what to do?

justin24

Hi everyone, I usually shoot landscapes and model photos/Themes too. Well I had a customer contact me through my website asking how much I charge to shoot and 8hr wedding. Now I have only shot 1 other wedding before and I know I need more practice on it.

The current lenses I have are 50mm, 85mm, 24mm, 18-55, 70-300. I didn't commit to anything yet, I asked her for more information (Date,Location,Time,etc...). If I do commit to this as a first time (technically) how much would you charge? Any recommendations as far as renting lenses for the shoot and do you use flash during the wedding ceremony or more for the newly wed shots, reception...

I have 4 16 SD cards and If I did this I would rent some more SD cards or rent a storage holder to upload the photos and then reload.

Sorry for these noob questions...

Art Scott

justin24 wrote: »

Hi everyone, I usually shoot landscapes and model photos/Themes too. Well I had a customer contact me through my website asking how much I charge to shoot and 8hr wedding. Now I have only shot 1 other wedding before and I know I need more practice on it.

The current lenses I have are 50mm, 85mm, 24mm, 18-55, 70-300. I didn't commit to anything yet, I asked her for more information (Date,Location,Time,etc...). If I do commit to this as a first time (technically) how much would you charge? Any recommendations as far as renting lenses for the shoot and do you use flash during the wedding ceremony or more for the newly wed shots, reception...

I have 4 16 SD cards and If I did this I would rent some more SD cards or rent a storage holder to upload the photos and then reload.

Sorry for these noob questions...

1st off shoot RAW.......you will need all the room for editing you can get since you have not been doing this as a main source of income....and you may be a little nervous when arriving at such a long event and it being an event that is supposed to be once in a lifetime.......

SHOOT RAW......

Givng pricing info is really hard..because:
1- we do not know if you are in Hollywood or Timbuktu.....so in reality I always recommend seeing what other photogs charge in YOUR area......if you are in Smallsville usa you probably cannot get away with New York or Hollywood pricing......If the going rate in your area is 2500...then charge between 1850 and 2000..............

shoot RAW.........

Lenses...for over 20 yrs I used one lens...a 70-200f2.8 Sigma...it also allowed me to get macro shots of what i wanted.......... ... (not true macro but very close up, within a few inches of subject which is very important of the rings..........since the 1990's I have carried a 24-70 and 70-200 both f2.8 and both Sigma.......then when I came back to Nikon Digital i bought Nikon lenses and found they do not allow close focusing so I am on my way back to Sigma......... ...so my recommendations are to rent a 70-200 and 24-70...one lens per body so you need 2 bodies....you need 2 bodies no matter what....I currently carry my 2- D300's and a film body...........

Storage is cheap......just buy a few more 16gb cards......I currently carry 12- 8gb and 2- 16gb CF cards...I shoot raw only ....and I shoot under 1k images....I do not machine gun any part of the wedding....every image is very deliberate and shot in a way that it can be a wall hanger on its own weight.......I do about 130-175 posed / set up images .... but my candids are very deliberate also...normally shot on the 70-200.....

Have I mentioned you need to be shooting in RAW?????

I do not promise more than a couple hundred shots no matter how long I am with the Bride and Groom......I offer full day coverage only...we agree on a start time and I leave when the reception is over and my last image since I started shooting is of the B/G leaving and waving goodbye to me.......

Lastly

---

> SHOOT IN RAW.


Good Luck.......

shming

Art Scott - Your response is wonderful!! I really like that you mentioned not machine gunning any part of the wedding and candids being deliberate. We also do not promise the couple more than a couple hundred shots. It's quality over quantity. Thank You!! Now about that raw.....jk If you are starting out Shoot in Raw, but I just want to ad and encourage photographers to study the Kelvin chart to have a better understanding of WB.

KLinh

Sam

What kind of gear do you have? Canon, Nikon, other. What lenses brand and f stop? The reason for these questions is so others with this gear can provide specific advice based on what you have and what would be a good idea to rent.

Do you have back up gear? Camera bodies, lenses, flashes? Plenty of memory? Spare batteries?

Is this a large formal wedding or a small intimate affair? Do you have any idea of their budget?

