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Archive 2016 · help needed wedding

  
 
Mark_L
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p.2 #1 · p.2 #1 · help needed wedding


nolaguy wrote:
This is a great counterpoint and one we don't often see on the boards.


If the couple genuinely will have no photog due to budget I really don't understand the 'don't do it' posts as long as expectations are managed.

I did my first wedding (paid) in a "if you don't uncle bob will be shooting it" scenario. It wasn't my intention but second shooting opportunities as a way in are basically non-existent.



Mar 09, 2016 at 04:12 PM
dhp_sf
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p.2 #2 · p.2 #2 · help needed wedding


Biggest piece of advice: Manage expectations!

Really drill it into the couple's head that you may not get them what they envision, but you'll try your hardest. Don't make promises you're not 100% sure you can keep. Keep things as simple for yourself as possible.



Mar 09, 2016 at 04:12 PM
VickiB
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p.2 #3 · p.2 #3 · help needed wedding


I am always amazed at the rush to advise people not to help their friends when asked. My husband and I got married a little over a year ago while he was preparing to receive a stem-cell transplant. We certainly did not have money for a photographer, but we wanted to preserve our memories of the day. We handed a camera to one of the guests and asked her to snap away. The photos are no less precious because of their quality and their price.


Mar 10, 2016 at 06:06 AM
dhp_sf
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p.2 #4 · p.2 #4 · help needed wedding


VickiB wrote:
I am always amazed at the rush to advise people not to help their friends when asked. My husband and I got married a little over a year ago while he was preparing to receive a stem-cell transplant. We certainly did not have money for a photographer, but we wanted to preserve our memories of the day. We handed a camera to one of the guests and asked her to snap away. The photos are no less precious because of their quality and their price.


Part of the issue is that there is an enormous wealth of information already disseminated not only on this forum (because this same variant of questioning has appeared over and over and over again over the years) but hundreds of sources on the internet. Not having done any research and asking for "quick tips" can be viewed as lazy or insulting. Do a google search for "what do i need to shoot a wedding?" or "how to be a wedding photographer" will yield you millions of "quick tips." If people have specific questions, it can be a lot easier to answer.



Mar 10, 2016 at 11:31 AM
glort
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p.2 #5 · p.2 #5 · help needed wedding


Reading the first page of this thread I was thinking I was going to be the odd man out again and going against what I see as yet more parroted mantra. At least this time I could see where it was coming from in shooters probably keen to protect their industry and as usual, taking things to the highest and un needed level.

It was Just 2 weeks ago I caught up with the bride from the first wedding I ever did.
They were friends, I was 18, Said no, I wouldn't do it but basically got begged to do it. I recalled what my friend said, " We have see your pictures, they are great, please help us out" .

I asked my friend what she thought of the pictures all these years later. She said she still has them and loves them even though she has had a different husband a long time now.
She was looking through the pics on the walls in the studio and I told her, " This is all you fault, you were the one that got me started in this caper!"

As hard as it seems to be for some people, not everyone is looking for artistic masterpieces of wedding photography and having something is better than nothing. And lets face it, To get a decent record of something these days and with the gear the OP has, all one has to really do is point the camera in the right direction and hold it fairly level..... and how many pro shooters straighten pics they have done in PS anyway? Yes, we can carry on about all the difficulties but It also dosen't take much to get basic, creditable pictures that people will be happy to remember the occasion with.

NO, they are not going to be the artistic perfection only every shooter here can do but so damn what? As I recently posted about, when looking at family photos so much over the last months, NEVER do I start analysing the lighting and colour balance and all the other technical shooters make so much of. I look at the people and remember the occasions and THAT"S what matters and brings tears to the eyes, not the fact they could be improved or have some technical error.


I do agree with the advise on the 2nd page of this thread so far. Manage expectations and do your homework. Make a shot list as a reminder if not a step by step guide. Be prepared to grab the unexpected and expect nothing to go to plan be by ready to go with it. Have a plan but be ready to change and vary it as you go.

Despite what some people will say, wedding photography as required in this situation is not rocket surgery. Educate yourself on the basic shots and requirements, ask the couple what they would like, even if it is just a couple of special shots they would like and go in and give it your best shot.
In reality, most people are really just looking for that one Killer shot to put on the wall or on their desks and they will be happy.

