at my photography, you never know what will happen in the future and I might wake up one day and fancy a career change, but I don't think I could ever sacrifice those precious moments of my children growing up, photography just doesn't seem to want to pay enough money to make it worth it.
 
because they want to build up to leaving their day job and doing it full time but want a bit of security to start? because they want to make a little extra cash to provide a better life for their kids?
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There's a Catch 22 if ever heard one. Nice one Harv.... So the daytime jobers work weddings on a weekend so they can have more income on top of their normal job for the welfare of their kids..... Yet they moan about not having the time to see them.......

Boarding School solves the problems. Better education and you see them in the Hols.

Hoorah!!!!!

Look at Boris....... what better man could London have as Mayor.
 
Dman said:
I work all week and do weddings at weekends. It's tough but you have to work around it if you want to shoot weddings. I've made changes this year, last year was my first big year of weddings so there was a lot of focus on that, but now I'll only take on a maximum of 25 weddings in the year. I don't do any work between the time I get home from the day job (5:15) and when the kids have gone to bed. I also now don't do anything work related on Sundays at all, which has meant stopping portraits and Christenings but that's something I'm happy to do so that the kids get more of me. I'm also limiting the amount of double headers I do and will take at least a two week break around late July/early August.

Some weddings don't start until lunchtime so I still get the morning with them, and more often than not on a weekday wedding I get to do the school run which I usually miss out on. So yes, there are some days where they won't see me in the evening but all in all I've now managed to strike a good balance and it doesn't have much of an impact.
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thanks for that insight dman, this feels very manageable to me too. I could definitely handle that kind of situation
 
I'm a wedding weekend warrior. I come home from work and not long after that my wife goes out to her office job that is evenings based. This is the time I get to spend playing, cooking and putting the kids to bed. Then I have time to myself until 11 or 12. I have to work on weddings at this time with the odd break (like now) just to get my mind off things. The only exception is going to old trafford or watching united on the internet. We got rid of sky because we barely have time for telly.

We work like this cos there are no childcare costs and one of us always has the kids, even on wedding days. It means we have 2 full time incomes and photography income and means we can take the kids on days out when we have a weekend free and can afford a holiday or 2 every year. It's hard working all the time BUT we get time with the kids and get to do things with our own money and have no debt. The plan is to wind down my day job as the photography becomes more successful.

We get plenty of time to see the kids and still make time to do our favourite joint past time... clubbing till sunrise!

One of my favourite footballers (who no doubt Joe will hate) has a phrase I love "Attack the day!"

But, if it came to it and it was a serious injury to my children I would be off. My clients would understand this as I get to know them well before each job. Not saying it won't damage me though.
 
I think the short answer to this question is that being a wedding photographer is at the end of the day a job. And luckily as a self employed job, you can choose how many days you wish to work. Or put another way how many jobs you take on.

I work full time and like others here am a weekend warrior. Not only do I have 3 kids to consider, there's also my OH. One of her concerns was the amount of time I'd be away shooting.

But the two things to bear in mind is that you'd have to be hugely successful to book a wedding every single weekend in a year. Especially out of season. So certainly at the beginning you are not going to have every weekend booked solid.

You don't HAVE to book every job. I've stopped advertising for a bit because I don't want to take on any more jobs this year because of the weekend/spare time thing. I'll pick it up later this year and do a set number again next year.

Lastly it all depends on the kid's ages. When kid's are young then they need you there more. My teenager is nearly 16 and spending time with dad is simply uncool and eats into social time with her friends/boyfriend. If I were at home, i'd get tapped up for money and she'd be out of the house by midday so i may as well be out earning!
 
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