I've made the mistake of trying to be a guest and a photographer at the same time. If you try to do that then you will fail at one and possibly both. In my experience, shooting a wedding is very demanding of time, skill, concentration, planning and so on and there is no let up between shooting to kick back and relax with a drink and take time out for a friendly chat. Once you've shot the wedding there is then the time required to PP the results, as well as the time preparing in advance, plus the kit bag of valuable, heavy gear to be lugged around and guarded all day long. It just doesn't work out well for the "photographer". The "guest" element doesn't even feature, if you want to do a good job of the photography. It's four days of unpaid work, and that's on top of buying a present.
Having learned the hard way that I'm the one to suffer when doing these "favours", I now simply tell people that if I'm invited as a guest then I shall be a guest, and I will not be taking my camera. If it's for family or friends then I would expect to be there as a guest. Thus any request to take my camera will be greeted with a polite "No". It keeps things far simpler that way.
p.s. at the last wedding I shot as a "favour", there were two other togs there who shoot for a living (not weddings). I was told that my photos were the best of the bunch, and from what I saw of the other efforts I would have to agree. I've been told by the MOB that one of my images could be on the cover of Vogue, and she has the image printed and hung on the wall at home. All I got from the B&G was a "Thank you." email, and a comment that got fed back to me was "Of course his images are good - he was using a £4,000 camera." The fracking cheek of it! And we bought them a gift too. :bang:
I have to disagree with you there Tim, based on my own experience.
I have shot 2 weddings (in total) and both were for very close friends, for free. I was also, of course, invited as a guest to both and thoroughly enjoyed myself and got plastered at the receptions along with everyone else.
They were about a year apart but the amount of work / arrangement I made with the couples were the same for both so I will just explain it once...
I went to the church / venue before the day to do a recce - with the couple (and my missus) - and had a lovely lunch on the way home with my good friends. I don't really consider that to be work, pretty nice day out actually.
On the day, I started out at the Brides house, took some shots of her getting ready, then drove over to the Grooms house to do the same. Went to the church with the Groom and took shots of guests arriving, and then the BM's/Bride, shot the ceremony, signing the register, formals outside afterwards, had a whale of a time shouting directions at everyone and getting the **** taken out of me for doing so. Reportage style after that with my camera in one hand and a glass of champagne in the other while moving around, chatting to the other guests (more friends!) and then on to the reception.... A few shots of the speeches, cutting the cake, first dance. DONE by 9pm, drunk by 10.
During the following week we invited the couple round for dinner and to go through the photos. Binned the duff shots and star rated the rest for a web gallery and for an album. Had a nice evening chatting about the day etc, had a few beers.
Did the same thing again the week after but this time put the albums together (a posh photobook for one couple and a DVD for the other). Another nice meal with good friends and a fun evening.
Like I said I did both for free, in fact I made it my wedding present to them and in the case of the second couple I bought the book for them too.
Did I do this because I am a mug? I don't think so, I had a great time doing it for them. WITH them. It was hardly work. They are my friends and it's good to do nice things for each other. They couldn't have been more appreciative and both the couples and their families loved the photos which obviously made me feel great!
Also, in ten years time no one will remember who gave them the toaster that they threw out 5 years ago....
Obviously if I was making a living from it I would think differently (like I do with IT, as someone else mentioned.. I answer the phone to my family "Have you turned it off and on again?") but having your hobby make people happy is a good thing.
Anyway, back to my point... you CAN be a guest and the photographer and still enjoy yourself. I've done it, twice! And would I do it again? Hell yeah.
And they couldn't afford a few bob for a photographer. Nothing changes I guess.:shrug:
he types up a full invoice for the wedding - at his normal rates, rather than mates rates and posts it to them. Then later that evening, before the bill reaches them, he phones them up... "Hi, It's Martin, how was the honeymoon, good,good. Look - there's been a bit of a mixup - the old dear I use to send out my bills was going through and noticed i'd done a couple of weddings that didn't get billed, and she's sent them belated bills out... er, your's is one of them. Don't worry about it, bring it 'round and i'll endorse it as to be credited - otherwise the old dear will have you in court for it"
