wedding trouble.

woody12

woody12

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Hi, Would like some advice as i'm in a bit of a hole really. A friend at work not close friend is gettiing married in the summer and all my friends pointed him my way in regards doing the photos. I declined saying i've no experience and just shoot for fun. He begged me to do the job and my only saving grace is i'm doing the work all day for free!! If it goes badly least i can't say i've taken money on false pretenses. What sort of things should i be looking at shooting and do i need any other equipment apart from camera, tripod spare battery. I really don't want to do this but feel i can't let him down now. Apparently he was quoted at £400 for one hours work from another source. Can't imagine why he wants me! Help
 
Tell him no and stick to your guns.

Ask him if the venue is free,the cake and the rest of the overpriced tat associated with weddings is free, if he answers no, then ask him why he should get his photos done for free.
 
If you are going aheadd
What lenses have you got
What's the venue like light wise
Have a look around at others togs pics and see if you can get ideas for shots etc
 
woody12 said:
Hi, Would like some advice as i'm in a bit of a hole really. A friend at work not close friend is gettiing married in the summer and all my friends pointed him my way in regards doing the photos. I declined saying i've no experience and just shoot for fun. He begged me to do the job and my only saving grace is i'm doing the work all day for free!! If it goes badly least i can't say i've taken money on false pretenses. What sort of things should i be looking at shooting and do i need any other equipment apart from camera, tripod spare battery. I really don't want to do this but feel i can't let him down now. Apparently he was quoted at £400 for one hours work from another source. Can't imagine why he wants me! Help
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fracster said:
Tell him no and stick to your guns.

Ask him if the venue is free,the cake and the rest of the overpriced tat associated with weddings is free, if he answers no, then ask him why he should get his photos done for free.
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What Frac said

that aside its worth noting that its not £400 for one hours work , its £400 for an hours shooting (and that's short for a wedding) plus the P&P , plus the togs travel time, plus the fact that they can't take another booking on the same day (and plus other random expenses like depreciation on gear, insurance, etc).
 
Why would you shoot a wedding for free, that you really don't want to - and to top it all spend money yourself on kit in order to do so ?

Bonkers....
 
I was put forward by a friend to do someone's wedding a few years ago. As soon as I Emailed them and mentioned agreeing a price, they never contacted me again. I am not good enough to shoot a wedding, but why should someone expect to spend hundreds on catering, venue, "costumes", cars, then thousands on ring(s) and honeymoon, and expect someone to do a very stressful task for free?
We are sometimes regarded as very low down in the food chain, and it does not make sense.
 
What everyone has already said, DON'T DO IT!

Sounds like you've been bullied into this. He's not a friend, otherwise he would understand and accept your answer, which is NO!
 
DO IT! I think you want to really, and you are pleased that people have pointed at you.

The guy wants something done for nothing. You are flattered that you've been asked.

Like many, you want to find out what it's like to shoot a wedding. It's great, I loved them. This is an opportunity to find out what it's like.
Just make sure you have your back covered if you balls up...Not charging is one thing and perhaps something in writing signed by the happy couple...or perhaps just say invite me as a guest and i'll get what I can, as a guest/uncle bob type.

As long as they know what they are getting or not might be getting, then it's their fault if you balls up and they didn't use a seasoned pro.

And if you do it, good luck and enjoy the experience.
 
Well, everyone says you shoudn't do it for free.

but I don't see it like that, I see this as an oppertunity for some experience gain.

He wants it for free, ok cool, but make him understand and sign in writing that there is no garentee of any quality of work and he has no recourse against you and that you are purely an ammateur in this field.

You go, shoot to the best of your ability, learn and produce some above average shots for him (because you're probably a good enough photographer anyway).

He gets his photos on a DVD for free, you learn how to shoot better.

Just check your gear, maybe hire a lens etc.

Off you go :)
 
Do it but charge for it. That will make him/her change their mind.
 
Regarding equipment you need a flash as well use it outside as fill in and inside signing the register and at the reception etc. make a list of the shots you and the couple want but take whatever you want as well. Take as many as you can it is after all a once in a lifetime day. Make sure you shoot in high quality Jpeg or raw as well
 
I know exactly how you feel.

