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

[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!