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12/14/2009 08:51:28 AM · #1 |
.....and admiration. I have done two weddings now, and the second one was my first, and last, effort as "The Wedding Photographer".
I'll say it right here and now: I sucked....I did an abysmal job, and the ONLY thing that saved my ass was that the wedding couple's expectations were so low and they were so nice about the whole thing.
There is a myriad of things that you have to know, and learn to do the job right, and I knew none of them. I also found out quite a few of them through this experience, and enough to know that I have no business ever shooting a wedding again except as a guest wandering around shooting random candids.....that I can do!
I did manage to get a few that the bride and groom were happy with, but what they amounted to was snapshots of the event so that they could have the memories. They were both in their 50s, and this was a second marriage. The event was almost more of a family reunion than anything......thank goodness!
I'll sum it up like this......NEVER sell short what an accomplished and experienced professional wedding photographer does, because it's a really tough and intimidating job, not capable of being done by someone who really doesn't know what they're doing.
I leave you with this example of the inept......
Funny thing? They thought this was hilarious, and insisted I give them a copy.
They had a terrific day, and actually kind of wanted this because they felt sad that I was so unhappy with the job that I did. Some people are *so* nice!
The family shot they really liked.....
From now on, I'll stick to what I do best.....
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12/14/2009 09:09:01 AM · #2 |
| The family shot is very nice! I was actually thinking about trying weddings the other day, for free the first times. You tried your best, and have another story to tell others. |
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12/14/2009 09:12:57 AM · #3 |
I shot a couple (or was it three?) rolls of Fuji 100 film a couple years ago (using my old Nikon N8008s) at a wedding in Romania and was also very lucky because of low expectations... it was a relative's wedding, and I was invited as a regular guest - he simply asked me to bring my SLR and take some pics while there. He was more than pleased with the result, though, because I did put in some effort to take "wedding-style" photos (whatever that means). Had he actually tried to hire me as a paid photographer (not that it would've been probable at 18...), I would've definitely refused because expectations are generally very high there. Though I took pics of every part of the wedding, I did so because I wanted to for myself as well as for him... not because it was expected of me.
Edit: grammer ain't my four-tay ;)
Message edited by author 2009-12-14 09:14:36. |
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12/14/2009 09:20:44 AM · #4 |
| I'm making a real push for more weddings this year. Already have a couple of client meetings set up for some October Weddings, just gotta get my pricing structure in order. Its hard work, but its good money. |
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12/14/2009 09:44:40 AM · #5 |
Twenty years ago (they just had their anniversary), I wound up as the default photographer for my brother's wedding -- nobody remembered until the morning of the wedding that they needed a photographer. I was there with my Pentax K1000, and got the job! I saw the pictures again the other day, and was pretty impressed with my work. (Takes modest bow!) I remembered some of the shots from my own wedding album and did them, plus a lot of family pictures and candids of guests, musicians, and even some of the catering staff. I had a lot of fun, and it gave me an easy introduction to everyone at the wedding.
We had a local color lab that did the processing for me, and the prints still look good.
It was fun, but I have no desire to turn pro -- I'm no good at customer relations. |
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