I would hesitate to charge based on a set number of hours. Once you book the wedding you are committed for that day. You really can't be booking any thing else. You don't want to be negotiating with the bride and groom on their wedding day for more hours, or trying to bill them after the fact.

My recommendation is to charge them for the wedding, and if it's 6 hours fine. If it's 10 hours fine.

Find out all the things they are looking for. Are they looking for albums? Framed prints? Canvas prints? print packages? CD / DVD of images?

Ensure that if you personally can't provide say an album, you know who you can subcontract that portion of the wedding to.

Think very seriously about hiring a second shooter. This will allow you to concentrate on fewer shots, tasks, etc and have a tendency to slow down a fast paced chaotic event. They can also assist during the formals with lights, people positioning, dress fluffing, straitening, etc.

Also if your second is shooting the same system there is opportunity for gear back up and interchangeability.

After viewing your website I think you have the talent, and photography experience to do a nice job. Your post here shows you the right attitude along with that talent.

Good luck!

Keep us posted.

Sam

justin24

I currently own a Nikon D7000 and a Nikon D200. I have an SB-800 Flash and some cheap flash I bought years ago, might rent another nikon SB-800. I have 3 spare batteries, going to buy more, just for the heck of it.

As for the wedding, all she asked me was how much I charge for an 8hr wedding. So not much info, so I replied asking for more information so I can get an Idea, and if we could meet discuss the wedding.

I am looking at hiring a 2nd shooter in case.

And Art I shoot Raw all the time


Thank You for this valuable information

Sam

Justin,

There are two second shooters for hire in the Dgrin for hire thread.

Sam

justin24

Waiting for her to reply, I will keep you posted.

justin24

How much you looking for if I did get the job to shoot the wedding lol.

Art Scott

justin24 wrote: »

I currently own a Nikon D7000 and a Nikon D200. I have an SB-800 Flash and some cheap flash I bought years ago, might rent another nikon SB-800. I have 3 spare batteries, going to buy more, just for the heck of it.

As for the wedding, all she asked me was how much I charge for an 8hr wedding. So not much info, so I replied asking for more information so I can get an Idea, and if we could meet discuss the wedding.

I am looking at hiring a 2nd shooter in case.

And Art I shoot Raw all the time


Thank You for this valuable information

I am sorry I left out the most important thing about shooting a wedding.....and I should be whipped...I prefer to be whipped with...... ...a cat of nine tails ...but what I left out was .......

HAVE FUN.......DO NOT ALLOW YOURSELF ANY STRESS.......GO AND HAVE FUN.......IF YOUR HAVING FUN THE B&G WILL HAVE FUN AND YOUR PIX WILL SHOW IT.........and the B&G will love them also....you could nearly botch a wedding and if you're having fun and the B&G is having fun....all will normally be good...........

Again.....Have fun...and good Luck......

justin24

Thank You Art

Kinkajou

My first couple thoughts are:

1 - Was the 'customer' someone you've worked with before or just a random person who came across your website? If it was a random person, they may just be shopping around for the right price and asking 8 other photographers what their pricing is... so before you make plans as to what you might need, see if they actually follow through. I've had plenty of folks ask for price and then never get back in touch.

2 - Do you WANT to shoot a wedding? I'm sure you know it's exhausting, requires quick reactions to changes in lighting/situation/etc, and hours and hours of processing and dealing with follow up orders and all of that. I personally think it's a ton of fun and I love working with people in love, so I'm not trying to bash it, but I think it's important to ask yourself whether you even want to shoot weddings in the first place.

3 - The stickies at the top of this forum have a ton of great answers to questions for newbies and definitely worth perusing... I spent a ton of time reading them and doing some researching and then reading them again before I got started

So if it something you really want to do, I wish you the best of luck and you know that we're all here to help answer questions.

justin24

Thank you kinkajou. It was a random person.

I've never really shot a wedding before. I know I could do it and it would be fun and exhausting at the same time.

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TenThirteen

Kinkajou wrote: »

My first couple thoughts are:

2 - Do you WANT to shoot a wedding? I'm sure you know it's exhausting, requires quick reactions to changes in lighting/situation/etc, and hours and hours of processing and dealing with follow up orders and all of that. I personally think it's a ton of fun and I love working with people in love, so I'm not trying to bash it, but I think it's important to ask yourself whether you even want to shoot weddings in the first place.

