I'm not a pro, I'm just someone who likes to take pictures. If I take 200 pics and 20 of them... . eh.. cross that out... and 10 of them come out great, I'm happy. 10 of my best pics still don't even remotely compare to some of the photography I've seen on this site and other sites. 1 thing I enjoy is being able to look at your work and critisize it. With that, everyone who asks for critism never complains!

I think there is a difference between someone taking pictures and an artist creating a piece of art. Anyone can take a picture. This is probably the category I fall into but occasionally I get lucky. The artists shine like the sun. It's possible that I'm a bit better than what I give myself credit for. Lack of confidence? Possibly. Lack of an artistic eye? Probably! I'm not much of an artist but I try to paint a picture before I take the picture. I try to imagine what I want before pressing my shutter release button. Often I fail to get the look but every so often I succeed and that makes me happy. I continue to plug away...

So what does this have to do with the forum name? During my month or so on this site, I've seen some people post their first wedding shots and I think to myself, "I could have provided something so much nicer than that" (that is until I'm in their shoes, nervous and jerky)... I give these people a lot of credit for attempting their first gigs on their own but what I don't understand is, who hires these people and why? Does a client look at a portfolio and figure, "Good enough"? Or are they not comparing their work to an artists photographs?

I'd love to run out and do a wedding. My issue with doing so is that I'd provide pictures that look just like some of the underexposed/overexposed, out of composition photos that I often see here. Quite frankly, I'd be embarrased showing the Bride and Groom anything other than what I've seen produced by some of you pros.

Now I know we have to start somewhere but why solo gigs? What I would like to do is offer free services for maybe people who can't afford a photographer and have them pay only for the prints. I'd be happy for the time being only charging them a minimal fee, just until I build up my confidence. Even if I was confident, I'd feel that I was ripping someone off by supplying them with some of the crap I produce!

The way I look at it... Every wedding, sweet 16, party, club, etc... is a different situation with different lighting and different backgrounds. Because I've taken shots that look great on a partly sunny day in June, doesn't mean I can shoot my first solo wedding at 6pm on a Saturday in Jan. Well, I can but they might not like the results. A bit of this ties into knowing your camera (somewhat). There's still the artistic challenge that boggles me, but I try.

I've been asked to do a wedding or two but I declined each time. People may have seen the 25 shots I provided for a friends wedding and thought, "Wow, this guy is great!". What they don't realize is that I took over 1000 shots and these 25 were the best I could come up with and they'll never see the rest because they suck. Hell, some of you might look at my winners and tear them apart (which I wouldn't mind you doing... there's always room for improvement and how would I know what I needed to improve on without your help!).

I feel I've learned so much in the month or so on this site. I thank each one of you, whether you're a first time wedding person or a weathered pro. Both types help me learn something new every day.

I'd love to hear your comments / suggestions. I wasn't trying to rip anyone apart here... I'm trying to understand. Thanks for listening.

1. Despite how we all get caught up in ourselves here, photography is not all that important to every couple. Some folks really don't feel they need ANY wedding images, and some are content with a simple record of the event. As wedding photographers we must always be cognizant of the massive responsibility of recording one of the most important days of our clients lives, but we must also be humble that ultimately the images we produce pale in significance compared to the most important product of the wedding: the marriage itself.

2. Many of us maintain that if at all possible, second-shooting is the best way to learn wedding photography.

Evan said it very well. Not every couple values photography as much as we all (obviously) do. Some simply cannot afford to pay a professional photographer to capture their event, so they settle with the best they can find for the money.

One thing that wasn't said however, is that art is truly in the eye of the client. There are some shots I love, and my wife hates. Other shots I hate, and my wife tells me i'm crazy. There's room for everyone's artistic viewpoint in photography, but weddings add a certain "pressure to perform" which, if not used to it, can really slow your mental gears down. As Evan said, 2nd shooting is a great way to learn without the pressure, make mistakes and not pay for them.

A great term I heard a while back was "build a visual database". I thought about that for a while and it really holds true. The more you can build your own influences and visual database, the more your work will take on that persons style. I think this is how we all learn and get better. The one truly great thing about photography is you can always learn something...

Good comments by everyone. SecondLaw, you must remember that what you see here and elsewhere on the web (especially on photogs' web sites) is the best of their best, usually. When I see 10 beautiful shots in a photographer's online gallery, I try to keep in mind that he/she culled those 10 shots from thousands and thousands of frames. Believe me, I've shot thousands of frames myself in my 5 years of digital shooting, and there are only a few fistfuls of my own shots I really love.

Evan hits it...if you can get some gigs as a second shooter, go for it. Try to be as creative as you can at shooting "different" views of ceremony/reception/etc. Experiment with dragging the shutter during the dancing at the reception. Scope out the location of the ceremony (church, gazebo, beach) and plan a few different places to shoot from to capture the mood.

Have fun. Please yourself and you'll hopefully please the customer!

Be True,
Ed R.

