The event pro lifestyle is definitely out of the norm. Anyone in the event industry can tell you that the hours involved are unusual at best. Some folks might envy this work from home, relaxed schedule lifestyle that means the ability to wear sweatpants during the lunch on a Wednesday. Others may shudder at the idea of not knowing they’ll clock out right at 5pm and could be working the entire weekend solid. There are certainly pros and cons to the event professional’s work schedule, so we reached out to local DC area wedding photographer, Chris Ferenzi, to get his take on working from home and working weekends:

Working from Home/Working Weekends

Pros:

I get asked from time to time about what it’s like to always be working on the weekends and how I manage my time Monday to Friday. In summary, it’s awesome.

Here are some of the reasons why event pros love the schedule:

1) I don’t have a defined schedule other than what’s become the best thing about being self-employed: getting up at 9 or 10am.

I’ve found that I’m least productive before noon, so I usually use that time to go to the gym and run errands if need be. After that, I work through the afternoon, take a break, and then again until 11pm. Working late makes me feel less guilty for getting up so late

2) The grocery store is pretty much empty during the daytime.

This is a HUGE benefit because there’s nothing worse than dealing with hordes of people when you just want to buy some chicken.

3) Flexibility!

If I’m not meeting with a client, I usually edit photos for an hour or two, do some marketing research, schedule Instagram posts, blog, or update my website. I don’t block specific times of day off to do any of that because I prefer a little more flexibility after ten years of strict schedules working as a project consultant.

4) My dog!

I get to spend all day with my adorable dog, Jadzia (pictured above). Honestly, she sleeps most of the day, but at 3pm, without fail, she goes crazy and wants to play. It’s a good reminder to get away from the computer for a bit, take her for a walk, talk like a crazy person to her, and run around the apartment.

Cons:

There are, as with all things, some downsides to having to work on weekends:

1) It’s hard to schedule leisure activities, whether it be hiking or meeting up with friends.

I generally know pretty far in advance if I have a wedding, so that makes it relatively easy to not schedule anything for the day. But sometimes I get an inquiry on super short notice for a 1-2 hour wedding or event and, if I book it, there goes Saturday!

2) My boyfriend (also named Chris) works a 9-5 job so our schedules don’t exactly line up.

I’m usually asleep when he leaves for work, and since I’m more productive in the afternoon and evening, I’m focusing on work when he gets home. Weddings are day-long ordeals so, if I have one, I’m away for a long time. It can be hard to find time to do things together.

3) Again, since I don’t have a set wake-up time, I’m responsible for taking the dog out if she wakes up at an ungodly hour.

The logic of that is I can nap if I need to. I admit, yes, sometimes I nap (it’s pretty great). On the weekend, early dog duty falls to other Chris.

Overall, I’m happy with the wedding photographer schedule (or at least my version of it…) It’s definitely superior to waking up at 6am every day and sitting in an office until 5pm.

Feature Image by Chris Ferenzi

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