Ok, hold the laughter ...ME a wedding photographer!???

[HDNitehawk]

My thoughts in order to your questions;

1, You have very good photography skills. Your skills are probably higher than many "wedding" photographers that are professional now. But there is more to it than the technical side. I think that as long as you are honest with her, and do not oversell yourself and then she decides to use you then it is ok. Be up front and honest just as you are here. If she is ok with it then, sure go for it because she has assumed the risk, most likely so she could save money.

2, Stick with your 7D and another if possible. Don't switch equipment at such an important time, it might backfire. Of course a 5D II works similar to a 7D, but what if some unknown pops up and you get a set of bad pictures.

3, One question after she decides to hire you, "Are you sure you understand that I have never photographed a wedding, and I want to make sure you are comfortable with this?"

Out of the many “I am going to be new a wedding photographer” posts I have seen on this site, I would say you are the one I would say go and do it.

[ddt0725]

My thoughts in order to your questions;

1, You have very good photography skills. Your skills are probably higher than many "wedding" photographers that are professional now. But there is more to it than the technical side. I think that as long as you are honest with her, and do not oversell yourself and then she decides to use you then it is ok. Be up front and honest just as you are here. If she is ok with it then, sure go for it because she has assumed the risk, most likely so she could save money.

2, Stick with your 7D and another if possible. Don't switch equipment at such an important time, it might backfire. Of course a 5D II works similar to a 7D, but what if some unknown pops up and you get a set of bad pictures.

3, One question after she decides to hire you, "Are you sure you understand that I have never photographed a wedding, and I want to make sure you are comfortable with this?"

Out of the many “I am going to be new a wedding photographer” posts I have seen on this site, I would say you are the one I would say go and do it.

Thank you! I feel I have a good grasp on what she as a bride would want to see in the final images and I have reviewed many of the local wedding photographers websites and can see what I would and would not do. I know what I would want to capture is I guess what I am saying. I know what my daughter ended up with from an expensive "professional wedding photographer" and I look at those photos now and think OMG, what was he thinking! So many of the outdoor ones show so much shadow!

There is a local professional wedding photographer posted on craigslist and I guess it's not proper to post the link here but all of her shots of weddings on her website, the photos are blown out! I was looking at her site online last night and wondering is that suppose to be a romantic way of doing it? I didn't find it appealing at all! I can see applying maybe a softness in post to give it a romantic look. Is there a special techinque used in capturing wedding photos that is different than in other types of photography? For example, if I were to take a photo of a white bird, I would want to try and capture as much detail in that bird as possible. Yet, in the photos I was looking at last night, the wedding dress was just blown out white in every shot, no detail at all.

I know what I would want to try and capture. The question is, can I make the brides vision a reality. I would do my best I would most definitely be up front with her on my inexperience. My youngest daughter is willing to come with as my assistant and help in any way she can, say if I take outdoor shots, she would hold a reflector, etc.

[HDNitehawk]

I know what I would want to try and capture. The question is, can I make the brides vision a reality. I would do my best I would most definitely be up front with her on my inexperience. My youngest daughter is willing to come with as my assistant and help in any way she can, say if I take outdoor shots, she would hold a reflector, etc.

There is nothing wrong with taking the job if you have been honest and upfront.
After you talk to the person, if they want to save money and use you, they are grown adults and can make that decision for themselves. You do not have to second guess the decision.
Take the job if offered.

[neuroanatomist]

Out of the many “I am going to be new a wedding photographer” posts I have seen on this site, I would say you are the one I would say go and do it.

+1 on this. Your evident skill behind the camera, and the fact that you know the right questions to ask (and no one had to tell you that you need two cameras, etc.), mean you can do this. As Rick states, be up front and honest. Wedding photography is part skill, part personality, and part experience, and I think you've got the first two covered.

Ok, so it's now after 11am CDT - how did the conversation go?

[ddt0725]

+1 on this. Your evident skill behind the camera, and the fact that you know the right questions to ask (and no one had to tell you that you need two cameras, etc.), mean you can do this. As Rick states, be up front and honest. Wedding photography is part skill, part personality, and part experience, and I think you've got the first two covered.

Ok, so it's now after 11am CDT - how did the conversation go?

Thanks, John! It is that 3rd part that has me scared to death! But if I don't, I will always wonder if I could have.

[Jordan]

Hi Denise!

I haven't been on here in a while, but just looked today and wanted to say that I agree with some of the others. Your photography is much better than many wedding photographers out there. Here's how I have prepared to shoot weddings and would suggest the same for you:

APPRENTICE with a GOOD-QUALITY, full-time (or at least full-time during wedding season) photographer in your area. Do maybe three weddings as their assistant. Preferably for a little pay, but even just to be AT a wedding and learn the flow. That's the hardest part. You know the gear, you know the editing. The only thing is: If you aren't in the right spot at JUST the right time, you won't get the shot.

