Wedding photographers, what shoes are you wearing?

[thenikonguy]

And yes my feet hurt at the end of the day. I took it as part of the job.

sorry friend, but, I don't agree with this statement at all.. your health is probably one of the most important things in your life.. and if you want to believe that its ok for you to be in pain while doing your job, thats your business, but, I, for one, will not give up my health for a job..

I currently have 3 herniated disks, and a BIG part of my full time job is working with skateboarders, and other extreme sports.. when my back went bad in January, I basically had to re-write my job description, because its just not worth becoming crippled..

now maybe this is different, because we are merely talking about feet hurting in this thread, BUT, i still believe you should be comfortable.. especially when doing something like a wedding.. I did a wedding a while back, and wore dress shoes, and about half way through the reception, I just started getting bitchy.. not to people, just, I wasn't at all in the mood to be there anymore.. so from that night on, I decided that I should be comfortable when doing a wedding, because I want to be in a good state of mind during the WHOLE day, after all, people are paying you a crap load of money for a wedding day.. so, they least I can give them is my full attention through the whole day

 

[William Petruzzo]

And yes my feet hurt at the end of the day. I took it as part of the job.

now maybe this is different, because we are merely talking about feet hurting in this thread, BUT, i still believe you should be comfortable.. especially when doing something like a wedding.. I did a wedding a while back, and wore dress shoes, and about half way through the reception, I just started getting bitchy.. not to people, just, I wasn't at all in the mood to be there anymore.. so from that night on, I decided that I should be comfortable when doing a wedding, because I want to be in a good state of mind during the WHOLE day, after all, people are paying you a crap load of money for a wedding day.. so, they least I can give them is my full attention through the whole day

Yeah. This is definitely my feeling. By the end of an 8-10 hour day my attention is being completely split between the job I'm there to do and how badly I want to leave so my feet can start recuperating.

There's just got to be a balance between looking invisibly nice and being as comfortable as possible.

 

[RONDAL]

what....has no one ever heard of dr scholls?

i wear dress shoes for 16 hours a day, and am on my feet for 14+ of those with my job...in a suit and tie.

I dont care who you are, suit and sneakers looks childish.

If you are shooting weddings you can afford to drop $100-150 on a decent set of shoes....hell its 10% of the cost of the rest of your gear, and you've already got the suit.
Get a pair of shoe that FIT well, and have good support and room in the toe area and arch. Then go to a pharmacy and get a pair of dr scholls for your feet that fits your style.

I have a bad back and hip and I can tell you those little cushy things changed my life...and all for $15. They last about 8 months with constant wearing, and then you replace them. A good set of shoes will last you years, and because you dont have to worry about wearing out the cushioning in the shoes they will last that much longer if you take care of them.

i wouldn't go any other way. there is no reason to sacrifice form or function.

Also, and this might kill some, but learning to stand properly, so you aren't putting weight on one foot all the time, and keeping your a$$ in shape can do wonders for your back and feet. When you're lugging around a 40lb training vest on your frame (ie. your gut) for 8-10 hours a day....its gonna hurt your back and feet.

 

[thenikonguy]

what....has no one ever heard of dr scholls?

Ive tried the dr. scholls.. they do nothing for me.. thats why I use birkenstock insoles.. similar to dr. scholls, except they aren't made as a cushion, they are made for proper arches.. which makes all the difference.. if you have proper arches in your shoes, you don't need the cushions..

Also, and this might kill some, but learning to stand properly, so you aren't putting weight on one foot all the time, and keeping your a$$ in shape can do wonders for your back and feet. When you're lugging around a 40lb training vest on your frame (ie. your gut) for 8-10 hours a day....its gonna hurt your back and feet.

100% agree!

 

[msf]

I got a pair of dress shoes from payless like 15 years ago and they lasted me till a couple of years ago, gave me pretty good support. Maybe the quality has decreased since then?

Ive since gotten new shoes from walmart, earth something. So far they are pretty good, and feel really comfy. I havent tested them at a wedding yet though. Only cost like $45.

I dont think Id wear blackrunning shoes at a wedding, want to keep a good reputation.

 

[William Petruzzo]

Unfortunately for me, I wear a size 15, which Dr. Scholls doesn't make. Otherwise that'd be my very first attempt at fixing the problem!

My policy is to always dress for maximum mobility in the context of the specific wedding. Sometimes that lets me get away with black sneakers. But usually not. But the style I'm usually hired for isn't traditional. I'm usually moving all over the place, from being on the floor to up in a tree. I'm paid well to make sure I not only get the shot, but get it in an interesting way. But this means I'm pretty much always going to have to look for how I can dress loose and comfortable, while still looking professional. Otherwise the style the client wants is going to suffer.

 

[thenikonguy]

Unfortunately for me, I wear a size 15, which Dr. Scholls doesn't make. Otherwise that'd be my very first attempt at fixing the problem!

I've got the same issue.. I also wear a 15.. birkenstock makes an insole for us!! but to be honest, most of those insoles you can buy (dr schols included) are a "one size fits all" as they make them really big, and you cut them down to the right size..

 

[B Kennedy]

Ok so I'm a taaad-bit late on this conversation, but I've just started to shoot a lot more weddings under another photographer and I've found a great pair of dress shoes. I wanted to buy 1 pair and have it cover almost anything I'd be shooting. The brand name is Mephisto, "Fonsio" Slip-Ons. This was my first slip on pair of dress shoes, but apparently the designer was some kinda foot doctor, and these shoes were designed for comfort with some sort of shock absorbent technology. So far I've around 5-6 events that were all day long (10am-12pm) and the shoes are great. Comfortable enough to kneel with and crawl around, although my knees were still killing me at the end of the day, these shoes are very comfortable. They are a bit expensive at around 300, but it's sooooooooo worth it.

 

[EdelineM]

oh this is interesting, cause Im doing one soon

 

[Lyncca]

Interesting thread, cause I am on the lookout too. I've been doing a lot of weddings too and I am about to die. I hate at the end of the night being more focused on how bad my feet hurt instead of what I am paid to do.

I suck it up, but I am quite miserable after. Although, the more weddings I shoot, the less I am hurting the day after. I think the weekend bootcamps (i.e., weddings) are getting me in shape!

 

[ironic sobriquet]

the last formal event I shot... which was a formal family reunion I wore my rockports... (they're super ultra comfortable... feel like sneakers... look like drezies)
however the last time I attended a wedding (I didn't bring my camera to the ceremony) I just wore my black Doc Martins... if you don't tuck your pants into them, combat boots do look like formal ish drez shoes... of course the wedding before that I was able to wear my doc martins, black cargoes tucked in and a ZZ Top tee... man that was a hard core b*tchin' wedding...