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Archive 2016 · Do you think all day coverage is sustainable?

  
 
IrishDino
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p.1 #1 · p.1 #1 · Do you think all day coverage is sustainable?


We used to offer all day coverage, then stopped, then offered it again and are now thinking of removing it for the last time. Just too burnt out after 14+ hours.

But yet I still see some of the best in our industry consistently shooting what clearly is all day coverage.

Thoughts?



Jul 29, 2016 at 09:00 AM
SGallant
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p.1 #2 · p.1 #2 · Do you think all day coverage is sustainable?


ZachOly wrote:
We used to offer all day coverage, then stopped, then offered it again and are now thinking of removing it for the last time. Just too burnt out after 14+ hours.

But yet I still see some of the best in our industry consistently shooting what clearly is all day coverage.

Thoughts?


Are they really working all day or even 14 hours? I have a video company I partner with that offers all day coverage, they usually start about 30 minutes before I do (doesn't matter how many hours I work) and leave the same as I do or before (once the main events are covered). They just define the events they cover in "all day coverage".

I debated all day coverage myself, and stayed away from it for the reasons you list.The other reason was price, my base starts at 8 hours, to go from 8 to 14 hours is an extra $1200 just for me, the extra 6 hours equal a lot more work, both on the day of and in post work. My thinking is, why shouldn't I get paid for it?



Jul 29, 2016 at 09:26 AM
MalachiConstant
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p.1 #3 · p.1 #3 · Do you think all day coverage is sustainable?


All day = open for interpretation

I started with all day, removed it, then further reduced the shooting hours. I simply will not shoot for over 10 hours- not for any amount anyone would feasibly pay me. 8 hours is more than enough time for 90% of weddings.



Jul 29, 2016 at 09:53 AM
Mark_L
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p.1 #4 · p.1 #4 · Do you think all day coverage is sustainable?


For me it isn’t, I get burned out and it makes no sense to me from a business standpoint in almost doubling a very hard work day. I need that energy for other things in my life, social, family, sports.

I don’t do full-day it as standard as the extra bookings or money I would get from hrs after 8-10 is just so low it isn’t worth it (I may even book more due to lower headline price) Instead I offer reception coverage as n expensive add because I don’t like them and it is such a long day. There are also couples who’ve said they rather a sober pro wasn’t photographing drunken guests

I do get some couples immediately asking ‘full-day’ when they isn’t really want they want it is just other low end photogs trying to a get away with less so theknot article prob says to ask. The rest of the hrs are pretty much reception coverage (after first dance) which form a small amount of the album and pictures the couple want anyway, once I explain this and they see samples it is never an issue and I work 7 less hrs.

I don’t like this trend in wedding photography of more and more. In addition to full-day coverage we’ve now got multiple location/look esessions with 600 pictures delivered and second shooting as standard which would be fine if we were getting paid more and more for these things but we are not the goal posts just keep moving. I guess it helps book when couples are comparing photogs in a item deliverable type way.

Edited on Jul 29, 2016 at 11:08 AM · View previous versions



Jul 29, 2016 at 10:15 AM
LeeSimms
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p.1 #5 · p.1 #5 · Do you think all day coverage is sustainable?


I never liked the images from all-day, but I don't care for hair & make-up coverage. I prefer to start when everyone but the bride is dressed.

That said, I understand the marketing strength of being "your best friend with a camera" and hanging out with the cool kids all day getting PJ images of all their cook kids stuff. It's a great marketing angle.

I'm guessing though if you're asking these questions, then the thrill is gone and you should move to traditional coverage you're happier to provide. My 2 cents.



Jul 29, 2016 at 10:27 AM
jmraso
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p.1 #6 · p.1 #6 · Do you think all day coverage is sustainable?


This
Mark_L wrote:
I don’t like this trend in wedding photography of more and more. In addition to full-day coverage we’ve now got multiple location/look sessions with 600 pictures delivered and second shooting as standard which would be fine if we were getting paid more and more for these things but we are not the goal posts just keep moving. I guess it helps book when couples are comparing photogs in a item deliverable type way.





Jul 29, 2016 at 10:43 AM
Tony Hoffer
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p.1 #7 · p.1 #7 · Do you think all day coverage is sustainable?



ZachOly wrote:
But yet I still see some of the best in our industry consistently shooting what clearly is all day coverage.

Thoughts?


We shoot lots of 12-14 hour days, but we are hourly and charge for our time. An 8 hour day is a massively different workload than 14 hours. Both the day of and behind the scenes.

I want people to love photography and want us there all day. However, they also need to value is and our time. I don't know any regular long-day shooters that just include unlimited hours.



Jul 29, 2016 at 11:07 AM
DannyBostwick
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p.1 #8 · p.1 #8 · Do you think all day coverage is sustainable?


