The Harsh Reality of Wedding Photography in Santorini: Exposed

When it comes to wedding photography in Santorini the gap between spitting out big promises (words) and delivering a truly excellent service (actions) is getting bigger and bigger.

Everyone will promise you a seamless experience, a set of awesome-looking pictures, and a responsible and caring team that won’t miss your precious moments - on the contrary, they’ll capture it beautifully. But the actual truth is far from that.

With over 1000 weddings per year, there’s work for everyone and that’s catastrophic for the industry.

Companies that once offered quality services now have become industrialized, shooting over 150 weddings per year, and hiring freelancers that have never worked with them again - or maybe never worked again in Santorini.

The industry is full of companies that offer poor services and I feel like we can allow ourselves to make a mistake and book the wrong hotel for our holidays, or buy the wrong size of shoes but what about hiring the wrong person to photography the most important day of your life?

I hate to say this but wedding photographers are like the tattoo artists who are just starting and will ruin their friend’s leg and those who will book them solely based on their low pricing.

A few truth bombs:

A new photographer will almost certainly start his career shooting weddings or MAYBE will be hired by a company that doesn’t give a shit about you to shoot YOUR wedding.

An unskilled photographer will eventually become a wedding photographer and stay a wedding photographer.

An unskilled photographer who’s a great marketer will thrive as a wedding photographer.

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I’m a firm believer in timeless imagery - without heavy edits and exaggerated poses.

I believe that the only way to make our work survive time is by keeping it simple; getting the basics right while allowing ourselves to bend (not break) the rules when we have to.

What happened to those “fine art” photographers who created those all-white, “light and airy” looking images for about a decade (2010 - 2020)

How many wedding albums have they ruined? How outdated does that style feel now?

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As a person, I have very few fears, and when it comes to photography I have only one.

I think of my couples children, looking at their parent’s wedding album (my work) 20 years from now and laugh on how outdated and old their pictures look. I fear the day my style will feel kitchy - like a souvenir shop in Thailand.

I want my work to be looked at as signature and timeless - like Queen’s songs, like Dali’s paintings, like Camus’ writing style.

A product of the past, observed in the present, yet encapsulating an essence from the future—enduring recognition.

Have look at my signature series The Sirens: Bridal Portraits in Santorini.