Should I or Shouldn't I? A wedding

dod

dod

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Ebenezer McScrooge III
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Totally out of the blue today I got a phone call asking if I would do a friend of a friend of a friends wedding. My initial reaction in my mind was "sod off" :D but the thought of a few quid over ruled my mouth so I said I'd think about it. :(

The reason why I'm not sure is simply one of confidence and fear of messing up someone's big day. His third one apparently ;) That and I suppose I never feel that comfortable about people photography.

BUT, it's a small civil ceremony in a local hotel. Maximum of about 12 guests, some nice surroundings at the hotel, nice white ceilings inside. Despite the concerns I can't help thinking that as weddings go this must be about one of the "easiest" introductions there could be. I'm okay for kit, including spares (probably need to get a stofen or something) and there are plenty of threads about the types of shots to take.

What do the experts think?
 
as the official photographer?


if so then no, whereas the chances of a friend not being happy with the images might be slim, your dealing with people you dont know, you might end up with a load of hastle when the pictures (Which might be perfect) dont meet *EXACTLY* what they invisaged and you end up with your ass sued (it happens in the states, im sure it'll happen here) and some very unhappy people. learn behind a pro at some friends weddings and then work your way up, its the path of least resistance..


if your bieng paid they'll expect a certain standard, and if you dont reach it the **** might fly.


baptism of fire isnt always the best policy as it can all go wrong and you end up dousing your burning arse in the font!


dod- i dont know anything about your abilities as a photog but personally i wouldnt do it, and ive just turned down similar with someone who i know, because i dont know them well enough.
 
A stofen is something I would have at the top of my list (y)

spare batts, more memory then you think you'll need are a close second.

After that, you need to try and enjoy it, but remain firm with the people, I found getting people to pose for the formal shots on par with knitting fog :eek:

And then take advantage of the stonkingly kind gesture from colab and save 10% on getting some excellent prints.
 
Obey your instincts would be my advice I think.....if you're not totally confident that you are going to be okay with it then thank them for thinking of you but decline. Being nervous is one thing - but verturing out of your usual comfort zone without feeling totally confident that you can produce the goods is another altogether.
 
I've just done my mates wedding as the unofficial photographer because he wanted some photojournalistic type shots as well as the usual formal stuff. It was cool as there was no pressure to perform (unless you include the first dance, speeches, cutting the cake etc as the official 'tog had buggered off by then)

If I were you, I'd be telling them that a) it's gonna cost at least £1500 and that you haven't done one before. lol. that may put them off...

I guess providing you're confident you can pull it off then it's worth doing, from what I've seen of your motox stuff you certainly have the skills.

oh, and I get one of those fong dome things. And tap ced up for some advice!
 
i have photographed two friends weddings , i did not however get a ' fee ' for doing it, it was all on the understanding that it would be my gift to the happy couple, and that they understood that i was not a pro snapper ,

this said they agreed and were very happy with the pictures, and as they didnt know one end of a lens from another, every pic was ' great'

on a side note, both events were taken on 35mm film long b4 digital was around...and that has its own problems as you have to wait for the pix to come back from the lab b4 you know how good they are


some advice i would give is.....get a second camera ( borrow one ), even if its only a compact, any camera is better than no camera if the worst should happen to your DSLR , go to the venue and take test pics for lighting and surroundings, this can be done a few days b4, or an hour b4 the wedding ,

DONT DRINK untill after you have taken all the ' formal ' shots ,

and all the usual , like batts, mem-cards etc ,

dont be shy , especially with the rellies, strong firm voice, and make em look at you , double up ur shots to, you always get someone with their eyes closed or lookin the other way,

although the above posts advice is valid , i personally think its a good starting point taking pix at a friends wedding , and would still do it if asked

MyPix
 
MyPix said:
DONT DRINK untill after you have taken all the ' formal ' shots ,


MyPix
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This is the best advice ever. Looking back at my shots I can see the quality take a sharp dip once I started on the 30yr old handmade Calvados that was going around!
 
I know for a fact you would do this job with ease mate, I had the same decision to make last year and was bricking it until the proceedings got under way then it was a walk in the park dod..(y)

Two main things to remember.

1: Have a spare set of everything.

2: Be a bully and tell them where you want them, Don't wait for their instructions.

linny-wedding.jpg
 
Thanks for all the comments
whitewash said:
as the official photographer?

<snip>

dod- i dont know anything about your abilities as a photog but personally i wouldnt do it, and ive just turned down similar with someone who i know, because i dont know them well enough.
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yes to the first bit, the last bit I would say unproven for people generally. But I'll be fine if they want macro's of the rings :LOL:

There won't be any drink involved, I wouldn't be a guest and they're intending to be there for 2 hours max. They've been together for 20 years apparently.

Equipment wise I'm fine, 20D and 1D Mk2, 7Gig of cards and plenty batteries, only thing I don't have a spare of is a flash at the moment.

Right now I'm torn to be honest :shrug: I think I'll take a couple of portraits of the folk in the office tomorrow as practice, just to try things, they won't mind, I pay their wages :D

Cheers BB ;)
 
You're more than capable of doing the job Doddy, and a small civil ceremony with people you know, is a good place to start from. Don't be a wuss! :shrug:
 
Do it!

You'll only end up wondering about it all for ages if you dont and it's certainly an experience worth having. Even if it only tells you that you never want to see another wedding afterwards. ;)

I know people will say that taking wedding shots if you're not 100% sure of what you're doing is a big risk and that it should be left to pros. Well I spent many years in the darkroom trying to fix the messes that the so called pros regularly make of weddings and can tell you now that you're a better snapper than most of them.

