Dear Devlin started as a column because if one of us is stuck on something, chances are plenty of others are too, they just aren’t saying it out loud. Now I’m bringing a guest onto the podcast each episode to talk a problem through with me, rather than just handing down my own verdict. This week’s letter is one I don’t think I’ve seen discussed anywhere, and it’s the opposite of what you might expect. This Week’s Problem Dear Devlin, I’ve been listening to your podcast episodes and you mentioned a couple of times that you’re a fast editor. Me too. It’s like we’re ashamed or something, we need a self-help group for this. I often wonder what people are doing, my weddings are mostly finished at least a week after I’ve attended them, unless video is involved, in which case the struggle is real. There’s a lot of noise in the industry at the moment about people being told to slow down, not deliver sneak peeks, make people wait, while simultaneously living in a universe where super speedy service is rewarded. I’ve settled into a rhythm of editing within a week and then sitting on it for three weeks until delivery around four weeks. But should I do this? Is there shame in delivering a week after? Does it devalue what we do? Or is there something I’ve made up in my head? Fast and Frustrated I could have written this one myself. I’m a terminally fast editor, I hate spending time at my desk, and I totally understand the implication that speed somehow makes the work feel less. I don’t think that’s true at all. Someone can take weeks and still do a sloppy edit, and someone can be quick and excellent. The calendar isn’t a measure of quality. To talk it through, I invited Chloe Lee onto the podcast. Chloe’s an alternative wedding photographer based in Essex, shooting fun, colourful weddings across the UK, and a regular on my Monday Mastermind calls. She’s also newly engaged and currently planning her own wedding, so for this one, she’s weighing in as both photographer and bride-to-be. We got into where the “six to eight weeks” expectation even comes from (spoiler: nobody actually knows, it’s more myth than rulebook), and how Chloe’s shifted her own turnaround this year. We also talked about why I don’t put any delivery timeframe in my contract at all, on purpose, because most couples don’t know what’s “normal” until someone tells them otherwise. And from the bride side of the table, Chloe shared what it was actually like booking her own wedding photographer, whether his delivery time factored into the decision at all. The conversation kept circling back to the same point: it was never really about the number of weeks. It’s about whether your couples know what to expect and when, and whether you’re staying in touch or going quiet. Got a problem of your own? Submit it completely anonymously, and it might be the one we cover next. Submit your Dear Devlin question → This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit photographyfarm.substack.com