I guess that I can chime in. I just posted my first wedding not long ago, so I may be one of the ones you were talking about. I did not set out to shoot weddings. I never thought that I would. I shot some senior portraits for a guy a while back. Well his family liked my work so I was hired to do engagement photos for his sister. Well, they liked those, so I was hired to do the wedding. They liked those as well, so I'm going to be shooting the brothers wedding next summer. Shooting a wedding without really knowing what you're doing is scary. I tried to use the ideas and tools that I used for other styles that I was comfortable with. I knew that I could get the job done. I wasn't worried about walking away with blurry or underexposed shots. I know how to use my camera so I just tried to pretend that I was shooting an event for the newspaper. I actually walked away thinking that I would never shoot another wedding. When I got home and went through my 900 photos, I was pretty happy. I did much better than I thought I would, still not Evan, Tony, or Sam material, but hell, what human can produce material like them anyway?!

So I guess, some people like me probably don't really mean to shoot weddings but are hired by friends or clients of other styles. I'm not planning on running out and advertising and becoming a fulltime wedding photographer, but if I get contacted to do more I will do them.

Sorry to dig this up again, but this is my first attempt:
http://www.fredmiranda.com/forum/topic/716602/0#6473279

I've seen much worse and much better, but the important thing is that I learned something and will do better next time.

"weathered pro"

Most people will value the wedding photography but just not at the right time. Evan is correct when he says not everybody values photography but that is until they see the photos. If the photos suck the couple will have a very strong emotional response and a sense of value. So they get a sense of value after they see the photos. Reason being people can appreciate other couples wedding photography but the emotional connection they can only have to their own images, once they exist.

So you are right. if you gave them 1000 shots and 25 good ones then they may not be as taken with you as they expect all your work to be consistent. Which is what defines the professional anyway, or should.

My 2 cents...

Until you have actually shot your first wedding, don't assume you can do better than others. BTW, if you have to say that you're not trying to rip anyone apart, you probably are.

"Beauty is in the eye of the beholder." Many folks wouldn't know a bad photograph if it walked up a slapped them in face. Conversely, a lot wouldn't recognize an outstanding image to save their life. If you look around... dig deep enough, you'll find mediocre photographers commanding extremely high fees, very gifted photographers charging budget rates and every imaginable combination in-between.

Truth be told there are a lot of people selling themselves as "professional wedding photographers" that probably shouldn't be. (Heck, I was probably one of them at one time... may still be! ) That's all fun and games until they really screw up someone's wedding day and have to deal with a very angry bride. From the outside looking in wedding photography appears to be easy money. It is anything but. There's a lot of hard work involved, many more hours are spent than those just at the event and, as you can probably imagine, it's a very, very competitive market at the moment. I'm not trying to discourage you here... or any other newbies... just telling you like it is.

My first experience shooting weddings was in the 80's. Good ole film days. My first wedding shoot was for a niece. They didn't have much money, I was a shutterbug, you know how it goes. It actually turned out pretty good, but I didn't love doing it. Next wedding, another niece. Didn't turn out as well, but the images were ok. After that one, a sister-in-law... seeing a pattern here? I was never really comfy with shooting those early weddings. I constantly worried about all the things that could go wrong with a film camera: Did the film advance?, Exposure ok?, Back close tightly?, Focus ok?... the things to fret over seemed endless. I just couldn't relax and enjoy myself. After all, you can't exactly arrange a reshoot for a wedding!

Many years later as digital photography was just coming into its own and I was beginning to play with it a close friend hounded me into shooting his wedding. I shot it with digital and backed it up with film. The use of digital was like a weight had been removed from my shoulders. I could "chimp" and verify that I had the shot. I actually had fun! Not too long after that my step-son was getting married, on a shoe-string budget. Again I got talked into shooting the event, again loving the security digital gave me. Word got around. I discovered that I really, really enjoyed shooting weddings and the rest is history.

Last year was the first year I've ever second-shot for anyone. Brian is one of the photographers I shot for. I also second shot a Hindu wedding for a talented photographer out of Wilmingtion, NC and did reception coverage only for a Jacksonville, NC photographer. It was a lot of fun to see how other photographers appraoch things... a good learning experience. Even though I'm entering into my 4th or 5th year as a wedding studio here in Eastern NC, I'm very open to second shooting when the opportunity arises. It really is a great experience. If I'd known a few years ago what I know now, that's probably how I'd have "cut my teeth" in the industry.

Now a little something about comparing "your best" to the "pros best:" Keep in mind there's a lot involved in the production of those "portfolio" images your see on most of the pros' sites. Proper composition and exposure of course, but many times also the use of off camera lighting plus a lot of work in Lightroom/Bridge and Photoshop. The difference I can make to my images from a few years ago with the post processing techniques I've learned since is really almost scarey!

Wedding photography is not for everyone. Many more will try and fail than will succeed. It's something you either love or you don't.

Hope my ramblings helped,

Bob D.

Some great comments, recommendations, and advice.

Whether or weather.... Fixed! I'm a dope.

Kelly, I actually did review your photo's when you originally posted them. I was going to comment on them but got caught up with something else. For your first gig, I think you did a great job.

Because I love this photography thing so much, I'm going to be looking for "second shooter" work locally to me. I'll learn whatever I can to improve my skillset. This means holding lights if needed and setting up equipment...

Secondlaw wrote:

Because I love this photography thing so much, I'm going to be looking for "second shooter" work locally to me. I'll learn whatever I can to improve my skillset. This means holding lights if needed and setting up equipment...





All the best. Definitely the right mindset for getting into wedding photography.

When approaching photographers may be best to ask for work as an assistant rather than use the term "second shooter" right away or talk of assisting with the intent of eventually second shooting.