This is a REALLY good point to make. I totally thought it was my dream to become a wedding photographer and that I would really love it. I was actually wrong. After finally shooting my first wedding by myself, and coming home exhausted and still stressed, I realized I don't think it's for me. The bride loved the photos and there were no disasters, but still it was just too much for me...

zoomer

The more you charge the higher your stress level will be and the higher the expectations of your customer.

Make sure she knows you have never shot a wedding before. Definitely have someone there with you....if for no other reason than do distract them if you need to step away for a minute and figure things out.

smurfy

This article was interesting. It's about a bride who hired a professional photog with a non-wedding specialty, and her buyer's remorse. Not saying it's not the right time and that the OP isn't ready, I don't know. Just for what it's worth.... http://hindsightbride.com/2011/08/05/pro-photographer-friend-shoot-wedding/

Art Scott

TenThirteen wrote: »

This is a REALLY good point to make. I totally thought it was my dream to become a wedding photographer and that I would really love it. I was actually wrong. After finally shooting my first wedding by myself, and coming home exhausted and still stressed, I realized I don't think it's for me. The bride loved the photos and there were no disasters, but still it was just too much for me...

This very normal feeling after shooting your first wedding....or even first few weddings...I still get a bead of sweat on my forehead and also the nervous stomach 30+ yrs later...only one time did I hit a wedding and was way to comfortable ...that was the day that I had problems...it is the nervousness and stress that keeps some of us in check and keeps us checking equipment and settings and such and feeling exhausted after a day of shooting...yeah but I love it...on that day I run on 150% pure adrenaline. I'm hyped and the next day I am so exhausted it is hard to get out of bed...but I live for that.....I do not get close to the same feeling shooting portraits, especially studio portraits...but weddings and concerts, where you usually only get 1 chance for the shot...I love and live for those.....

You should shoot a dozen weddings and if the stress is too high then do not do any more....but one needs to go into a wedding expecting to have fun and never , never, ever carry a shot list...memorize one that flows with the day and just go...but do not worry about missing one that you memorized.... there will be another one you took that was not on the list that will be equally as good and important....

justin24

Very interesting article. Well the lady never responded. Sigh of relief but I think I could have done the job.

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Aspecto5

Lessons learnt the hard way, but the best way.

Art Scott wrote: »

This very normal feeling after shooting your first wedding....or even first few weddings...I still get a bead of sweat on my forehead and also the nervous stomach 30+ yrs later...only one time did I hit a wedding and was way to comfortable ...that was the day that I had problems...it is the nervousness and stress that keeps some of us in check and keeps us checking equipment and settings and such and feeling exhausted after a day of shooting...yeah but I love it...on that day I run on 150% pure adrenaline. I'm hyped and the next day I am so exhausted it is hard to get out of bed...but I live for that.....I do not get close to the same feeling shooting portraits, especially studio portraits...but weddings and concerts, where you usually only get 1 chance for the shot...I love and live for those.....

You should shoot a dozen weddings and if the stress is too high then do not do any more....but one needs to go into a wedding expecting to have fun and never , never, ever carry a shot list...memorize one that flows with the day and just go...but do not worry about missing one that you memorized.... there will be another one you took that was not on the list that will be equally as good and important....

I'm really glad I read this post. I did a wedding last summer. Was my first and I started right when the bride was getting her hair done. This wedding was in a small town where everything seems to have clutter in the backgrounds. The B&G got married on a baseball diamond, and they put up a white tarp on the backstop. Horrible wrinkled thing. When I went to do the Wedding Party and Family pics, I had them stand half way in the sun, which gave me terrible shadows on there face.

I left that wedding feeling so stressed. When I got home, I'm pretty sure I just tumbled into bed with my clothes still on. The next morning I loaded up the images and started feeling more stressed. So I dodged and burned, blurred out backgrounds, cropped, pumped in some color..... they were so happy with the results.

It's good to hear that it's a normal feeling felt by the seasoned pros out there. Maybe I need a few more under my belt. Specially after learning so many lessons from that one experience. My eye is way better now, just from that one day. :B