I was asked to shoot a wedding.

[gsgary]

They have a wedding planner, and made no arrangements for a photographer?? I'm mystified with this situation. If they could afford a planner then I don't know why they wouldn't have budgeted for a photographer well ahead of time.

The uncle's sister and niece seem to be running the show, doesn't seem clear where the bride and groom fit into the planning (whose backyard is this in? do they even want a photographer there?). I'd just be clear on terms and payment etc.

If they are short of money why are they using a wedding planner

 

[gsgary]

I would walk away this is going to turn into a nightmare

 

[Steve5D]

If they are short of money why are they using a wedding planner

Already addressed:

The planner is the groom's sister. I just say planner because she is organizing the event...

 

[tevo]

Okay, I just met with the planner (sister) and got my eyes on the house. The background is mostly dominated by a pool but there is plenty of room to move around, and more than enough to accommodate 7-10 people. The wedding is not at all traditional, and very casual. Basically, the plan is to have the guests arrive, assemble outside, the bride will walk out and meet the groom. Ceremony will commence, and then there will be some drinks and hors d'oeuvres. After that, the guests will go to a country club that is nearby for the reception. From the sounds of it, the ceremony itself is SUPER low key with very few if any decorations, formalities, or otherwise. The reception will be more reminiscent of a wedding, but more of a lunch. No dancing apparently. The groom seems to be leaving the planning entirely up to his sister, as he wasn't even present during the meeting I had with his sister today. I would like to try and meet with him and the bride in the same room to get to know them, but I think this is going to end up being a basic small event coverage more than a wedding. I plan on doing some posed shots after the ceremony and taking candids everywhere else.

 

[jowensphoto]

Maybe offer a 30 minute engagement session? I like to get a feel for how they respond to being in front of a camera and taking a bit of direction.

 

[vintagesnaps]

I wonder if the family wants someone taking pictures more than the bride and groom do; candids might be about it because I wonder if they'll want to do much in the way of formal posed shots. As long as you can get some photos that the family will enjoy I suppose that's what matters. (But too bad you aren't old enough to partake of a drink after, I think I'd be ready for one! but really it probably will go fine.)

More seriously, if you aspire to become a professional photographer this would probably be a good time to start looking into pro resources and develop a plan of how to proceed from here so you can be successful. Earlier in the thread there was some discussion of sports/events and I'd expect to work toward a higher rate of keepers than what was suggested here; I've been a photographer for a long time and have never figured out my percentage but most of my pictures are at least usable, it takes time and practice I think to get good at being able to frame and compose images quickly while events are happening. Especially with what's happening in photojournalism now it will probably be a challenge to be able to work in that field.

 

[tevo]

I arranged a 1 hour session later today around golden hour to take some engagement type photos of the couple/see how they react in front of the camera. Tips?

 

[ronlane]

I arranged a 1 hour session later today around golden hour to take some engagement type photos of the couple/see how they react in front of the camera. Tips?

Don't take wooden nickels as payment
No train track photos, that's too dangerous.
Make it about her, because the groom is just there as a prop. (It's all about the bride.)
Have fun, you'll do fine.

Of course the final and most important one is this. Ignore everything I said except for the bold part.

 

[tevo]

I arranged a 1 hour session later today around golden hour to take some engagement type photos of the couple/see how they react in front of the camera. Tips?

Don't take wooden nickels as payment
No train track photos, that's too dangerous.
Make it about her, because the groom is just there as a prop. (It's all about the bride.)
Have fun, you'll do fine.

Of course the final and most important one is this. Ignore everything I said except for the bold part.

Darn, I had this idea where I would have them kiss on the train tracks with a train coming in the background \:

 

[ronlane]

I arranged a 1 hour session later today around golden hour to take some engagement type photos of the couple/see how they react in front of the camera. Tips?

Don't take wooden nickels as payment
No train track photos, that's too dangerous.
Make it about her, because the groom is just there as a prop. (It's all about the bride.)
Have fun, you'll do fine.

Of course the final and most important one is this. Ignore everything I said except for the bold part.

Darn, I had this idea where I would have them kiss on the train tracks with a train coming in the background \:

Should be good, it's not at a crossing, right? You want to get the movement of the train for effect. May be a good one to practice your panning on, should give a good blur on them as they get flattened

 

[robbins.photo]

I arranged a 1 hour session later today around golden hour to take some engagement type photos of the couple/see how they react in front of the camera. Tips?

Don't take wooden nickels as payment
No train track photos, that's too dangerous.
Make it about her, because the groom is just there as a prop. (It's all about the bride.)
Have fun, you'll do fine.

Of course the final and most important one is this. Ignore everything I said except for the bold part.

No train track photos.. huh. Ok, that would have been useful advice to have before. So how about mustache twirling? I mean just how Draconian are these rules anyway?

Lol

 

[tevo]

Loading the photos off my cards now. *suspense*

 

[Hochzeitsfotograf]

Loading the photos off my cards now. *suspense*

Just curious, how did everything work out. What was your experience? Are YOU satisfied with the results (probably you haven't shown the photos to the couple yet)? Perhaps you'd like to share a few best-of shots here?

 

[jowensphoto]

Pics or it didn't happen

 

[astroNikon]