The million and fourth time this question has been asked...

Luminosity

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I know, I know, I'm a bad girl who isn't going to take the time to trawl through TPF looking for the other times this question has been asked and answered but I am on really limited internet time...what with a destination wedding to plan (6 weeks until I'm no longer living in sin, yay!) and a lil bubby currently crawling under my feet and making a cubby house there...

A friend (don't know her VERY well, she's an ex workmate of my fiance's) just got engaged and sent me a message on Facebook asking me to be her wedding photographer. I have NEVER shot a wedding before, at least not in a professional capacity. I have only taken my own photographs of a wedding (no pressure).

She is just going off my photos of my daughter, and other photography she has seen on my Flickr page. She also said they would pay me but I'm not sure how comfortable I am taking money from them for this. If I do, I was thinking just charge them a couple of hundred so I can cover equipment rental costs and the like.

If you were me and in this situation what would you do?

1) Would you charge?

2) If so, how much?

I know I will need an assistant and a back up body so I will rent a back up cam. Not sure who I will get as an assistant but I have someone in mind.

What other things should I take into account?

Thanks in advance guys!
 
Well i really dont have ANY reason to be replying as i have no experience here but the only thing i have to say is that you should most definetly charge. Charge enough to cover all equipment/rentals/assistants/travel then put something like another 30 percent ontop of that. And you might even want to add more depending on what other stuff you do (post processing, dvd burning, etc...)

After all, wedding photographers are on the top 10 list of overpaid jobs. And the reason is because people will spend some extra bills to make sure it all goes right, after all, theres no chance for a reshoot.

Good luck and have fun!
 
After all, wedding photographers are on the top 10 list of overpaid jobs. And the reason is because people will spend some extra bills to make sure it all goes right, after all, theres no chance for a reshoot.

I thought the reason was just like crab fishermen and sewage divers; nobody in their right mind would do it for less.
 
She is just going off my photos of my daughter, and other photography she has seen on my Flickr page. She also said they would pay me but I'm not sure how comfortable I am taking money from them for this.

If you were me and in this situation what would you do?

I know I will need an assistant and a back up body
Being that uncomfortable and that unsure; I would hire a professional wedding photographer as your assistant and let him/her take the lead so that you can learn this time around. If you still want to go it alone - make sure you write up as agreement setting expectations and your lack of experience IN THE BRIDE's HANDWRITING. This way if things don't go as either of you planned - it's less likely she will get litigious - and if she does the handwritten agreement will go a long way in your defense.
 
I was in the same situation a couple of months ago (twice actually) and agreed both times to do it. I charged 100.- and regret it like hell LOL

It was SO much work, so much stress, so many work hours and all that for 100.- but i do like the experience. What I've learned from it? Never to agree to do a wedding again. Ever. :D

(You can see snippets of the results on my website btw - the color wedding pics, not the b/w and selective color ones, that was me flashing shots from a hired photog at a friends wedding)
 
If you feel like you can do it do it just make sure everyone goes in with their eyes open. Be sure they know they are not getting a wedding photographer and (no offense meant to your skills) they may not get those "dream" images that the might expect.
 

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