I sort of meet in the middle in all of this. I don't do hourly limits but I do limit my time. I start 2-3 hours before the ceremony or first look, and shoot until about the last reception formality, most times a bit longer to get some good dancing stuff in. If they have a sparkler sendoff I just bite the bullet and take it as a loss, luckily they're not super common, a few a year. I just make it very, very clear in the consult, and pre-wedding that that is my policy and it's open for interpretation on my end. Contractually I'm not obligated to shoot any longer than the last formality in case there is any question. Works well for me, I use it as a bargaining chip and a sales tool.


Jul 29, 2016 at 11:31 AM
hardlyboring
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p.1 #9 · p.1 #9 · Do you think all day coverage is sustainable?


We include all day coverage for a flat rate.
It is more how we like to work and less about what the client prefers.

As a documentary shooter I prefer to be booked "all day" at one flat rate because it allows me the freedom to show up and leave when I see fit.

We are currently in the UK for Tony Hart's wedding and over the course of the 3-4 days we will get probably 30+ hours of shooting time in. Yesterday we shot cake making, church rehearsal, pub time with friends, etc. Today we hung out with them most of the day while they setup the tent, made the cake, etc.
We have a short break now to refresh and then we will head to the restaurant for the pre-wedding dinner which we will cover.
Tomorrow I expect to work from 9am until 12am or later. Then we will do the brunch the next day.
I would rather be booked to just "cover" the event. Hourly is to restrictive in my mind.
Not saying it is bad just not how we do it.

For shorter weddings in Colorado which we would call elopements we most certainly do offer hourly coverage but most of those weddings are like 3-5 hours long and people have much much smaller budgets. For those it is still documentary coverage but we are there mainly to take the basic and most important photos such as family shots, ceremony, a few portraits, and then are done. I normally do not blog them or advertise them the same way.




Jul 29, 2016 at 12:18 PM
carriedaway
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p.1 #10 · p.1 #10 · Do you think all day coverage is sustainable?


I also keep going back and forth on this (as well as multiple packages vs. one all inclusive package vs. custom packages). Even when I do offer 'all day coverage' it's not actually all day. I show up an hour before the bride gets into her dress, and leave 30-60 minutes after open dancing begins. It usually ends up being 8-10 hours. I would never do 14+ hours.


Jul 29, 2016 at 12:45 PM
mikethevilla
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p.1 #11 · p.1 #11 · Do you think all day coverage is sustainable?


For me, it's a fantastic and easy up-sell that about 50% of my clients take me up on. Most of the time my "all-day" ends up being a 9-10 hour day, although about once a year I get a 12 or so hour day. It's worth it for me, as at the 9-10 hour day it ends up being more income than I would've received charging hourly.

In my experience, most clients just want the security of knowing they can plan their day with one less thing to worry about.



Jul 29, 2016 at 12:54 PM
OlafSiebert
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p.1 #12 · p.1 #12 · Do you think all day coverage is sustainable?


I have done the whole day coverage, which in Croatia means from 10-11am till 4-5am. Believe me, I really, really enjoyed going towards an hourly rate. It significantly reduced my hours worked on the wedding day.

I guess the definition of full day coverage differs from country to country



Jul 29, 2016 at 02:31 PM
BSPhotog
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p.1 #13 · p.1 #13 · Do you think all day coverage is sustainable?


90% or more of my bookings are "All-day" at a flat rate. I prefer to shoot this way and it is a pretty easy up-sell from 6-hours or whatever the next one down is.

I agree, though. It can be really taxing. If the reception is boring and there isn't much to cover, I don't just keep blasting away. I talk to people, eat cake, look busy, stay visible and available, try something stupid, etc.



Jul 29, 2016 at 02:38 PM
amonline
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p.1 #14 · p.1 #14 · Do you think all day coverage is sustainable?


My "all day" definition is 10 hours. Over that becomes a la carte. Think about it. An employer's all day definition is "typically" 8-9 hours. When you explain it in this manner, people quickly understand. Thus, I always state my limitation for "all day". Then, I state I'll gladly do 12+ hours. They just need to pay "overtime". That's when you see the lightbulb go off. As long as you're competitively priced, it shouldn't play much of a role... besides weeding out the cheapskates. It's always worked for me, anyway.


Jul 29, 2016 at 09:07 PM
flash
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p.1 #15 · p.1 #15 · Do you think all day coverage is sustainable?


I dislike shooting after 9.30pm. Here, that's when the formal stuff is over and it's just more dancing and drinking. Dull, boring waste of time with about 3 useful shots per hour. And if I'm shooting the next day as well I don't want to be drained from the night before.

