I have been asked to do a wedding

12/05/2005 08:58:39 PM · #1

My problem is this..

They are very very short on money. (the lady who was going to do it for free now cant do it)
I would be needed for about 3 hours
It is local (5 mins away)

I was thinking of $300AUS, includes time, travel, processing and giving them 2 or 3 cd's with all photos.
They need to save as much money as they can. I figure it is good experience for me at the same time.

What are your views on this? Any ideas would be so helpful

Thanks Lisa

Nikon AF-S NIKKOR 24-70mm f/2.8G ED

12/05/2005 09:08:05 PM · #2

alfresco

Nikon D700

12/05/2005 09:17:21 PM · #3

3 hours work
3+ hours processing
helping out newlyweds

Sounds worth it. Bill them what you would normally charge then give them a gift cert for the difference.

ShaneBlake

Nikon D7100

Sigma 30mm f/1.4 EX DC HSM for Nikon

12/05/2005 09:21:48 PM · #4

Originally posted by lentil:

I was thinking of $300AUS, includes time, travel, processing and giving them 2 or 3 cd's with all photos.
They need to save as much money as they can. I figure it is good experience for me at the same time.

i did my first wedding this year and charged $300us for it. it was enough to by me a nice flash and a new cf card, both of which i needed to do a wedding, and gave me lots of experiance...

well worth it from my view...

Canon EF 24-70mm f/2.8L USM

12/05/2005 09:32:13 PM · #5

i am thinking of saying maybe $400.. she is planning on having disposables on the tables but how are they going to get the cutting of the cake etcc

Makka

Canon EOS-5D Mark II

12/05/2005 10:27:34 PM · #6

Hey Lentil. If you know them and you're more or less doing them a favour then I'd say atleast $300 would be fine. Sweeten all the photos up and put them onto CD or DVD for them.

As for the cake cutting, I normally do a mock cutting anyway where they pretend to cut the cake. Basically I do this at the start of the reception and then clear out. They can do their proper cutting later on.

My prices normally start from $400 to do a basic wedding but I also do a proof album included in that. Normally it would cost me about $100 or less to do the proof album. Still leaves me with a nice profit and people love to be able to see there photos in an album I think. It makes it easier for friends and family to order prints from as well which is where I make a lot of my money (Just had an order from the groom's mother from my last wedding for $800! That's from 1 person!).

Just remember it's your time and effort they are paying for. It's not just the time at the wedding but the processing afterwards but I find it very rewarding to see happy customers!

Canon EF 70-300mm f/4.5-5.6 DO IS USM

12/05/2005 10:41:22 PM · #7

well. i rang her and told her it would be $400 and she said ok... Aghhhhh.. How exciting and nerve wracking at the same time. Thanks for those who helped me make a decision.

cpanaioti

Canon EOS-40D

12/05/2005 10:43:31 PM · #8

Originally posted by lentil:

well. i rang her and told her it would be $400 and she said ok... Aghhhhh.. How exciting and nerve wracking at the same time. Thanks for those who helped me make a decision.

Good luck. I'm sure you'll do just fine.

pidge

Canon EOS-7D Mark II

12/05/2005 10:45:03 PM · #9

Awesome! Have an awesome time!

12/05/2005 11:47:01 PM · #10

thanks

The lenses i have are 18-55, 50mm 1.8 and 75-300. Any suggestions which lenses would be best where?
I am going to check out the church soon and see how the lighting is.

Thanks in advance
Lisa

Nikon AF-S DX Zoom-Nikkor 18-70mm f/3.5-4.5G IF-ED

12/06/2005 12:03:47 AM · #11

Tell her save the money shes spending on the disposables and give it to you. The last 4 or 5 weddings i have been involved with the disposables get 1 oe 2 pics out of how many $$? figure $9 a camera, and $7 processing with pics...$16 times 10 tables? 20 tables? Kids get them, people foget to use the flash on them...just a waste of money.

Have you got a flash? Not the on-camera, but a good flashgun and know how to use it?
Shoot EVERYTHING in raw, unless outside inthe daylight. This will save your a@@ when it comes to underexposure and WB issues.
Get to be good friends with neatimage and leran to like ISO1600.

Forget the the big zoom lens. The 50 is good. the range on teh kit lens is fine,but the speed and sharpness of it will leave a bit to be desired.