You'll get loads of good tips for your check list here and it will be fine.

My wedding tip of the day is to remember not to fill the frame with the groups as you cant then make 5x7, 6x8 or 8x10 prints. :)
 
I say do it too!!

Cant be any worse than the 'female doggy' we used.
Pictures were awful and after she said she forgot the right equipment.

Even though she had top of the range canon stuff she still manage to get pictures we couldnt get printed off. :(
Take it easy and shoot with two cams if you have them. You'll be fine.
 
Go for it! You know that you are more than capable of doing it. At the end of the day, all people want are some nice piccies of themselves. It's not like you're gonna have 100 people to sort out and organise. Your work I've seen on here is outstanding.

When my sister got married I took along my old point n shoot Minolta film camera and got some far better shots than the wedding photographer who charged her an arm & a leg.
 
Go for it with!!!! I've only been taking pics for 8 months with my first DSLR, and when I did the non offical shots at a friends wedding last month with about 130 guests I managed OK, I got some good shots, about half a dozen were strangely overexposed (lack of experience on my part) and also at the same time I was the OFFICIAL Video man too. Plus they had dual ceromonies one civil then down the road to a church blessing.

All in all, if I can pull this off with less kit, less experience, you can do it blindfolded with a camera phone!! (y)
 
Thanks guys, told him yes. Max 2 hours, 25 prints at 8X10 and a rather nice wee payday :D

Daz, you're 100% right, if I didn't do this I'd always be wondering
 
Sorry to Hijack & Resurrect this thread, but I've just been offered the same kind of gig! 1&1/2 hour cermony at the local registry office followed by 1 hour of photo's afterwards!

I'm not too worried about the actual photography but I'm gonna need to hire some fast lenses as mine just wont cut it and due to the fact it's a posh old place, they wont allow flash inside during the ceremony.

Anybody know a good place to hire the following......

Nikon 17-55 2.8dx

Nikon 70-200 2.8 (vr?)

I will have the nifty fifty 1.8 by then so that wont be a problem, I have a body I can borrow as backup (one lens on each) plus the sb800 so should be ok on that front?

Finally, I don't have a clue how much to charge!!!!!!!

I was thinking around the £500 mark (which is cheap for around here) to include pre-ceremony consultation, Pro-printed Album of shots chosen by client plus I'll probably hand over copyright in cd form as they aren't rolling in it, which is why I've been asked to do it!

Any Advice welcome!
 
Missed this thread first time round :)

Say you'd be delighted to do it and tell them that if they are not 100% satisfied you'll do their next one half price :D
 
It's difficult to advise on how much to charge Spencer, I've charged a lot more than 500 quid for Registrar's weddings and sometimes quite a bit less. It all depends on who the customer is really. It's up to you mate, but when you work out your actual overheads, it's usually not a bad pay rate for a couple of hours work. ;)

With regard to passing on copyright, it's no bad thing IMO. I used to do that. Just storing negatives can eventually become a big indexing problem and take up a lot of space. You don't have that issue with digital, but you'll probably find that the odd dribs and drabs of re-orders for two or three prints can become a lot of hassle for the modest amount you can realistically stick onto the lab processing costs.
 
Fair comment Ced, I've just found out that the cheapest quote she's had is £600 so no doubt she'll be looking for a fair whack under that! I'm gonna go and have a chat with her tomorrow and see what she says, at least if I say £500 from the start I've got room to haggle!
 
Not sure if I should start a new thread.. but, a friend just told me the costs he has been quoted, and wasn't sure what you all thought.

As he has been invited to the wedding he has waved his fee, and has told them he would give them 35 prints at £10 each (£350). On top of this he gave them a choice of 2 albums one is £170 the other £270.

Costs of the prints seem fair but do albums really cost that much ?
 
I agreed £300 for mine, 20 10X8 prints included, any more at £10 a shot.
 
I agreed £300 for mine, 20 10X8 prints included, any more at £10 a shot.
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If your happy with that then it's all good but that's way too low in my book. If they picked someone out of the yellow pages then they could pay 3 or 4 times that much and the chances are just as high that the quality would be lower than yours as they are for equal or higher.

Sure the "pro" would have done more weddings and might handle the logistics a little better but it's such a hit and miss industry in terms of quality.
 
dazzajl said:
If your happy with that then it's all good but that's way too low in my book.
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I'd agree 100% with you, the cheapest quote he got was £600 including 30 prints. My attempt at justification to myself was:
1. First time, getting paid to learn.
2. I know him and was under a certain amount of pressure to help out. I'm not good at business and associates :(
3. It's an hour and a half's work, forgot about processing time though :bang: (See, I'm a noob :( )
4. The prints will cost about £20, still leaves a healthy margin.

There's a handy photo check list in this thread for anyone who's interested
http://photography-on-the.net/forum/showthread.php?t=138477
 
My attempt at justification to myself was:
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That wasn't meant as a critiscism at all. That last one I did was also way to cheap as I said I'd do it for print costs only but just wanted to point out you're worth more. (y)
 
dazzajl said:
That wasn't meant as a critiscism at all. That last one I did was also way to cheap as I said I'd do it for print costs only but just wanted to point out you're worth more. (y)
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I know, I was criticising myself, I just didn't have the confidence to ask for the market rate. Assuming this goes fine if I do it again I'll up the price.
 
well, I've been haggled down to £450, so I think that's fair.

They do want a few portraits done after the ceremony so I just hope I can find a nice cornfield with some corn left in it.

(corny? me?)
 
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