In this case I'll give the couple the benefit of the doubt of having reasonable expectations and the shooter the credit of being able to produce a reasonable picture given wat he has already done.

The main thing is knowing the " Routine" in the way things run and being prepared for that as possible. As mentioned, doing your homework and having a clue before you go into it IS the trick and an easy one to do.

We all have to have a first wedding and while you may not have had the benifit of doing out with an experienced shooter for a year, it's not to say that your pics will be automatic garbage.

Like everything else in my life, I got thrown in the deep end and 30+ years later, that bride still thinks I did a great job and is happier with the pictures than the guy she married.
She still has the pics, hasn't heard of the husband in 15 years.

I'm sure you have a much better chance of managing the same thing with the resources now available than I did I had back then.





Mar 10, 2016 at 04:46 PM
Mark_L
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p.2 #6 · p.2 #6 · help needed wedding


There is always an important difference between couples that genuinely can’t afford it or just want to spend the cash on things they value more vs couples that just think they can cheap out because so-and-so has a nice camera and expect the earth.

As much as I detest car analogies it is crazy to assume everybody wants or can afford a fancy BMW, sometimes the ford fiesta option is fine.



Mar 10, 2016 at 06:15 PM
BSPhotog
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p.2 #7 · p.2 #7 · help needed wedding


Mark_L wrote:
There is always an important difference between couples that genuinely can’t afford it or just want to spend the cash on things they value more vs couples that just think they can cheap out because so-and-so has a nice camera and expect the earth.

As much as I detest car analogies it is crazy to assume everybody wants or can afford a fancy BMW, sometimes the ford fiesta option is fine.


...and some people prefer to walk.

I think that we have the unique point of view where we are in contact with a lot of people who hire us and value the type of wedding photography experience that we each provide that it is easy to forget about the many other ways it can be done. Likewise, we are also very aware of couples who have short-sighted planning and regret things afterwards.



Mar 10, 2016 at 09:41 PM
glort
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p.2 #8 · p.2 #8 · help needed wedding


Mark_L wrote:
As much as I detest car analogies it is crazy to assume everybody wants or can afford a fancy BMW, sometimes the ford fiesta option is fine.


You may not like it but your analogy is spot on!
I drive a 23 yo 4WD. I love the thing. A week back I thought I blew the motor. A reco engine and ancillary's is 8 Grand. I would have paid it even though the car is worth little more. I have no intention to get rid of it and the rest is fine so to me, it would have been worth it. As it turned out it was just a maintenance item worth about $300 so I love it that much more now. :0)

My father has been trying to get me out of " The Tank" for years and somewhat excitedly offered to give me his $54K 3 yo SUV but I'm not interested.

I'd be stressed every time I took it to a car park where I know any one opens a door on this one and they will come off 2nd best. I couldn't throw all my junk in it for fear of marking the thing and spoiling a very nice car which is not a concern with mine. I make my own fuel for the truck so costs me nothing to run that way where the other one runs on premium which is exy.

I CAN afford a much more expensive car than what I have but I don't want one. I just got my Daughter a 3 yo car so she is safe and comfortable and I bought my wife a newer car 15 Months ago as a surprise but I'm more than happy with what I have.

That is exactly the same as a LOT of 2nd weddings I have done and made quite a good business out of for a number of years.

So many shooters wanted to do the full coverage where all they wanted was a few hours coverage of the ceremony and back at the restaurant with friends and something simple. I was more than happy to do what THEY wanted and they were more than happy to pay me very well for it.
It wasn't that they didn't have money, being in 40-50's they were a hell of a lot more cashed up than the 20 some things but they also had a better idea of what they wanted and it wasn't all the fluff and carry on they had the first ( or 2nd ) time around.

It works in different ways too.
At the present time my wife and I are looking for a new home. Due to several circumstances our present home is worth a lot more than average. We go looking at luxury homes, many of which are far below what we can afford before we even have to borrow. I always dress down and often go unshaven so the sales people will leave us alone. It's pretty funny some of the very obvious reactions you get, especially if they see us roll up in the truck. They make the mental decision we can't afford a take away sandwich and leave us alone while going and pestering other people that are better presented. It's often pretty blatant but hilarious for us. There were 2 stuck up women at one place who told us what the expected price was. My wife and I liked the place and actually thought it was worth a lot more. We were genuinely surprised it was so " Cheap" and when my wife said excitedly " We could buy this and have plenty left over to do a few things the way we want" The look on their faces visibly changed and so did their attitudes.
Idiots.

