Short answer: because I don't shoot weddings.
Many people love photography. As an art form, as a hobby, as a learning experience, and as a way to make money. A person can be a great photographer and never make a dime off of it. A person can also make a decent living in photography and not reach their full artistic potential.
Certain forms of "shoot for money" are very specialized niches. I consider Wedding Photography to be a very specialized niche.
One reason is the Now Or Never aspect of it being an event shoot. Well, mostly an event shoot. Regular portraiture such as engagement portraits are often part of the whole package. Not just any type of event, either. A wedding is often meant to be a Once In a Lifetime event. So, you need to add in that stress factor. Plan for every contingency, especially the bad ones. Multiple cameras, lenses, flashes, batteries, even a second shooter are virtual musts. If something could go wrong with a piece of equipment, having it happen at the critical moment can be a disaster.
A second reason is the time involved outside of shooting. In Wedding Photography, lots of pre-event planning and meetings are needed. Post processing is also a very critical need. The event itself and any portrait shooting may only take about 7 or 8 hours, but delivering the finished job could take several weeks worth of image manipulation or other work. Add in physical prints for the album and we need to concern ourselves with turn around time for those.
A third reason is pricing. While I applaud the internet with its Facebook and Pinterest and Instagram and Flickr, it created an issue with expectations and reality. Often, people are wanting all these fantastic things they are seeing online, but then want it at a price that would barely cover lunches for the days of post processing involved. Don't even get me started on the "Pad Your Portfolio" requests that come up. Those are great for someone starting out in Wedding Photography, but an established professional has set their pricing for business reasons.
Wedding Photography can be a lucrative business, but just having a nice camera is only the first requirement for success in this niche business. A keen business sense, an aggressive marketing plan, and absolute mastery of the craft/art items you are marketing are also essential.
I love looking at the awesome images I find online from many different great photographers. But, I haven't shot a wedding myself since the 90s with my Mamiya 645! I am content to let this highly specialized niche of the Photography Business be populated by the many old and new Wedding Photographers out there.
Do you want to be a Wedding Photographer? Check out a site like WPPI
Follow your desire. I wish you the best.
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