$300 to $400. Without an album she might be able to hire a 'real' pro for that time for that cash IMO. I mean, here you can get a pro for 10 hours for $1000...$100 an hour, right? That sometimes includes an album, or at least printed proofs.

How confident are you that you'll succeed? Unless she is willing to do this over, there is no second chance.

I have shot 2 weddings for my portfolio and assisted at another, and feel somewhat ready to try one for 'real'. I have spent the better part of a yeat and 2 grand on lenses, flash, etc for this. The formal shots are easy, outdoors is easy. The reception is not too bad, but DARK, you're gonna need flash. Even a fast lens is not gonna be fast enough in most reception halls.

Are you doing just the ceremony? any of her getting ready, any formals on site or at a location? Going to the reception?

I did a wedding only - abit over an hour all told. The one i did from an hour befreo the ceremony to the first dance ending was almost 7 hours (1:30 at the church for a 2:30 wedding, then the ceremony, milling about, formals, off to a park setting for more formals, then to the reception and meal, and then cake, toasts, garter, boquet, money dance, first dance, and then it was 8 or 8:3o). I filled 2.7Gb of cards. nearly 300 shots. Some folks shoot 1000 in that time frame!

GOt extra batteries? I made it on one set in the flash and camera. there were VERY low at the end of things.

Don't worry about 'style'. Take a variety of shots (whole scene and lots of close up of emotional faces!)

Damian

Nikon D200

12/06/2005 12:03:53 AM · #12

I did my first wedding this fall.
I found that the lens that got the most use was the 50 1.8 because of low light situations at the house and the church.
You will do fine, its fun shooting weddings, just plan ahead.

Message edited by author 2005-12-06 00:04:04.

12/06/2005 12:06:35 AM · #13

ON e last thing - i did 4x6 proofs for the first wedding (sucks putting them in a proof album). The second one i did a MyPublisher hardcover book. $40 or so with all the pages in it..the bride LOVED it. LOVED it so much she ordered 2 more for xmas gifts!

Tamron SP AF 28-75mm f/2.8 XR Di for Canon

12/06/2005 12:09:10 AM · #14

thanks for your reply pro_fate, she is aware that this is my first wedding shoot. She has a very limited budget and doesnt want prints done, only cd's. I am fine with that. It is all about experience at this stage and a little pocket money to boot.

Canon EOS-20D

12/06/2005 12:10:56 AM · #15

Originally posted by Prof_Fate:

I disagree. I had disposables at my wedding and they are great in a way that our wedding photographer would never have been able to do (even though she was great in her own way). (And they certainly weren't $9 a piece.) But that's just my opinion, of course.

Sony 16-50mm f/3.5-5.6 E-mount

12/06/2005 12:22:56 AM · #16

Originally posted by mk:

OK, $4 each. I still stand by thoughts that the results are not worth teh cost.

jmsetzler

Sony Alpha a6000

12/06/2005 12:28:30 AM · #17

Originally posted by Prof_Fate:

Originally posted by mk:

I disagree. I had disposables at my wedding and they are great in a way that our wedding photographer would never have been able to do (even though she was great in her own way). (And they certainly weren't $9 a piece.) But that's just my opinion, of course.

OK, $4 each. I still stand by thoughts that the results are not worth teh cost.

I also agree with MK. We shoudln't compare our own ideas of 'worth' with those of a bride/groom who aren't photographers. The simple snapshots that would come from these cameras would be priceless IMO.

Canon EF 70-300mm f/4.5-5.6 DO IS USM

12/06/2005 12:30:33 AM · #18

Well, the worse the table camera shots are, the better collette's pictures will look.

cpanaioti

Canon EOS-40D

12/06/2005 12:31:40 AM · #19

Originally posted by Prof_Fate:

Well, the worse the table camera shots are, the better collette's pictures will look.

I think you mean Lisa.

Olyuzi

Panasonic Lumix DMC-GX7

Panasonic Lumix G 14mm F2.5 ASPH

12/06/2005 12:52:00 AM · #20

You may want to rent a second body for the wedding and attach the kit lens on one and the 50/1.8 on the other. This way you have a second backup camera should something happen to the first, and also be able to switch quickly between different lenses when the action is happening quickly. If you have enough time I would get a book on shooting weddings, if you haven't already.