Half the episode was recorded before anyone noticed the mic wasn't on. That's the vibe this week.

Pete, Laura, and Bee (Liam is off conquering Scotland and London simultaneously) are talking about the real pressures hitting the wedding industry right now - and what, if anything, we can do about it. Bookings are shifting. Budgets are tighter. Midweek and shorter-coverage weddings are on the rise. And one person out there reckons full-time wedding photography might not even be viable anymore.

Then there's the ghosting. Bee's Instagram post on the subject got 30,000 views and 122 comments, almost entirely from suppliers saying same. So why is it happening - and is it actually couples being rude, or are we just making the booking process too hard? The Coda Podcast gets a mention, contact forms get a roasting, and Zoom calls are on trial.

They also untangle the word "editorial" - which apparently now means "natural and relaxed" to couples, despite meaning the opposite to everyone who actually shoots it. And when a content creator couple rocked up in a Lake Como wedding group claiming to be the only people capturing candid, in-between moments, the documentary photographers and videographers in the room had some thoughts.

Plus: Bee's Super 8 film comes back from the lab. Pete's British Gas bill arrives and it is not good news. Table tennis glory. And the completely startling realisation that this podcast is nearly four years old. Oh, and then we end with Pete being packed off to live on a narrowboat survivng on only Huel, and no cushions.

Timestamps

00:00 - Didn't record the first half, Pilates is evil, and Liam is everywhere at once 

01:50 - Work lethargy: the post-holiday slump is real 

04:07 - The Mandela Effect: both Pete and Bee have vivid memories of uploading galleries that never happened 

08:05 - The state of the wedding industry: midweek bookings, shorter coverage, tighter budgets 

13:25 - Is full-time wedding photography still viable? 

14:06 - Bee's viral ghosting post: 30,000 views and 122 comments 

20:50 - Is the booking process the problem? Zooms, forms, and friction 

22:15 - The Coda Podcast: what videographers discovered when they became the clients 

28:05 - Rethinking how we communicate with enquiring couples 

30:03 - "Editorial": what couples think it means vs what it actually means 

33:28 - The content creator controversy: who's capturing the in-between moments? 

38:35 - Highs and lows: Bee's Super 8 film and Lawson Film School 

43:05 - Pete's £1,400 British Gas nightmare 

47:25 - Laura's TV high and general tiredness low 

49:04 - The podcast is nearly four years old

Say hi on Instagram @ourcreativecommune

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The British Wedding Film Festival

https://www.britishweddingfilmfestival.com/

Lawson Film School: https://www.lawsonfilms.co.uk/lawson-film-school

liamandbee.com

lawsonfilms.co.uk

lawsonphotography.co.uk

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