There's a learning curve to everything, including wedding photography. Even if it seems like every possible tip or trick is available one click away, no matter how much knowledge you acquire over the Internet you're still going to make a few mistakes in real life. There are a few things that need to be mentioned here. You're going to know when you've done something wrong, and hopefully the consequences won't be too big. It's important to not give yourself too much hard time, but rather to learn from your mistakes, and the mistakes of others as much as possible, and move on to become a better wedding photographer. Here are three of the most dangerous mistakes you can make in this line of work.
1. Not Marketing Yourself
It's not the best part of being a wedding photographer, but marketing yourself is not optional. That is if you want to make a living from it. I see a lot of photographers investing a lot of time and money in workshops, tutorials and camera gear without doing anything to make themselves seen by potential clients. Fortunately there are fantastic tools out there that can help you become a big name in your area. My favorite is KeepSnap directory. It is simple to use, clean and it allows you to be discovered by clients depending on your shooting styles and location. All you have to do is fill in the necessary fields, upload your best work and get ready to rock.
Check out all you need to know about KeepSnap Directory here.
2. Editing On a Poor Quality Screen
This is a mistake that will cost you dearly if you make it. Editing is extremely important in the final outcome. A good photo is likely to be ruined by poor editing, and using an uncalibrated screen to edit will push down that road. Make sure to use a color calibrated monitor before turning in some bad looking results.
3. Not Directing Enough
One of the hardest parts about being a wedding photographer is that you have to make two ordinary people look better than they have ever looked in any other photo. Most of the times they have absolutely no clue how to pose in front of the camera and some of them are very shy or uncomfortable in front of the camera. Let's not even talk about photographing large groups. The point I want to get to is that you have to give a lot of directions as a wedding photographer. The photojournalistic approach where you just observe the entire event from somewhere in the background is a good one, but it won't get you through the entire day. People are going to feel confused and they're going to need you, the professional, to tell them what to do. Make sure you don't stay silent when you need to speak, and give all the necessary directions in a polite tone.