My mrs's brother asked me to together at his wedding. He was not in a position to afford to pay someone to do it properly, and it was only a small wedding in a registry office so all was done on a budget.

I explained I'd never done anything like it before and that my shots probably wouldn't be very good. Which was understood and I went ahead and tried my best.

In all fairness I didn't do very well. But between myself and other family members with their compacts we managed to put together a quite good album.

As long as everybody's expectations aren't too high and you want to give it a go there is no harm in trying. You can only try your best at the end of the day.

Looking back I can't say as I enjoyed the pressure, but I learnt a lot and it gave me some extra confidence to do a better job next time around (been asked km do the same for my aunt).

As for equipment all I used was a nikon d40 with the kit 18-55 lens and onboard flash.

Without any doubt a pro would have done the job a million times better, but I got a few shots I was really pleased with and the couple were pleased also.
 
Stick to your original decision and stick with no if you don't feel comfotable doing it.

However if you do decide to do it, you'll definitely need a flash, and some fast glass as a minimum IMO!
 
Tell him you broke your camera, plenty of notice for him to get a replacement, but suggest if he doesn't want a professional job done, he buys a load of single use cameras and hands them out on the day (especially to the kids), then collects them again afterwards.
 
I was second photographer at a friends wedding at the weekend, my girlfriend was their bridesmaid and whilst they had a professional he was only covering from the car arriving to getting to the reception, I did the preparation and reception stuff.

Things I learnt which might help if you do end up doing it;

1) Don't underestimate how dark the venue is, in the reception I was down to 1/60th at f2.5, ISO 1600!

2) Know your kit inside out, I was hoping my 5D Mkiii would have been there, looking back I was much better off with the kit I knew well rather than learning a new body on the job. Make sure you know how to change settings on the fly without taking your eye off, despite what you would imagine things are quite fast paced when you're trying your best to record them.

3) Take backups of everything, I was using two bodies, a 1Ds Mkii with 24-105 and a 1D Mkii with 135mm F2, each with a flash. I shot loads of cards, keep changing cards when there was a lull so if one corrupted I wouldn't have lost the whole day, I also had a 32Gb SD card in each camera's second slot as a further backup. I kept all the cards on me in hard cases, then as soon as I got home I downloaded them, backed up my computer to an external hard drive and kept the full memory cards offsite in case of catastrophic fire or flood.

4) If you're using heavy gear make sure you've got a way of carrying it, I used a Blackrapid DR1 dual harness which was perfect, if I'd been relying on the standard neck straps I think I'd have done myself an injury!

5) Keep thinking of new approaches, get up high, down low, in close, out far, to make sure you've got a wide variety of shots, and take a few of each view to allow for folk blinking.

Not an exhaustive list, just a few tips that might help a fellow wedding beginner.
 
If you dont want to do it then just give him a quote of £2000 :thumbs:
 
If he wants you to do the deed and you are not sure you are capable, I can foresee trouble in th eoffing. You will do your best, but will it match up to their expectations? If not, they will blame you, and probably your friend for recommending you, and that would potentially spoil their friendship.

Were you going as a guest anyway? Or have they asked you especially? You need to balance their expectations for a reasonable set of pictures to record their special day and your desire to have a bit of fun taking wedding pictures to "give it a go".

To make any sort of job of it, without taking an inordinate amountof time and spoiling the day, you need to be able to manage people and time - you need to have a plan and be able to deviate from it, thinking on the fly. You must not need to work out what you need to do with the camera kit, that must be second nature - if you fumble and dally the effect will transfer to the subjects, they will sense you are struggling and then their facial expressions will be ones of worry/concern - even if they are smiling with their lips, the look in their eyes will give it away.

Remember, the eyes. The eyes are the doorway to the soul.
 
