A Backdrop to die for, which brought up a Question

Jeff_Milo

I am currently on vacation up in Yosemite National Park. We went up to Glacier Point today to take pictures of Half Dome & the valley. While I was walking around I noticed a woman in a wedding dress so I went over to take a look. Turned out to be a quaint little wedding ceremony. I wanted to go over to the Photog and offer to second shoot for him, unfortunately my family wanted to drive down to the valley and see the waterfalls.




As we were driving down I was thinking to myself "what an amazing backdrop for wedding photos I would love to shoot a wedding here, I think I would do it for nothing just to have the shots in my portfolio" which led me to the question: Is there a location you would so want to shoot at that you would consider doing it for free?

ChatKat

Italy maybe or Greece or France but
I'd only consider some pretty spectacular spots. I'd be worried about taxes, work permits, insurance and tbe like. All that said, I would have to consider a lot more. I have found working for free or even a reduced price means I am paying out of pocket to work. My gear has a shelf life that costs me money. I crossed a line when I decided to be a professional photographer. And I have taken a serious look at what it really costs to shoot a wedding. Just because I own the equipment, I am paying for insurance, batteries, flash, electricity to run my computers, internet, websites. software, studio samples and products and the classes to keep current I can't afford to give my time (which is valuable) away. If I am going to do something free, then I want to do things that are really fun and personally meaningful. Where I do it can be behind a lens.

joshhuntnm

Fly me to Hawaii and I am in for doing the wedding for free.

elizabeth_Luna

ChatKat wrote:

I'd only consider some pretty spectacular spots. I'd be worried about taxes, work permits, insurance and tbe like. All that said, I would have to consider a lot more. I have found working for free or even a reduced price means I am paying out of pocket to work. My gear has a shelf life that costs me money. I crossed a line when I decided to be a professional photographer. And I have taken a serious look at what it really costs to shoot a wedding. Just because I own the equipment, I am paying for insurance, batteries, flash, electricity to run my computers, internet, websites. software, studio samples and products and the classes to keep current I can't afford to give my time (which is valuable) away. If I am going to do something free, then I want to do things that are really fun and personally meaningful. Where I do it can be behind a lens.

I hear you on that - but it's ok to do that when you start yes?

ian408

While your points are valid, the OP was asking if you had your choice of exquisite places to shoot a wedding; where would that be?--ignoring all else, where would you want to shoot a wedding?

I'd think some place like the Himalaya. The contrast between a traditional wedding and spectacular scenes and history in the region would be awesome.

ChatKat wrote:

I'd only consider some pretty spectacular spots. I'd be worried about taxes, work permits, insurance and tbe like. All that said, I would have to consider a lot more. I have found working for free or even a reduced price means I am paying out of pocket to work. My gear has a shelf life that costs me money. I crossed a line when I decided to be a professional photographer. And I have taken a serious look at what it really costs to shoot a wedding. Just because I own the equipment, I am paying for insurance, batteries, flash, electricity to run my computers, internet, websites. software, studio samples and products and the classes to keep current I can't afford to give my time (which is valuable) away. If I am going to do something free, then I want to do things that are really fun and personally meaningful. Where I do it can be behind a lens.

zoomer

I don't have a problem doing a free shoot from time to time if the couple is very attractive and the venue is amazing. For me it is advertising as I make all my galleries public.
For me anything in the Sawtooth mountans near Boise is a would do for free, this includes the area near Sun Valley and/or Stanley.

Llywellyn

The only way to entice me to actually shoot a wedding would require it happening in a castle in Ireland, preferably on the west coast. A reception dinner at Bunratty would be such a blast!

ChatKat

Shooting for free
We all want to shoot in the most photogenic of places - a given for all photographers regardless of subjects. I can think of many spots I would love to shoot a wedding at. Maybe Meghan's Bay in St. Thomas or at Oia in Santoriini or the the Keukehof Gardens in Amsterdam at Tulip season....

What happens to the professional photographers is that all the people willing to learn or shoot for free has caused the law of supply and demand to devalue all photography. The other thing is that as a business person, many photographers forget that shooting does cost money. You wear out your gear, you have to buy things frequently (even batteries) so that every shoot does cost something. It's not free to shoot.

Jeff_Milo

ian408 wrote:

While your points are valid, the OP was asking if you had your choice of exquisite places to shoot a wedding; where would that be?--ignoring all else, where would you want to shoot a wedding?

