This past year has seen many photographers going from one extreme to the other. As COVID restrictions lifted there was an explosion of weddings needing photographers. Melbourne’s Ashley Karakatsanis thrived in this new climate. “I'm busier than I’ve ever been. I’m getting three to four times the number of enquiries and bookings compared to before. I’m also getting an insane number of last-minute bookings. It’s good, and I’m not complaining at all,” she says.
Other wedding photographers like Katie Harmsworth, also based in Melbourne, have found adjusting to the changed market more challenging. She says that navigating lockdowns and two years of wedding postponements has been the biggest challenge to the industry to date. “The last twelve months has seen most wedding photographers shooting and working seven days a week, while navigating burn-out, sickness, and zero work/life balance. I’ve witnessed people leave the industry in droves due to the stress and the state of flux in the industry,” she says. Boundary setting has become of utmost importance for Harmsworth. “Having down time is crucial for mental health, but is also key for keeping the fires of creativity and inspiration burning. It’s been a time of intense learning, adaptation, and reflection, which at the end of the day can only be a great thing,” she says.
For portrait photographers, the shift hasn’t been as extreme. New Zealand photographer Richard Wood noticed an increase in sales for portrait photographers serving the more affluent segment of the population as they had managed to maintain their wealth during COVID,