Look at it another way, they don't think your good enough to pay but think your mug enough to work for free.
Trouble is theres a lot that can (and does) go wrong at weddings, theres tricky lighting, akward people, vicars who don't allow flash, and thats without the drunks/fights etc, if you mess up it'll spoil your friendship.
Sadly even though your free theres still going to be expecations of quality, and these days people are quick to sue if something goes wrong, I'd suggest you think very carefully and if you do go ahead at least get a contract signed covering you in the event of a problem.
 
swanseamale47 said:
Look at it another way, they don't think your good enough to pay but think your mug enough to work for free.
Trouble is theres a lot that can (and does) go wrong at weddings, theres tricky lighting, akward people, vicars who don't allow flash, and thats without the drunks/fights etc, if you mess up it'll spoil your friendship.
Sadly even though your free theres still going to be expecations of quality, and these days people are quick to sue if something goes wrong, I'd suggest you think very carefully and if you do go ahead at least get a contract signed covering you in the event of a problem.
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:clap:
Well said.
I should also say, that these "freebie" wedding shoots can be a bit like "pass the parcel". Last week my missus told me that one of the girls at her work has bottled doing a wedding for some friends, and wanted to suggest that I may be interested. I have got back to her and suggested that we both do it, or suggest that another person we know might be interested:lol:
Everyone wants to pay over the odds for their wedding - except when it comes to the photography.:(
 
andy700 said:
:clap:
Well said.
I should also say, that these "freebie" wedding shoots can be a bit like "pass the parcel". Last week my missus told me that one of the girls at her work has bottled doing a wedding for some friends, and wanted to suggest that I may be interested. I have got back to her and suggested that we both do it, or suggest that another person we know might be interested:lol:
Everyone wants to pay over the odds for their wedding - except when it comes to the photography.:(
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Funny you should say that, this week I heard of two that passed around because they were a freebee weddings, in both cases the first wanted paying so second choice got asked.
 
i'd do it in a heartbeat. What's the problem? Just tell them... you'll turn up.. take loads of pictures of the day.. free meal.. free booze... first dabs on the bridesmaids and if you don't like the pics then that's their choice. Be clear on that though.. NO OBLIGATION ON YOUR PART.

Only you know if you can produce images that will be of a reasonably acceptable quality - which is the best they can expect for a freebie :thumbs:
 
leftcurl said:
i'd do it in a heartbeat. What's the problem? Just tell them... you'll turn up.. take loads of pictures of the day.. free meal.. free booze... first dabs on the bridesmaids and if you don't like the pics then that's their choice. Be clear on that though.. NO OBLIGATION ON YOUR PART.

Only you know if you can produce images that will be of a reasonably acceptable quality - which is the best they can expect for a freebie :thumbs:
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The risk is if the OP messes up it'll spoil his friendship with the couple. I know that people always say it's ok we only want a few snaps but the expectation is still there, theres the "he has a proper camera he must take good pictures" then if they get dissapointed it's bad news all around.
 
yeah and shooting for freinds and family is harder than it is for strangers because the other guests don't give you the respect that a proffesional gets so organising them is murder
 
woody12 said:
A friend at work not close friend is gettiing married in the summer and all my friends pointed him my way in regards doing the photos.
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each to their own i suppose... but i think all it boils down to is if the OP is capable of producing the work.
 
leftcurl said:
i'd do it in a heartbeat. What's the problem? Just tell them... you'll turn up.. take loads of pictures of the day.. free meal And seconds and thirds!.. free booze.Lots of free booze.. first dabs on the bridesmaids Cos they is reallly fit, particularly after all this booze:naughty: and if you don't like the pics then that's their choice. Be clear on that though.. NO OBLIGATION ON YOUR PART.

Only you know if you can produce images that will be of a reasonably acceptable quality - which is the best they can expect for a freebie :thumbs:
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What can possibly go wrong?:lol::lol::lol:
 
leftcurl said:
each to their own i suppose... but i think all it boils down to is if the OP is capable of producing the work.
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but if he's not a close freind why would you work for him for free , especially if you don't really want to do it ?
 
big soft moose said:
but if he's not a close freind why would you work for him for free , especially if you don't really want to do it ?
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I agree Pete, it is like torture on so many different levels. So much to go wrong and the possibility of no thanks or payment = madness IMO.
 