After you get maybe three second-shooter weddings under your belt, THEN I'd definitely try to get a wedding every now and then and just go from there. I think you'll do much better than you think! Also, yeah rent a 5DMkII or a MarkIII preferably, as it's a better camera and it's more similar to your 7D. Hell after a few maybe you can afford to upgrade to the MarkIII

So you'll only be charging $65 and hour, of which $10 of it goes to an assistant? Hmm.. I was thinking 90-100 per hour. $400 is very very reasonable, in fact perhaps too reasonable. I'm actually shooting a wedding TODAY for $750, and I only gave them that discount because they referred a client to me that I made some good money from, so I agreed to a lower-price as a thank you. I have to spend $100 to rent a car to drive the 45 min south to shoot it for the day, plus $150 to rent a 5DMk3, of which I already own (just need it as a backup camera!) I'll leave in a few hours to shoot it. I'm only making $500 but it's ALL profit. Granted I've shot a few weddings before, I'm still not a "wedding photographer" yet... hmm... are YOU comfortable with the $400 price? I think that's the question!

- Jordan
www.freshphotoblog.com

[ddt0725]

Hi Denise!

I haven't been on here in a while, but just looked today and wanted to say that I agree with some of the others. Your photography is much better than many wedding photographers out there. Here's how I have prepared to shoot weddings and would suggest the same for you:

APPRENTICE with a GOOD-QUALITY, full-time (or at least full-time during wedding season) photographer in your area. Do maybe three weddings as their assistant. Preferably for a little pay, but even just to be AT a wedding and learn the flow. That's the hardest part. You know the gear, you know the editing. The only thing is: If you aren't in the right spot at JUST the right time, you won't get the shot.

After you get maybe three second-shooter weddings under your belt, THEN I'd definitely try to get a wedding every now and then and just go from there. I think you'll do much better than you think! Also, yeah rent a 5DMkII or a MarkIII preferably, as it's a better camera and it's more similar to your 7D. Hell after a few maybe you can afford to upgrade to the MarkIII

So you'll only be charging $65 and hour, of which $10 of it goes to an assistant? Hmm.. I was thinking 90-100 per hour. $400 is very very reasonable, in fact perhaps too reasonable. I'm actually shooting a wedding TODAY for $750, and I only gave them that discount because they referred a client to me that I made some good money from, so I agreed to a lower-price as a thank you. I have to spend $100 to rent a car to drive the 45 min south to shoot it for the day, plus $150 to rent a 5DMk3, of which I already own (just need it as a backup camera!) I'll leave in a few hours to shoot it. I'm only making $500 but it's ALL profit. Granted I've shot a few weddings before, I'm still not a "wedding photographer" yet... hmm... are YOU comfortable with the $400 price? I think that's the question!

- Jordan
www.freshphotoblog.com

Thanks for the advice, Jordan and good luck on your wedding today!! Hopefully, after I have done more than zero of these, I will be able to walk away with a profit that I am proud of! In the meantime, this is the only offer I have to gain any experience at the moment. It is 3-5 minutes from my house, it's small and I am not renting any equipment. I will be putting myself through a great deal of stress I know but I will walk away with some experience in wedding photography, contracts and pricing, post-processing, spending time on an assignment with my daughter and allowing a couple to have some lasting memories from their big day that they obviously would not have been able to do otherwise. IMO, all of this priceless!

So, yeah I am ok with it! Would I like to be making more $ from it, sure! But it is what it is and since I am not doing anything else, the most I am giving up is chilling on here with you guys (sigh ) on the evening of September 29th and I will be editing their photos instead of my own afterwards of which I can use for my own benefit in the future.

As much as I could use more of a financial benefit from doing this, sometimes you just have to look at the non-monetary value of something.

[Steve U]

I will be putting myself through a great deal of stress I know but I will walk away with some experience in wedding photography, contracts and pricing, post-processing, spending time on an assignment with my daughter and allowing a couple to have some lasting memories from their big day that they obviously would not have been able to do otherwise. IMO, all of this priceless!

So, yeah I am ok with it! Would I like to be making more $ from it, sure! But it is what it is and since I am not doing anything else, the most I am giving up is chilling on here with you guys (sigh ) on the evening of September 29th and I will be editing their photos instead of my own afterwards of which I can use for my own benefit in the future.

As much as I could use more of a financial benefit from doing this, sometimes you just have to look at the non-monetary value of something.

Just catching up on this epic thread and I re-read your response here Denise and I think your thoughts and feelings are spot-on and will work to making the day pefect for the bridal couple and yourself.
Having been in business for quite a few years, I never charge a client for my own on the job training. If I am improving my own skill set, I don't charge for my time and sometimes not even for materials as I look at these experiences as a piece in the big picture.
Business relationships can become strained even with the best contract and it pays to be flexible and understanding, especially on a stressful wedding day. This couple could end up being your best marketing investment. A stepping stone to a career and an income from one of your passions. And it doesn't get better than that.
I watched a female wedding photographer shoot a wedding the other day as I was snapping sunset shots at Cleveland. She was only tiny, by herself, but she was a little dynamo, great personality, encouraging, guiding and it made me think of you.

[ddt0725]

I watched a female wedding photographer shoot a wedding the other day as I was snapping sunset shots at Cleveland. She was only tiny, by herself, but she was a little dynamo, great personality, encouraging, guiding and it made me think of you.

Awwww ...that's me, a little dynamo!