Pricing on Upcoming Wedding

[astrostu]

I have to agree with the recent folks: For your experience, I would not charge anything but expenses. At this point in your life, it's almost worth it in the experience you will gain doing the wedding as opposed to the extra cash.

 

[newrmdmike]

especially with the liability of charging money for it . . . if you mess up its more of a reflection on you as a professional, not a friend

 

[Icon72]

This is a tough spot you're in. How well do you know the bride? If she's a good friend it might be a better idea for you to do the wedding as a favor just to gain more experience as long as she's ok with that. It sounds like you have made your experience level quite clear to her so I'd say you're ok in that regard. Even if you do end up charging the $100 I would ask the bride not to run around telling all her friends your price. You don't want a bunch of people calling you and expecting the same. We went with a decent photographer for our wedding and I believe our cost was about $500 - $600 if I remember right and I thought that was pretty cheap. They did the service, all the family photos afterwards and our entrance at the reception. Get a few more quotes in your area to see what the going rate is for the pros. Can't hurt.

 

[mimartin]

Well I'm not bad with editing nor computer illiterate, but what would you do as far as editing. I know how to do it but what to do is what I'm asking.

Thank you

~Michael~

You need to be familar with a photo software package, like Photoshop. When I first begin to edit my pictures, I look at each picture and fix the obvious. Then you can play around with B&W, lighting, filters, cropping, etc. I was at Books A Million the other night and there's a couple of really good books on wedding photography. They cover checklists, poses, editing, and more. Plus, there's tons of stuff online. If you don't have a website, I'd agree with the other guy that suggested putting the images on a CD (low res) and let them choose their prints. You can have them printed somewhere like Shutterfly.com or Kodak and have them shipped to the couple.

 

[Hair Bear]

Do the shoot for free, when you have spent time processing and sorting the images then you can look to charge them for a simple book or DVD or some prints.

If they don't like what you shoot they don't have to pay, down side you smashed their big day, you have to live with it. But as you say, and I agree, everybody has to have a 1st one.

Good luck

 

[EOS_JD]

Shoot for free, charge for prints they like.

Your first should NEVER be as the main photorapher though.

 

[Chris Voith]

Ditto the 2 above posts. Shoot it for free, charge for prints. That way you'll start to learn what sells/doesn't. Trying shooting at a friend's wedding as the secondary guy. You get some interesting shots of people not looking right at the camera. Watch carefully how pros do it. It's not easy and it takes a certain personality to do it well. I think people often find wedding shooters annoying because they are endlessly coaxing people into unnatural acts, but IT'S A BIG DEAL. What the photographer does is the most enduring part of the day. Don't screw it up!!

 

[Dave_D]

Do it the right way. Earn your wings first by going to work for a Pro as an assistant/2nd shooter part time or what have you. Learn from a professional. Like previously mentioned here, there is so much more to doing a wedding then just taking the pictures. I won't re iterate because it has already been said, but if you can learn what you need to confidently do the job before the date, then go for it. If not, then back out of it. Otherwise, you are not being fair to the customer and you are diluting the market making it harder on those who depend on this work to make a living.

 

[iflynething]

I was going to go to a wedding with one of my teacher's husbands but I didn't have the right dress clothes. There are many more that I want to go to with him in the future.

I told the bride I have 1 years photography experience and one other wedding. She says she is talking to two other photographers and would call me if she wanted to use me.

I think I might call her back and just see if I can still come to the wedding and take pictures. The only problem is I have just my little Nikon Coolpix L4 which personally I was not satisfied with the outcome of the pictures I shot at that other wedding. I can just tell her what I'm wanting to do [get more experience] and just shoot and show her what I got and if she wants some just charge for prints

Thanks for all the help and advice.

~Michael~

 

[Dave_D]

If you are really interested in wedding photography, go through the phone book and call some pros. Some will have equipment for you to use as a second/assistant shooter. Find one that does and it will really give you a sense of what it is like to shoot a real wedding with proper equipment. One of the guys where I live has Nikon D2x's for his second shooters. Once you proof you are worth you salt, the money can be pretty good. Depending on the job, I will do a 60-40 split after expenses for my second shooter.

 

[DSLR noob]

ask a pro if you can assist them at a wedding shoot some day. You know, carry their equiptment, move lighting around etc. but explain, that by being his/her assistant, you want to be paid in advice/guidance rather than in money. Have them tell you what they are trying to do with every picture, and what they look for. write down gear info etc. you'll learn a lot from someone professional. they should be nice enough to tell you what you need to know if you aren't asking for money. Photography is a pretty unifying hobby, if they see that you are interested, they'll be happy to know that they took part in you being able to turn out great pictures in the future. Every "camera person" I've talked to seems real nice, and happy that I am so young and interested in photography, enough where they gladly help.

 

[Flash Harry]

I second the above post and if its a busy pro you tag along with go to more than one, in fact go to as many as you can before you do this wedding, lots of things can go wrong on these shoots and if your not prepared properly this lady isn't going to get anything, you also need more than one set of equipment, I take three sets with me, you can almost guarantee if you only have one camera that this is the day it'll call it a day, be warned.

 

[emogirl]

speaking as a wedding photographer - and knowing that yes, everyone has to start somewhere.....and guessing this couple doenst have the money and if they are asking someone with a p&s camera, then obviously they arent expecting much. Do the wedding for COST ONLY...you are in no position to charge them, even if you do buy an slr, you only have 6 weeks to figure out how to use it BASICALLY!
If you are hellbent on mkaing money on this, then figure out what your cost will be - do they expect prints in an album or just a CD? dont forget batteries & gas.....figure out your cost x3...that will be fine to start.