This was my point exactly. I get and agree with all the things in Kathy's initial response, but the shear awesomeness of the backdrop yesterday got me a wondering. I LOVE the national parks, and the amazing beauty you find at them. I have a list of 5 places I would give anything to shoot a wedding at; here at Yosemite (half dome, the waterfalls, the lakes - enough said), The Grand Canyon (The single most beautiful place I have ever seen), Arches National Park (all I have to say about here is WOW), The top of Pikes Peek (only in the summer), and Cinderellas Castle at Disney World (after all it would be the ultimate fairy tale, how could you pass that up).

Llywellyn I am with you on Ireland, that would be pretty high on the list as well.

ian408

You could have left it at the first paragraph and been fine.

But really, I got your point the first time. And if you go through and look at posts, you'll see that we agree on that point.

However, the second paragraph adds nothing to the OP's original question.

ChatKat wrote:

We all want to shoot in the most photogenic of places - a given for all photographers regardless of subjects. I can think of many spots I would love to shoot a wedding at. Maybe Meghan's Bay in St. Thomas or at Oia in Santoriini or the the Keukehof Gardens in Amsterdam at Tulip season....

What happens to the professional photographers is that all the people willing to learn or shoot for free has caused the law of supply and demand to devalue all photography. The other thing is that as a business person, many photographers forget that shooting does cost money. You wear out your gear, you have to buy things frequently (even batteries) so that every shoot does cost something. It's not free to shoot.

squiddy

I would love to shoot a wedding at Disneyland/World.

W.W. Webster

squiddy wrote:

I would love to shoot a wedding at Disneyland/World.

Are Mickey and Minnie going to tie the knot? Who else would want to be married there, seriously?

Art Scott

I would for free shoot a wedding at Karlstejn and Kokorin Castles in the Czech Republic.....especially in the Gem Room of Karlstejn........but I would also be willing to do 1 in South Africa....especially if my Latvian friend Endija was singing at it....................or the north or south polesnow that would be white on white.....huh

MA-FOTO

place to shoot a wedding......

No order:
Buckingham's palace (visited-cool)
In Rome
Old town Jerusalem (visited-very cool)
East Cost of Malaysia (wow-seen it)
Zurich (old town meets modern)
Madrid (Spanish - need it say more - seen it)
Cairo (if the King (Tut) is there - it has got to be cool - seen it)
Japanese style in Main land Japan (this would be special)

and closer to home.....
at a southern mansion w/ the big willow trees and all.


(ps ... the military was good to me ... your American tax dollars at work.
I played in the 1st Persian gulf war)

This would be my starter list.

Later,
_Mark

Nikolai

* provided *all* the expenses are paid

Machu Picchu
North Pole
Mt.Everest
South China
Forbidden City
Kyoto
Mt.Fuji
Kilimanjaro
Victoria Falls


Reasoning: I would probaly bring so much portflio material from these trips that I would be able to charge 50K per event for the rest of my life:-)

Jeff_Milo

squiddy wrote:

I would love to shoot a wedding at Disneyland/World.

The first wedding I got paid to shoot was at Disneyland. It was so cool. The bride was brought to the rose garden in Cinderellas crystal carriage. We even arranged a special surprise visit from goofy (The brides favorite character).

Jeff_Milo

Nikolai wrote:

* provided *all* the expenses are paid

Machu Picchu
North Pole
Mt.Everest
South China
Forbidden City
Kyoto
Mt.Fuji
Kilimanjaro
Victoria Falls


Reasoning: I would probaly bring so much portflio material from these trips that I would be able to charge 50K per event for the rest of my life:-)

Don't you mean the Marriott at Ontario Airport - rofl I am very much looking forward to shooting with you on the 11th.

FedererPhoto

Seriously, anywhere 'epic'. I'd love to shoot in Rome, Santorini, Patagonia, even my friends wedding at the St. Paul Cathedral was an awesome experience. The 'bigger' the venue, the better. (and I don't mean physical).

squiddy

W.W. Webster wrote:

Are Mickey and Minnie going to tie the knot? Who else would want to be married there, seriously?

Have you seen some of the wedding packages?

Disney is a bright place and to shoot in some of the buildings they have would be amazing IMO. I have actually known several people to want to get married there.... most of these people grew up going there all the time and still go quite often. I'm not a Disney person but I think it would be awesome to shoot.

example...
http://www.disneyweddings.go.com/site/wed/gallery/index.jsp

Shima

I've told my overseas friends that if they ever want to fly me out to their weddings and give me a place to stay, I'd shoot their weddings for free just for the sake of the free trip. No one has taken me up on it yet, but I would totally do it.

W.W. Webster

squiddy wrote:

I'm not a Disney person but I think it would be awesome to shoot.

Seems so tacky - yuck! :puke1

The expression "only in America" comes to mind!