Last night I photographed a beautiful wedding.

The bride was wonderful, the venue was gorgeous, and everything came together the way you hope it will. It was one of those weddings that reminds you why people fall in love with wedding photography in the first place.

I also got home… late. Which, if you’ve ever photographed a wedding, you know is completely normal.

Throughout the evening, a few people asked if I was a full-time photographer.

“I used to be,” I told them. “But not anymore.”

The next question is almost always, “Why?”

Because I stopped enjoying it.

Now before my photographer friends come after me, hear me out.

I’ve been behind a camera for well over 20 years. Photography has been part of my life for so long that I honestly can’t imagine not doing it. I love everything about it. I love chasing good light, finding interesting compositions, geeking out over camera gear, comparing lenses, talking settings, and yes… if you get me started on cameras, there’s a very good chance you’ll regret asking.

Photography is still one of my favorite things. People often say, “You make so much money just showing up to a wedding!”

Which always makes me laugh a little. Yes, you’re paid to be there on the wedding day. But you’re also being paid for all the hours that come afterward.

The importing.

The culling.

The editing.

The exporting.

The backups.

The emails.

The album design.

The tiny adjustments that nobody notices but every photographer obsesses over. For every hour spent shooting, there are many more spent sitting in front of a computer. Let’s be honest. Someone blinked. Uncle Bob wandered into the aisle. The flower girl decided she’d had enough. It happens.

What eventually changed for me wasn’t the work itself. It was the fact that I was doing it all the time. Every weekend was another shoot. Every week was another gallery to edit. As soon as one session was finished, the next one was waiting. Even something you absolutely love can start to feel like a chore if you never get a break from it.

I realized I didn’t want to lose my love for photography.

So I made a change.

Today I have a full-time job that I genuinely enjoy, and I photograph weddings because I want to—not because my calendar says I have to. Now I can say yes to the weddings I want to photograph, take breaks when I need them, and most importantly, I still get excited every time I pick up my camera.

Do I still get nervous before every wedding?

Absolutely.

Every. Single. One.

Because weddings don’t come with second chances. If a family session gets rained out, we can usually reschedule. If a couples session doesn’t go as planned, we can try again another day.

But a wedding?

You don’t get to ask the bride and groom to recreate their first kiss because you missed the shot. That responsibility never really goes away. Honestly, I don’t want it to.

Those butterflies remind me that I still care.

Stepping away from photographing weddings full-time didn’t mean I stopped loving photography.

It meant I loved it enough to protect it.

Now I get to show up, celebrate an incredible day with amazing people, spend hours talking about cameras if someone makes the mistake of asking, and head home still looking forward to the next wedding instead of wondering when I’ll finally get a weekend off.

Sometimes the best way to keep loving something is to stop doing it every single day.