Becoming a Wedding Photographer vs. Elopement Photographer: My Honest Take After Shooting Both

As someone who's spent years behind the lens capturing love stories—both in grand ballrooms and on mountaintops—I've had the unique privilege of living in two very different worlds: wedding photography and elopement photography. Each has its own rhythm, demands, rewards, and challenges. If you're a photographer trying to choose a path (or simply curious about the differences), here’s my honest breakdown of the pros and cons from first-hand experience.

Wedding Photography: The Big Day, Big Energy

Pros

1. Predictable Workflow and Structure
Weddings tend to follow a set schedule: getting ready, ceremony, family pics, bridal party pics, portraits, reception, exit. On top of this you often work with a team—planners, venue attendants, DJs, caterers, family members—who help keep things on track.

2. No Extra Time Preplanning

Very rarely do I have wedding clients ask about planning, vendors to use, things of this nature ahead of time, because a lot of them have a planner to help, friends and family, or know what they want because traditional weddings are more common.

In elopement photography though, it is starting to become an industry standard that you give unlimited help designing the schedule, what vendors to use, ordering dried bouquets to your personal address to bring, planning their elopement, so on. This includes many questionnaires and Zoom calls, many coordinating emails ahead of time that aren’t usually required in the wedding industry.

2. More Add Ons + Lifelong Clients
Often times wedding couples are located in your city. Which means they may want add ons to their wedding package like an engagement session for their invites, a first look and bridal session ahead of time for prints at their reception, a wedding album after their date, and beyond this I also get maternity sessions, family sessions from my former wedding clients. Elopement clients are usually traveling in for their day, which means they usually just need “day of” coverage.

3. Social Proof and Referrals
A big wedding means more guests—more eyes on your work. I've gotten a ton of future clients through people who saw me in action at a wedding and liked my personality.

4. A Wide Range of Shots
If you like to be challenged in different lighting scenarios very rapidly, weddings are little more messy and have many lighting shifts. From candid dance floor moments to emotional family interactions, weddings offer a variety of scenes that push your creativity, lighting abilities, and storytelling.

5. Gear

This next point is going to age me….though I love hiking, hiking with gear on for an elopement day always KILLS my back for like the next week. haha Weddings you only have to bring your gear into the venue and take it back out at the end of the day to the parking lot.

Cons

1. High Pressure, High Stakes
There's no retake. If you miss the first kiss or the father-daughter dance, that's it. The pressure to perform flawlessly can be intense.

2. Time-Consuming and Physically Demanding
12-hour shoot days, constant movement, and back-to-back weekends can lead to burnout fast. Plus, the editing backlog can be brutal.

3. Family Drama and Logistics
Navigating family politics, guest interruptions, or timelines that are falling apart isn’t always easy. Sometimes you’re more of a therapist than a photographer.

4. Large Group Photos

Large Group photos can be like herding cats, especially when you don’t have all 100 family members names memorized and are meeting them all on that day. You will need a personality that is suited to guiding large groups of people in a way that shows leadership, still having a kind tone, and being efficient. If this is not a strong suit for you, elopments will feel a lot more stress-free in this aspect.

5. Less Connection with Clients on their Day

Weddings are chaotic. They don’t always stick to the timeline. There are many people to see and talk to for the couple. Due to this, you don’t get as close of a personal connection with your wedding couple as you would on an elopement day (where you are usually the only other person to talk to while hiking up a mountain).

Elopement Photography: The Intimate Escape

Pros

1. Authentic, Unscripted Moments
Elopements tend to be deeply personal and emotional. With fewer people and distractions, you're often witnessing raw, intimate exchanges that are incredibly rewarding to photograph as well as truly authentic to the couple - because the day is totally of their design.

2. Flexibility and Creativity
No strict timeline means more room to chase light, hike to remote spots, grab a beer at a brewery if your couple so desires, or adjust plans based on weather. It feels more like an adventure than a job.

3. Connection with Clients
Spending a full day (sometimes multiple) with just the couple creates a strong bond. You become part of their story, not just a vendor.

4. Epic Locations
If you love the outdoors or travel, elopements often take you to some of the most stunning natural backdrops in the world. You also have more time to get gorgeous types of lighting for portraits, or even night photography, too.

Cons

1. Unpredictable Conditions
Working in nature means dealing with weather, wind, mud, altitude, and bugs. It’s not always glamorous, and you have to be ready for anything/ well prepared.

2. Planning ahead of time
You need to put a lot more time with your clients ahead of time into planning, like Zoom calls, location scouting the night before so that you have ample plan B’s, finding vendors or Airbnb’s to book for them, having a deep knowledge of the landscape and adventure excursions they could add on to their day, so on.

3. Less Volume, Less Visibility
There are fewer guests and not as many vendors. That means fewer referrals, fewer chances for social proof, and often, you’re doing it all—planning, location scouting, permits, even officiating sometimes.

4. Logistics Can Be Tricky
Getting permits, understanding local regulations, planning timelines around sunrise/sunset, and ensuring safety in remote areas—there’s a lot of behind-the-scenes work that couples don’t always see.

5. Gear

I’m 34 and my back is busted after hiking with gear on an elopement day. haha The adventure is epic, but I’m always wishing I could teleport my pack.

Final Thoughts: Which One's Right for You?

For me, it comes down to personality and lifestyle. Wedding photography offers stability, scale, and income, but it’s more traditional and high-stress. Elopement photography, on the other hand, is deeply rewarding, free-spirited, and creative—but often requires hustle to find consistent bookings and build your brand, plus a lot of planning ahead of time and a sore back from hiking with all your gear.

If you’re energized by big celebrations and love structure, weddings may be your jam. But if you're drawn to intimacy, nature, and spontaneity, elopements could be your calling.

Truthfully? I still do both—because sometimes I crave the chaos of a dance floor, and other times, I just want to stand quietly on a cliffside while two people say “I do” with the wind in their hair.

Roaming Desert Film Co.

Hi there! We’re Tana and Cory Metcalf @ Roaming Desert Film Co. - a husband and wife photo/video team, located in Utah! We love exploring all that the world has to offer and taking our doggos and cameras along for the journey, as well!