It's a bad marketing mistake to assume people who want something simple or inexpensive can't afford something better or are cheap. My 3 hour 2nd/3rd weddings regularly paid me 3 times what the full coverage's did on an hourly rate and they were about 10 times easier to do as well.

Sometimes simple and and basic is exactly what people really want and has more value and worth to them than something more upmarket.
I could buy let alone be given a $50K car tomorrow but the monetary worth of such a vehicle is no where near the contentment value of my $8K 23 yo truck.





Mar 10, 2016 at 10:03 PM
leethecam
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p.2 #9 · p.2 #9 · help needed wedding


amonline wrote:
I always get a kick out of it when someone says that here... and they have no idea what the situation or environment will be... not to mention the OP didn't even say they own a single flash.

Gotta love this time of year at FM. lol


Bless you... The OP didn't mention CF cards or a tripod, or batteries... but I'm guessing they're somewhere in the bag.

I shoot virtually all my event related shoots on a Mk3 (previously and happily a Mk2) together with a 24-70 and 70-200. So assuming the OP does posses a simple ETTL flash, then yes - I'd wager he/she has all the kit required. (Backups are a good thing which I think I mentioned).

I've shot in some of the most horrendous situations with the above kit. I've got some lovely primes, but they rarely get a look in at fast paced parties / weddings. I do use a Lumiquest Quikbounce - maybe I should have mentioned that.



Mar 11, 2016 at 04:41 AM
HelloMrLocust
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p.2 #10 · p.2 #10 · help needed wedding


You already have lots of great opinions here. I've skimmed though them, but haven't read them all. A possible suggestion for you. Tell them your concerns and just shoot a few portraits of them or whatever you feel the most comfortable with.

What's your hold up? Are you worried you won't do a good job? Do you want to get paid?



Mar 11, 2016 at 11:43 AM
elkhornsun
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p.2 #11 · p.2 #11 · help needed wedding


No one is born a professional wedding photographer or for that matter an airplane pilot but I prefer that the person photographing my wedding or flying the plane has experience and training. I shot more than a dozen wedding as a second photographer and that was with 20 years of experience in commercial photography.

I also started out with my kit that included two flash and two camera bodies and as I was the second photographer the other person shooting also had two cameras and two flash as well. If a camera failed we would still have 3 cameras going.

Now if I shoot a wedding solo I take 3 camera bodies and have a backup in the trunk of the car. I will not take a chance of having to shoot a wedding with only one camera and missing many shots while changing lenses.

In your place it would be wiser and kinder to pay for an experienced pro photographer for the wedding and to fill in as the second photographer. Two are better than one as a single photographer cannot be with the bride and the groom during prep and a single photographer cannot be at the front and rear of the ceremony area or on both sides so as to get shots of the faces of the bride AND the groom or be taking the group shots after the ceremony and couples pictures of the B&G and also be at the reception taking candids of the guests or be at both ends of the reception venue.





Mar 17, 2016 at 06:13 PM
Alice Martine
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p.2 #12 · p.2 #12 · help needed wedding


I agree with other guys that you should not shoot and leave that on another professional photographer. I understand you want to help your friend but it's a wedding and it will never come back again. So all moments such moments should be captured perfect and beautifully. I also know photography but not professionally so I hired a professional photographer as "Jon mark Photo" for shoot photo on my best friends wedding.


Mar 18, 2016 at 09:59 PM
CW100
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p.2 #13 · p.2 #13 · help needed wedding


Mark_L wrote:
If the couple genuinely will have no photog due to budget I really don't understand the 'don't do it' posts as long as expectations are managed.

I did my first wedding (paid) in a "if you don't uncle bob will be shooting it" scenario. It wasn't my intention but second shooting opportunities as a way in are basically non-existent.


I agree, talk to the couple and "manage expectations".... then do it !






Mar 28, 2016 at 06:20 PM
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