Phone message that made me panic..... wedding shoot!!

[saravrose]

So, I got a message this evening.. from my cousin who's sister-in-law wants to know if I can shoot her very intimate wedding in june....:confused: :confused: :confused:
Now i'll be honest part of me is thrilled and thinking, 'new oppurtunity for me'.. the other part is panicked at the idea of shooting a wedding.There's a huge difference between family photos, senior shots, and having the responsibility of a wedding... It's just such a big deal... And it's not something i've thought about.. It was always something that I figured... maybe someday...
anyway feeling very out of my comfort zone. Ofcourse as a photographer I want to do it. it's the should I do it that has given me pause. I'm terrified that I won't do a good job, that they won't be up to my standards.....thoughts for me, opinions or your own experiences?? I haven't said yes or no yet..
I'm going to wait and see what kind of venue it's going to be, what she expects and make a decision... then there's the whole how much to charge issue that i'm not even going to think about yet.. give me some advice folks.. please... ;) ;)

sari.

[tim]

Can you suggest they hire a pro wedding shooter and work as 2nd photog to them? Best of both worlds that way.

[SuzyView]

Where is this wedding taking place? If it's a temple wedding, you just mainly have group shots. If it is a chapel wedding, you are completely out of your league without help. For some reason, my family members have this nasty habit of volunteering my brother and me for such things and it makes us crazy. We aren't even familiar with the person getting married and the responsibility is rather daunting.

Give us a little more information as to what is expected so we can help.

[BLINN]

I think this is a great op. for you. This is how I got started. I shot a small intimate same sex marrage. I was very nervious. First off I told them that I have never done this before and this is my first time capturing some elses intimate moments. Get some ideas of shots from the net, and just do your thing. Really, it is not that much different then a portait shoot. Consentrait on the cerimony candids, and the formals afterwards. I think that if you have happy customers with you portraits, and senior shoots, then you should have no problem breaking into the wedding scean. If you are unsure of what to charge, since this is your first wedding; charge them only for your print costs. Very cheap. get them to sign some type of contract just in case your screw everything up and no photos turn out. I covers your but if they try suing you. I think that if they are asking you to take the photos of there wedding, they must have seen you work and liked. The first few wedding I shot, I did for practically nothing. This shows you are an amature and helps build you portofolio. As you get better (and your clients will let you know how good you are) you can start to charge more. Good luck and let us know what you decide.

[Photodawg1]

Can you suggest they hire a pro wedding shooter and work as 2nd photog to them? Best of both worlds that way.

That's exactly what I did. Worked out great for everyone involved.

[chell]

Take the bull by the horns and enjoy the experience! Get to know the couple a little before their big day so that you know what is expected of you. If you can sit down and write a shoot list together you'll soon start feeling a little less nervous. Be as prepared as you possibly can, go and see the venue if at all possible before the event so that you get to grips with your surroundings. It also helps if you take along a friend to help you carry all your stuff. Your mind will be galloping away and you won't want to leave anything expensive behind. Lastly take at least three shots of everything just incase someone blinks or moves. The first one is such a huge learning curve. I've only done abot ten myself but all the work I've got is by word of mouth and it's actually starting to pay for some nice new glass now. Bear down and have fun! Good luck honey!

[bpuppy]

Do you work well under pressure? I mean in life? Would you make a good waiter? If so, then trust your brain to get you through it. But if you crumble under pressure, or get clumsy or unable to make decisions, then don't do it and consider not getting into wedding photography.

I would say being a wedding photog. is half being able to take a good shot (i.e. knowing your equipment and being able to use it to frame a nicely composed, properly exposed shot) and half being able to handle acute pressure and not fall to pieces. If you could see yourself being a good waiter, you would be able to handle this.

[saravrose]

Let's see. The temple wedding was the first thing I asked.. and no, it's going to be a backyard type thing... six people in the wedding party, and there on a budget which now explains why they asked me in the first place... they can't afford a pro. My aunt has said that there both very nice, completely easy going kind of folks. Apparently i've met her, but the family is too big and I can't put a name with a face and then with a memory.... Now, for the real kicker. Normally my well meaning cousin takes these shots. Her 'wedding' pictures are on the wall in the livingroom.. they're properly exposed but that's the only good thing I can say about them. So, I know I can do better than the alternative..
I do work well under-pressure, waited tables for seven years.. In all honesty I spent half the night thinking about this when I have two shoots to get through this week that i'm not focusing on. I'm going to schedule a sit down with them after my musician shoot on thursday.. But, after talking to my cousin i'll more than likely be doing this on the extremely cheap.. they were shown some of my proof albums that I had so there familiar with what i've done in the past. So, if what they describe they want seems like something i'm capable of doing then i'll be doing it. As long as I can find an assistant to help keep things organized.. But i'll have more information later in the day.. thanks for the advice folks. I'll keep y'all informed and hopefully be talking to the bride at some point today...

sari.

