Wedding Photo printed on-site

Diddy2theJJ · Jul 8, 2011

I purchased a Sony SnapLab UP-CR10L for an outdoor event that I'm covering, and I'm considering bringing it to wedding dances (if i photograph their wedding already) and setting up a background and selling 4x6 photos for $10 a piece.

I'm wondering how well it would do there. People come from all over and if they can get a professional photo of them together at an event like this when they are all dressed up it seems like they may like that opportunity and make the purchase.

On the other hand though, everyone has a camera and now with facebook everyone sees everyone else's photos so I'm wondering if it really wouldn't make much of a difference...and will it be worth the extra time and effort?

I'm looking forward to everyone's input.

Thanks,

Robin Usagani · Jul 8, 2011

If you want people to buy them on the spot, you need to be able to print them bigger.

Sammie_Lou · Jul 8, 2011

Looking at this from the standpoint of a recent bride and a guest at many weddings, I think it might be kind of tacky to go to a wedding where someone was trying to sell something on the sidelines. Also, photo booths are all the rage right now with weddings...the guests get the photos free and there's all sorts of fun props for them to use.

Big Mike · Jul 8, 2011

I agree with Sammie_Lou. It feels a bit tacky to be charging guests of the wedding.

If you want to make money directly from shooting the guests, then shoot them and give them your business card. Put the photos on-line where they can purchase them.

If you want to offer prints on the spot, then maybe bring that up with the B&G and tell them that for an extra charge of $XXX, you will provide guests with photos at the reception. Or, maybe you could give them a price per print...and then just charge them afterward, for however many you printed.

I've seen & heard of this type of print selling, but I think it's more common for Proms or dances, where all the people aren't 'guests' of the host (couple).

Diddy2theJJ · Jul 8, 2011

Hmm...that's a really good point about it being tacky. I guess I didn't think of it like that. I like the idea of including a different wedding package with that as an option. Although it does make for an extremely long day to stay later than it already is by the time the first dances are over. And, like you mentioned, photo booths are very popular now, and I don't have any props, but I was thinking about a nice backdrop and more of an 'upscale' photo with a backdrop and a softbox, instead of the goofy fun photobooth photos. But at the same time, maybe the goofy fun ones are what people want.

Sammie_Lou · Jul 8, 2011

Also, if you're bust photographing posed guests, you might miss out on key moments in the reception.

Diddy2theJJ · Jul 8, 2011

Well this would only be after the specialty dances. As the wedding photographer, I stay at the reception for the toasts and specialty dances and then I'm outta there. Generally the brides I work with don't care quite as much about the reception as they do the rest of the day. They are typically most fond of the fun 'semi-formal' shots before the wedding.