Wedding photography and the recent requests for freebies...

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Straight talking post nice one (y)

 
There have been some great suggestions on this thread. AliB in partilcular prompted me to get in touch with the wedding photographer I had at my wedding - dropped him an e-mail asking if he had any need for an assistant. Within a couple of hours - I had a reply, turns out he does - and after looking at the galleries from the freebie weddings I have done so far - he thinks I might be of use to him. He's getting back to me with some dates (y)
 
(y) .....just goes to show how sometimes unexpected doors open with a little push. Well done hope it works out for you. I think you have made some very valid and worthwhile comments throughout this thread.

Paul
 
AliB said:
Yes despite being mauled it is certainly something to applaud. :)
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Always remember praise (although nice to receive) only improves your ego. Critism (provided its constructive) will improve your photography.

For anyone looking to turn their photography into a business must learn firstly to take images that sell and if you are in business you are there to make money be it p/t or f/t.
 
Great post Weddinghack and pretty much sums it all up in my book. Some sound solid advice, I just hope that people read it and digest what you said.

Something I would like to add kinda following on from your post is the need for people to rush home, post a few images from their wedding then publish them here. This bothers me for two reasons. Firstly rushing the post pro is not good and not a good reflection on your business select the best then filter them, then pp them. And secondly do the happy couple know you are publishing their wedding images up online in a open communtiy forum for all to see before they do? I know that if I were part the couple and I ever found any of my wedding images up online before I had seen and approved them I would be at defcon 11 with tog involved. think before you post. Yes you want to get feedback and critque on your work but I'm sure one of the pro wedding togs would be happy to offer some advice without posting them up online for all to see.
Before anyone has a pop at me for publishing my wedding images on my 365 blog on the day of taking, I have the full permission of the bride and groom to use one image and one only for the sole purpose of my blog taken at their wedding.
 
I would like to add to this thread and hope that I dont come across as antagonistic....there have been some good points made in this thread, many views from photographers from varying levels of the 'photographic spectrum'. IMO a forum should be allowed to interject where it see's fit to benefit the people on the forum. After all a forum follows on from the 'freedoms of speech' which we enjoy in our society and allows people to come together to discuss at various levels a common or not so common subject of its choice. I think that if business and wedding photography become a major focus of this forum then maybe guidelines to help people facilitate business realtionships free or otherwise is a good idea, but this depends on who takes responsibilty if things go wrong.

I think this forum IS good for learning about business photography, but its not the sole source for information. As Weddinghack said go about your Business anyway you want...at the end of the day your business is between you and your client and hey are happy with your work who are we to comment on how you got there!!!!

I will say i'm not sure about the forums that Weddinghack is on about but I think deserving to be a Wedding Tog should be based on his photographic merits not his ability to find a forum ;)

As far as toggers posting their clients photo's here for discussion isn't copyright with the photographer ? Posting here imo is no different in posting to a blog and I think that people and prospective clients need to see the photographers current work for obvious reasons, unless the tog has an agreement with the client not to post the images publicly.

As an aspiring wedding tog (a long way off I hasten to add) I find these and other forums invaluable for information on photography, the business of photography, what works for people and what didn't work. I enjoy reading the success stories of people on here who have taken the plunge with advice taken from these forums and have made a success, in the clients eyes, of their day. IMO this in credit to the people who run and contribute to these forums....long may it continue (y)
 
As far as toggers posting their clients photo's here for discussion isn't copyright with the photographer ? Posting here imo is no different in posting to a blog and I think that people and prospective clients need to see the photographers current work for obvious reasons, unless the tog has an agreement with the client not to post the images publicly.
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Yes copyright is with the togger if that is what was agreed in the contracts. Or by verbal agreement if no contract was drawn up and yes to promote yourself you do need to digitially display examples of your work. But my point was the fact those images have been posted up online potentially before the bride and groom have seen them. Have they given concent for their images to be publically displayed. Copyright or no copyright it is common decency to seek permission before doing so. It will damage your name, your brand reputation a whole lot more if you post images online without permission than not posting at all.
I only post up images once the clients have seen them and agreed to them being used and where there are to be used, except in the case of my daily blog shot then they see it on the camera before the end of the day and agree to that shot being used. If I want to use them else where I always seek permission first and normally sweet talk the bride / groom with a gift if she / he is unsure. Never failed yet.
 
Moonhawk said:
There have been some great suggestions on this thread. AliB in partilcular prompted me to get in touch with the wedding photographer I had at my wedding - dropped him an e-mail asking if he had any need for an assistant. Within a couple of hours - I had a reply, turns out he does - and after looking at the galleries from the freebie weddings I have done so far - he thinks I might be of use to him. He's getting back to me with some dates (y)
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(y)

Fab! grab with both hands and do some brain picking :)
Glad to see you getting somewhere, I really am.;)
 
Well the forum, as expected was not to go ahead. Too many inherent problems with it, and certainly we don't think it's fair to divide the community like that.

We were planning to trial a simple "Work Offered" forum instead.....but only for established members (ie photograhers, to ask for second togs etc) only.
Wedding requests = banned. No requests from brides at all.
I agree, it opens up the floodgates and we'd become a target. We don't think an amateur doing a mates wedding cheapens the business, but still.....on a large scale, it's not something that's good for TP.

However, we've decided to go in a slightly different direction for the time being.
Talk Business and the weddings subforum is currently closed.
You may still post such subjects in the relevant forum (TP, TE etc).
 
I cant find any arguments or problems in talk business.. its been a great addition ... the wedding bit was a disaster.. but the talk business was a success.. oh well..
 
Well the Weddings forum was simply created because that was the most popular topic in Business and was overshadowing everything else...
 
Marcel said:
Well the Weddings forum was simply created because that was the most popular topic in Business and was overshadowing everything else...plus it was jolly good fun for us lurkers..............(y)
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:naughty:
 
if business posts are popular and fill talk photography general chat then it will return. Weddings is a different matter, weve had members leave over weddings, which, tbh, is simply mind-boggling.
 
Sorry but all this stuff about B&Gs not being able to afford photography is rubbish. It's a matter of priority. They can pay for cars, food, honeymoon - maybe if they cut down some of that they would pay for pictures. It has become known that amateur photographers (mostly) are a soft touch and can be found fairly easily to work for free. If there was a taxi forum, a catering forum or a travel forum where people were available for free they would be there too. Why are photographers the idiots? You don't get to become a wedding caterer or a wedding car driver by doing a few free gigs first - so stop kidding youselves that free is a route to work - it's only a route to more and more free work!
 
a new forumite is interested in weddings
 
ChrisGaskin said:
What was that for?

This cements whats been said before, someone gives their opinion and then gets ridiculed or slated. how is that helping anyone :shrug:
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:LOL::LOL:I am not rediculing or slating you I am offering you solid advice on how to break into the wedding photography business since from your post I got the idea thats what you fancied doing. Its a fail safe way of doing it and it has been used by budding pros for decades

stew
 
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