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Archive 2015 · Do wedding photogs do service exchanges?

  
 
marcoslopez87
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p.1 #1 · p.1 #1 · Do wedding photogs do service exchanges?


Hello everyone.

I will be getting married later this year and I had this idea of exchanging services with another photographer. For example, I would shoot their wedding and they would shoot mine. No editing, just shooting, and delivery.

I thought of this because most of us are on a budget and I thought it might be a great idea. Obviously, you would need to match with an equivalent or close to equivalent photog, for it to be fair.

Has anyone here ever done this? How feasible is this idea?



Apr 07, 2015 at 04:29 PM
XPO239
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p.1 #2 · p.1 #2 · Do wedding photogs do service exchanges?


I'm sure you can find a friend who would be willing to do this. I would do this for any of my photographer friends who I respect. Maybe not for a wedding (because I'd rather be enjoying the wedding), but for things like portrait session.


Apr 07, 2015 at 04:47 PM
amonline
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p.1 #3 · p.1 #3 · Do wedding photogs do service exchanges?


I've been wanting to swap out doing a wedding for someone redoing my floors. lol


Apr 07, 2015 at 04:56 PM
MattGruber
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p.1 #4 · p.1 #4 · Do wedding photogs do service exchanges?


I did this with one of my good friends. When I got engaged, I had every intention of paying her full rate, but she pitched the idea of her doing it for free, and when she gets married, I will do the same in return.


Apr 07, 2015 at 05:04 PM
evertdoorn
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p.1 #5 · p.1 #5 · Do wedding photogs do service exchanges?


Great idea! But what if it's your turn to shoot your friend's wedding and you happen to be already booked?


Apr 08, 2015 at 01:37 AM
TTLKurtis
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p.1 #6 · p.1 #6 · Do wedding photogs do service exchanges?


Yeah.... just pay someone great and invite your friends to be guests. Or pay a friend. Then they can pay you to shoot their wedding if they want you to be their photographer, and then you're even.

I think by trying to do a trade you're really, really narrowing your options majorly. Not too dissimilar from a bride starting her search based on price, which is never a good place to start if you want great photography in my opinion.



Apr 08, 2015 at 02:02 AM
ricardovaste
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p.1 #7 · p.1 #7 · Do wedding photogs do service exchanges?


marcoslopez87 wrote:
I thought of this because most of us are on a budget and I thought it might be a great idea.

How feasible is this idea?


Thanks for sharing the idea Marc and bringing it forward to the group. I can understand the idea and having a 'free exchange' of sorts definitely has some benefits.

For me, those benefits would require a set of very specific requirements, such as needing the exact date and person available, which isn't an easy thing to do.

Furthermore, I think the basis of the idea is a little floored, as you're working off the assumption that 'most of us are on a budget'. Of course, most people will have numbers in mind for an overall event budget, even if they exceed that many times over. But starting the idea that 'most are on a budget' for photography likely isn't true for many people on here. A lot place a high value on photography for their own wedding or just in their own lives, so whether they have excess funds or not, people tend to find money for the things they need.

And photographers tend to need the best photography they can get their hands on.



Apr 08, 2015 at 05:57 AM
MattGruber
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p.1 #8 · p.1 #8 · Do wedding photogs do service exchanges?


I think it has to really be reasonable in the sense like Kurtis said about narrowing your options. In my particular case- my friend was going to shoot my wedding regardless (unless she was booked, of course). I would not make this arrangement if I wasn't very close to the other photographer.


Apr 08, 2015 at 07:04 AM
paparazzinick
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p.1 #9 · p.1 #9 · Do wedding photogs do service exchanges?


I've swapped services for family sessions but not for weddings. I have bartered for my wedding services. Someone did my deck and I shot their wedding. I bought material and they put it together. Cost me $1100 for material and would have cost me $10k for someone to install it. So saved me a ton.



Apr 08, 2015 at 09:44 AM
Mark_L
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p.1 #10 · p.1 #10 · Do wedding photogs do service exchanges?


Doesn't sound too workable. You both need to be getting married around the same time or you end up with a year long IOU and the other photog is also likely to be booked on days you would be looking to get married anyway.

Trading different services is a lot more flexible.



Apr 08, 2015 at 03:29 PM





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