So I charge a premium for that coverage. if you want me after 9.30 you'll need to pay me lots to be enthusiastic. That's why I specifically market 8 hours. that's what I want to do so I base my rates on getting 8 hours of coverage to meet my income needs.

Gordon



Jul 29, 2016 at 09:53 PM
glort
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p.1 #16 · p.1 #16 · Do you think all day coverage is sustainable?


ZachOly wrote:
Just too burnt out after 14+ hours.
Thoughts?


Don't want to sound like a bastard or pretending to be a hard arse but I don't think this is such a terrible thing.

When I did a lot of Italian, greek, macedonian and other ethnic weddings, you thought you were lucky if you were ONLY there 14 hours.

As for sustainable, I, ( and a couple of the other shooters working there) did 3 of these a weekend about 45 weekends a year. It was what the work required so what we did. Along with every other shooter doing the same sort of weddings, we weren't unique by any stretch.

I have heard this " Too hard/ burnt out thing many times before and without trying to put anyone down, Just sounds to me like people need to get out to the Gym and get a bit more fit.
I'm 50 years old and have diabetes and while a 14 hour day isn't a picnic, I just got back from an event where we were shooting 15hours+ saturday and sunday and the other guys had done the day before i got there. On the Monday, we got Got up , packed up the hotel room, had breakfast and on our way.

Even if you do these job twice a week, you have 5 days in between to rest up and the more you do it the more used to it you become. I'm the laziest SOB around but I don't understand how those younger and healthier than I can have trouble with this unless they have some reasonably serious illness. If you have, different thing. If you don't have an ailment, then I think perhaps a good look at ones lifestyle, eating habits and exercise would do one a lot of good for a lot more reasons than just being able to handle 14 hour weddings.

It's not like we are coal miners or in the military or other people that do 12 hour shifts every day for 4-5 days straight...or longer!




Jul 30, 2016 at 04:00 AM
wenkanzhu
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p.1 #17 · p.1 #17 · Do you think all day coverage is sustainable?


I do not care the coverage start 12pm or 10am, end 10pm or 12am etc. This is "regular work time" for a day. But if they want coverage start 8:59am or end 12:01am, there should be an extra charge, or maybe hourly rate.


Jul 30, 2016 at 07:26 AM
sherijohnson
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p.1 #18 · p.1 #18 · Do you think all day coverage is sustainable?


hardlyboring wrote:
We include all day coverage for a flat rate.
It is more how we like to work and less about what the client prefers.

As a documentary shooter I prefer to be booked "all day" at one flat rate because it allows me the freedom to show up and leave when I see fit.

We are currently in the UK for Tony Hart's wedding and over the course of the 3-4 days we will get probably 30+ hours of shooting time in. Yesterday we shot cake making, church rehearsal, pub time with friends, etc. Today we hung out with them
...Show more

this is also my philosophy as well



Jul 30, 2016 at 09:40 AM
Dawei Ye
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p.1 #19 · p.1 #19 · Do you think all day coverage is sustainable?


Wedding Photography is my side gig, so I actually work a Monday-Friday day job (which often has overtime) plus I'm also an army reservist, so it keeps me quite busy.

I'm 100% full day coverage - for western weddings it's quite easy, but when we get asian weddings that can mean 17 hour days (7am - 12am), which doesn't leave much time for sleep particularly if it's a back to back wedding on Saturday or Sunday. And then having to wake up for my day job for Monday really sucks sometimes

I find I'm quite good stamina wise though - however my shirts are usually drenched in sweat by the end of it, to the extent that the salt in the sweat actually leaves white marks on the shirt




Jul 31, 2016 at 07:21 AM
thebeginning
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p.1 #20 · p.1 #20 · Do you think all day coverage is sustainable?


Personal fitness and energy levels notwithstanding, from my experience and those of friends it seems there are two ways of justifiably doing 'all day coverage'.

1) No set hours, but a 'full day' is included in a base rate, and you determine the hours based on the wedding itself, like Doug mentioned. I did this in the past and have considered switching back to it, with the only catch being that the base rate has to be enough to easily cover a long day (if you price it at your past hourly rate of 10 hours you'll be very upset with yourself after a handful of 12-15 hr weddings). This makes sure you can get what you need without cutting into profits, and makes it so that shorter average weddings are much more profitable.

2) Price per hour, and never discount - especially for long multi-day cultural weddings. I did this for a while and would price per hour up to a set amount, then basically call it 'unlimited coverage' after that. Terrible idea. Shooting and editing free hours is not that fun, especially after double digits. With this method, a 14 hour wedding should be priced at exactly twice the total of a 7 hour wedding. This makes it so that long weddings are very worth your while whenever you book them.



Jul 31, 2016 at 06:36 PM
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