[Wilt]

Shooting your 1st wedding is highly dependent upon your own CONFIDENCE and also your technical competence! If you are not technically well-founded and also somewhat confident, you can easily find yourself 'sweating bullets' to the point that you FOUL UP! And if you are the primary photographer, a foul up means that your cousin's sister-in-law has no/few photos of her wedding due to your error. This is not to discourage you, but very strongly suggest you be very HONEST with yourself and your cousin's sister-in-law!!!

>>I would say being a wedding photog. is half being able to take a good shot (i.e. knowing your equipment and being able to use it to frame a nicely composed, properly exposed shot) and half being able to handle acute pressure and not fall to pieces.<<

EXCEEDINGLY TRUE...Many seasoned pros STOP shooting weddings because they do not like the pressure under hectic conditions, compounded by tempermental and demanding mothers of brides or the bride herself! So take the suggestions to 'take the bull by the horns' with a grain of salt and assess yourself in an honest manner before committing. The wisest advice so far was to serve as the secondary coverage, to supplement what a hired pro provides.

[Saralonde]

I have no avice for you other than "Go for it!"

[PIXI_666]

If you explain exactly how your feeling to the couple, that you have never shot a wedding before, your images might not turn out absolutely perfect and they might be taking a risk. If they are still OK with that show them your work and go from there. This is how i got my very first job, it was for a cousin and i actually did better than i expected, even though i look at the photo's now and think "OMG", the poses i produced and the casual look to the shots, are really not that bad! They loved them and they weren't prepared to pay the money so they asked me if i wanted the experience and they paid me a bit of cash - and i was happy!!!!
Its really up to how YOU feel about the situation, if you think you will go great then do it, but if your not confident enough then id suggest starting out assisting a wedding first and then work your way up.
Del

[thebrewer]

Al Jacobson has a guide for beginners on his site HERE (http://www.aljacobs.com/). Good reading.

Rich

[staciecd]

I would be honest with the couple and let them know that you are excited to do it, but nervous. They've obviously seen your work and like it. Maybe offer to take engagement shots well in advanced to guage your comfort level.

Just suggestions :-)

Stacie

[PIXI_666]

Great advice Stacie!

[johnnybfan]

Sari, I'm sure that you'll do a fantastic job for them. You go, girl!!!!!!!!

[VanceW]

If you want a good book recommendation, go out and find
" Wedding Photography .. Art, Business and Style " by Steve Sint.
It will give you an idea of how to prepare from beginning to end.

Can't really add more than some of the others.

You've explained your experience level, and they understand, just get yourself ready for it, and if you do go ahead and shoot it, make sure you have back up gear, IE: Camera and Flash minimum. Also take lot's of memory cards, and batteries.

Once you're there. Shoot more than you normally would, if you think you've got the shot, take at least 3-6 more, just incase. If there's a rehearsal the night before, go and shoot that as well. It will give you an idea of how to plan the next day better.

I finished my first a while back, and fortunately it was a small ceremony as well, so I had the benefit of a learning experience without having a huge event to worry about getting right.

[sochigetto]

Hola - go for it. My first wedding I was asked by a friend to be a second shooter - they are all graduate art students - a fancy hotel in downtown Chicago - officiated by a top judge. I get there with $5 bucks in my pocket one camera, one lens(85mm), one flash, NO FILM(remember that stuff) and my buddy is a no show. I don't know these people they don't know what happened to him but were very nice. I told them the situation and there I was running off to Walgreens or something to get film that the bride gave me. In the end she LOVED the pictures - she had never seen any with that style - turns out the family is rich, connected and I got lot's of jobs after that. All of my first weddings were with the equipment above. Go for it. - andy.

[Wilt]

<<My first wedding I was asked by a friend to be a second shooter...and my buddy is a no show>>

It is not unusual for a wanna-be to commit to providing coverage, then later getting a dose of reality or cold feet, then bailing out! I once had someone ask me to be the second photographer, then admitted his situation and asked me to become the primary to bail him out...while having done photo jobs, none of them had been weddings so this was his first. He was honest with both the client and me, I became the primary and fortunately the fee he had quoted was in line with my own usual fees, and he assisted me at the wedding, and everyone came out happy.
As for your friend the flake...