Hi, thanks for all the advice and tips. After chatting with my friend he has gone with my advice and taken on a pro for the day, I'm going to take pictures as a guest with the privilege of taking photos with this pro who I know. This will be give me experience for future if I want to do this kind of work plus my friend will have extra shots free from me without the pressure. I'm sure he get some good pictures as he's being charged £500 for an afternoons work! Many thanks and if he will let me I'll post the results later in the summer.
 
Would just make sure to get things written down and signed personally.

As already mentioned, you are doing it for free but they still want their most important day to be remembered, by photos. People are too quick to sue these days, even if he is a friend, doesn't stop him thinking you took the **** with the photos (free or charged him).

Then what leg do you stand on, you did the work for free, yet getting sued for £3000.
 
woody12 said:
Hi, thanks for all the advice and tips. After chatting with my friend he has gone with my advice and taken on a pro for the day, I'm going to take pictures as a guest with the privilege of taking photos with this pro who I know. This will be give me experience for future if I want to do this kind of work plus my friend will have extra shots free from me without the pressure. I'm sure he get some good pictures as he's being charged £500 for an afternoons work! Many thanks and if he will let me I'll post the results later in the summer.
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That sounds like a good solution to your problem, especially if you can get some experience as well - at least you can now relax and have a good day as well as try your hand at some wedding photography. Hope it all goes well for you and you have an amazing time!:)
 
ant1 said:
Would just make sure to get things written down and signed personally.

As already mentioned, you are doing it for free but they still want their most important day to be remembered, by photos. People are too quick to sue these days, even if he is a friend, doesn't stop him thinking you took the **** with the photos (free or charged him).

Then what leg do you stand on, you did the work for free, yet getting sued for £3000.
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I'm not sure that you can be sued in the UK unless you cause damage, injury or financial loss. Somebody who's a bit more clued up may be able to confirm.

FWIW (and I know this is a big subject), I would do this sort of thing for very close friends but nobody else. With the usual caveats about preparation. Just make sure you do as much reading of these threads as possible before you commit!
 
woody12 said:
Hi, thanks for all the advice and tips. After chatting with my friend he has gone with my advice and taken on a pro for the day, I'm going to take pictures as a guest with the privilege of taking photos with this pro who I know. This will be give me experience for future if I want to do this kind of work plus my friend will have extra shots free from me without the pressure. I'm sure he get some good pictures as he's being charged £500 for an afternoons work! Many thanks and if he will let me I'll post the results later in the summer.
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He is being charged £500 for someone with the right kit, who (hopefully) knows how to do it and for probably twice as much time after the event doing PP. It's not just an afternoon's work.

Mike
 
Rockman said:
He is being charged £500 for someone with the right kit, who (hopefully) knows how to do it and for probably twice as much time after the event doing PP. It's not just an afternoon's work.

Mike
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The preparation and post shoot work is often forgotten about. Our wedding photographer met us 2 or 3 times before our wedding, I also know that he visited the church to speak with the vicar, was at the rehearsal the night before, was there with 3 other togs an hour before the service started right through until 10 pm at night. A week later, 300 fully edited photos were online and a couple of weeks after that we had a beautifully produced wedding album. We thought we were paying a lot at the time but looking back it was incredible value for money.
 
What a lot of people forget is a decent wedding photographer is probably carrying anywhere between £5-10k worth of equipment so at £500 your talking 10-20 weddings before they even pay back on their equipment outlay. That's not to mention the time for PP, years of training costs, software costs, insurance, travel expenses etc. When you think a wedding cake can cost the same it sort of puts it into perspective a little. I can however understand how photography can be underestimated by the general public however. They can prob take decent snaps with their point and shoot so "how hard can it be?". They don't realise what it actually involves going from that level to the images a competent photographer will produce.
 
I'm in a similar situation to the OP and went straight in with details of a friend who is a professional. I've said I'll take informal shots later, so they can just use the pro for the important bits, but I've not got the people management skills which I think are just as important as the photography skills for a wedding photographer.
 
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