A friend of mine and his fiance', have asked me to photograph their wedding next May. I have tried to convince them that I am NOT a real photographer. I am in no way qualified to shoot a wedding!
I have been looking at many of the wonderful photographs here and I know I am like a fish out of water. My friends don't have enough money to hire a "pro" and they insist I do the shooting. I flat out told them that I hope we will remain friends after the wedding pictures.
Problem Two: The bride & groom are having an outdoor wedding, (weather permitting) and they will both be dressed in WHITE. I am petrified to say the least.
I just purchased a Nikon D300 yesterday and I own a Nikon D50 already. I know I will use the D300 as my primary and the D50 will be my backup for "candid" reception shots.
Any tips about shooting outdoors and particularly shooting the bride & groom dressed in white will be very much appreciated.
Lord I pray they come to their senses, win the lottery and hire a pro!
tip #2 - in case of emergency refer to tip #1
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
in all seriousness and with all due respect - they wouldn't have asked you unless you expressed some sort of desire to shoot and/or aptitude toward shooting weddings. if you're not equipped/skilled/experienced, what were you thinking? what's so hard about declining? "nope. sorry. love ya lots. i'm not a wedding photographer." be honest with them and with yourself and JUST SAY NO. no convincing. no insisting. just. plain. no.
that or get your arse in gear and assist every wedding photographer you can find between now and may '09.
Do it. Be confident. May gives you lots of time. Practice. You taking pics for them might be all they can afford. If they are friends, do the best you can; and no, you won't lose a friend if they are real friends.
I guess it's wierd from this side of the fence, being a photographer I can't imagine not hiring a pro. But does everyone? I don't know. Anyone have numbers. I remember seeing a tips thing on CBC or CNN and their number 1 tip was "get a friend or relative to take pictures, it will save you thousands"
I realized instantly why I listen to the radio for my news.
genoph wrote:
I guess it's wierd from this side of the fence, being a photographer I can't imagine not hiring a pro. But does everyone? I don't know. Anyone have numbers. I remember seeing a tips thing on CBC or CNN and their number 1 tip was "get a friend or relative to take pictures, it will save you thousands"
I realized instantly why I listen to the radio for my news.
Wow!! That's hilarious, MOB should just be the caterer as well...
Triplee wrote:
...Any tips about shooting outdoors and particularly shooting the bride & groom dressed in white will be very much appreciated.
If you're going to go ahead and do it, despite the advice above, then:
Get some books on wedding photography. They'll have tips on "standard shots" that should keep the B&G happy. Don't try to get too creative, just KISS.
For keeping detail when shooting outdoors with the B&G both dressed in white, shoot manual mode and meter off a gray card (and set custom white balance from it, as well), then underexpose by 1/2 to 1 stop. You can then adjust exposure in post-processing without worrying about blown highlights.
Get a couple of high-capacity, high-speed memory cards, and shoot in RAW+JPEG mode.
1. Explain to them that they may get no pics at all. None. Make sure that is their expectation and then anything you do get is a bonus.
2. They cannot 'insist' you do it. If you don't feel like you can deliver what they (secretly) are expecting, explain to them firmly that you don't wish to do it.
3. Any amount of tips you get here will not prepare you for doing your first wedding. They will help, but you won't magically acquire the knowledge needed to deal with the unexpected.
If you don't feel you are good enough there may be some regular FMers who may want to take up the challenge.
I'm suggesting with your friend's conscent, you can ask for TFCD Wedding shoot from guys who has been doing second shoots to do a free shoot to push themselves up to becoming a primary shooter.
The if you bring your cameras with you there are at least 2 or 3 photographers on the day. There is less pressure in your side and also you can choose the photographer most suit for your friend.
One final suggestion, in return the photographer shall have at least a seated meal, cost of burning the disk + postage and tavel expense paid for.
Outdoor is good especially for someone who may not be as experienced with the horror of indoor wedding lighting lol. That being said there really is NO place for apprehension at a wedding. If you do have any a wedding and especially a friends wedding is a really bad place to trial and error your way through. What so many people fail to realize is that a wedding is a once in a lifetime event, family heirlooms, no do overs. I would commend you on trying to convince your friends not to ask you to shoot the wedding. However I would recommend that if they do not value an experienced wedding photographer you let them give this HUGe responsibility to someone else. I have never had a wedding go according to plan. I have about 3 mini heart attacks (at least) as the day unfolds and things go wrong or just severly off track (I am such a plan girl lol). You have to be able to go at it confidently, equipped with the right amount of knowledge, equipment and especially the experience to be able to improvise.
DogsBollocks wrote:
I'm suggesting with your friend's conscent, you can ask for TFCD Wedding shoot from guys who has been doing second shoots to do a free shoot to push themselves up to becoming a primary shooter.
I'll respectfully say this is a terrible suggestion! Maybe as a paid shooter, not to the rates of an established pro, but to ask someone to shoot for free isn't the answer. Was the bride given a free dress? Are they having a pot-luck dinner? Are the bride and groom not spending anything at all on wedding expenses?
Couples getting married are always on a budget. Some are much smaller than others, but they will distribute the funds as they wish. There have been simple weddings were the majority of the budget has gone towards the photography because that is what was valued. If there is no money for photography, that is probably were the couple values it. Nothing wrong with that, but it is a fact.
Second shooters are paid for their time and talent without the hassles of dealing with the business end of things. Why would they want to do something for free that has more responsibility and stress than something they're already being paid for? The "push" to being a primary is something they can achieve WITH pay if they choose to.
Lee, if you WANT to do it, practice, practice, practice and have them sign an agreement (ask for help here on that! Simple, but covering yourself and treating this professionally). If you're apprehensive about shooting the wedding, then don't do it. They can have all their friends and family bring their cameras if they really don't want to spend anything on the photography. Then the pressure and commitment isn't on you and you'll be able to enjoy attending their wedding.
