Wedding photographer Taylor Jackson, who says he shoots 60 to 70 weddings every year, has shared his extensive knowledge and behind-the-scenes footage in an incredibly detailed tutorial that covers all aspects of the trade.
Wedding photography can be a good career for a photographer — even for those who consider themselves introverted — because it offers freedom of expression and the opportunity to explore different types of photography in a variety of ways. Additionally, the business itself is extremely flexible and can be customized to fit the needs of the photographer, whether they choose to pursue it on a full-time or part-time basis.
Jackson, who is an experienced wedding photographer based in Canada and also considers himself an introvert, has found wedding photography to be a rewarding career that can bring enjoyment, artistic fulfilment, and a certain level of time freedom, considering most weddings are shot on weekends. The structure of the work gives photographers the rest of the week to focus on other aspects of the job or other responsibilities.
In the above YouTube tutorial, Jackson shares almost two and a half hours of free tips and advice on all the photography skills required to photograph a full wedding from start to finish. If that’s not enough, he offers additional in-depth tutorials available on his website where he focuses on targeting particular areas of the wedding photography business, such as booking clients or working with an off-camera flash.
Through learning and understanding the technical aspects of a wedding — the ones that ensure that the important requirements of wedding photography are met for each and every client — he says that he is able to focus on enjoying the job and challenging himself to explore creativity with every couple that he works with.
He explains that as a wedding photographer, he is able to pursue different types of photography throughout the wedding day: from photographing details and accessories to portraits, landscape, photojournalism, and more. All of these styles are applicable on a full wedding shoot and can give photographers an opportunity to experiment, especially once they know that the most important shots and technical aspects have been covered.
Jackson also offers his insight on the type of equipment he has found to be most suitable for this type of photography thanks to his experience with a variety of camera brands. Whether the photographer chooses to go down the Nikon, Canon, Sony, or Fujifilm route, he explains how he approaches his camera settings on the day and post-processing after the shoot has concluded.
Offering insight and behind-the-scenes of actual engagement shoots and wedding days, Jackson draws on his personal experiences, especially as someone who finds the social aspects of a wedding — such as during formal and wedding party shots, where the photographer needs to be directly engaged — largely intense and situations that put him out of his element, which many can relate to and find comfort in knowing that one can be successful in this type of work despite not having an overly extroverted personality.
More of Jackson’s work can be found on his Instagram while additional courses and a membership giving access to the library of his tutorials, workshops, and other perks, can be found on his website.