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

[clemmb]

One thing that I was thinking that hasn't been mentioned, if I am using both flashes on camera I will need at least one flip flash bracket to go from landscape to portrait & keep the flash on top?

Can anyone recommend a good inexpensive flip flash bracket for a 7d (without grip) that can be used easily handheld?

I have an L bracket on my camera but if I use my camera on a tripod in portrait orientation, I won't be able to use on-camera flash! I may have to take all shots in landscape.

If your daughter is going to operate a camera on tripod, grudgingly, she probably will not be willing to flip it to portrait so you will not be needing a flash bracket.

Flipping a flash on a bracket while on a tripod is why I like a http://www.newtoncamerabrackets.com/ but these are expensive but this one works in a similar way but much less expensive, http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/produc...h_Bracket.html. A friend of mine has this one and he likes it.

On another note you said something about some shots she was not interested in or someone said something about shooting other people that are not on the list of shots. Digital is free and you cannot sell a shot you did not take so take shots of her guest. They may see them and want to buy copies too

[ddt0725]

If your daughter is going to operate a camera on tripod, grudgingly, she probably will not be willing to flip it to portrait so you will not be needing a flash bracket.

Flipping a flash on a bracket while on a tripod is why I like a http://www.newtoncamerabrackets.com/ but these are expensive but this one works in a similar way but much less expensive, http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/produc...h_Bracket.html. A friend of mine has this one and he likes it.

On another note you said something about some shots she was not interested in or someone said something about shooting other people that are not on the list of shots. Digital is free and you cannot sell a shot you did not take so take shots of her guest. They may see them and want to buy copies too

Thanks, Mark! Yes, I am hoping my daughter can catch a great deal of those shots of the people not on the "high priority" list while I do my best to capture everyone that is at the top of the list.

[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.

[ddt0725]

Errr ...I could kick myself! I didn't realize that the latest 3-day live seminar on Creative Live was "Wedding Photography with Joe Buissink"! I just caught part of the last episode that was on contracts. It would have been so beneficial to see it from the beginning! Thursday he discussed his unique approach to client pitch meetings, lighting techniques and the benefits of compact camera gear! Perfect for me to have seen! Yesterday he went on-location at a local church where he held a live shoot.

Did anyone catch any of the seminar? I'm not going to purchase it for $99 but it sure would have been great to see it for free!! Today, I did learn a couple things about contracts that I didn't know before but it was hard to remember all of the paragraph wording that he recommended should be included in a contract.

[Jayson]

Errr ...I could kick myself! I didn't realize that the latest 3-day live seminar on Creative Live was "Wedding Photography with Joe Buissink"! I just caught part of the last episode that was on contracts. It would have been so beneficial to see it from the beginning! Thursday he discussed his unique approach to client pitch meetings, lighting techniques and the benefits of compact camera gear! Perfect for me to have seen! Yesterday he went on-location at a local church where he held a live shoot.

Did anyone catch any of the seminar? I'm not going to purchase it for $99 but it sure would have been great to see it for free!! Today, I did learn a couple things about contracts that I didn't know before but it was hard to remember all of the paragraph wording that he recommended should be included in a contract.

They are doing another re-watch now.

[ddt0725]

They are doing another re-watch now.

OMG! And I went to bed earlier than usual! I just tuned in now and it is at the last 2 minutes of the final episode that I already saw!

[Jayson]

On again Denise.

[ddt0725]

I'm on it!! Thanks, Jayson! I don't know how far it is into it but I didn't see this part yet!

[ddt0725]

It's pretty much right at the beginning of what he covers if anyone else wants to tune in! I can't wait until he goes on the live shoot!