How many pro or semi-pro (you get paid) wedding photographer

[MRCPhoto]

are there here? How many frames do you shoot with your digital cameras during a typical wedding? Do you generally do formal stuff before ceremony or after? What type of reception service do you provide?
Meesha

[cowman345]

I'm not exactly pro pro... more like semi-pro. I've shot a few weddings and learned a few things...

It really depends on what your client wants. I adjust my schedule to their plans. Most of the time it's nice to get formals before the reception (when makeup gets ruined), even better if they'll agree to take them pre-ceremony (but then the groom sees the bride before the ceremony, some people refuse to do this).

I typically shoot between 50-75 frames per hour and keep only the best ones. I NEVER agree to a certain minimum amount of shots, I just go with the flow and relax and shoot as much or as little as I feel is neccessary.

I've found that most of my clients prefer candid style reception shots rather than "hey everyone at this table, huddle together for a photo".
Candids are also more fun to take in my opinion. Less pressure, need a nice fast zoom, though.

If you're just starting out, just remember NEVER SHOOT A WEDDING WITHOUT A CONTRACT to cover your rear because you never know when a piece of equipment will fail.

Hope that helps a little.

-dave-

[Malaxos1]

I am more of a semi pro myself, however I have done around 15 weddings since last year and I keep getting calls. I did take a wedding photography course at a local community college. I started out doing my first wedding for free, the photos came out excellent and that job landed me two more. The next one I did for $350 and then $500. My last wedding I charged $800 and the people didn't even bat an eye at the price. I have to agree about the contract, I make sure I do it every time. I was giving a CD with the first few weddings. I would have them print what they wanted, but I don't anymore. I started to worry about them using a lousey printer or bringing the CD to Taget. I figured that I would be blamed for taking lousy photos. Also, someone told me that most of the times it's the reorders that generate big profits. So now I give them around 300 photos with the option to pick up more from me. I will tell you, the more weddings you do the better and easier they become. I started taking a 1000 or so photos and giving 800 to the couple. My last two weddings were around 350-400 photos with around 300 keepers...Dean

[MRCPhoto]

hour and they pay according to which package they choose. Generally, unlessit's IMPOSSIBLE I shoot before the ceremony. There are not well meaning guests in the way then, all makeup is fresh, for the brides and grooms that don't want to see each other, I stage a 15 minute "walk down the church isle" for them in which it is just like the ceremony, but more intimate and private. The emotion during these are amazing because there is no self consciousness. More natural because htey aren't putting on a show for a crowd. Always killer shots. I offer a package as well in which we can visit the reception hall prior to the ceremony, getting the abstract and PJ shots of centerpieces, cake, etc. Honestly, I detest shooting dances.
Meesha

[Malaxos1]

I agree, I try to talk them into getting the photos done before hand as well. This will free them up for the guests later on. Also I do tell the bride that if she cries her makeup will be all over her face, that usually does the trick. I have the groom stand or sit, depending on where the ceremony is taking place, I then have the bride tap the groom on the shoulders and when he turns towards her the sparks fly...Dean

[MRCPhoto]

the first time they see each other to be special. By arranging such a moment JUST for them, you create the ultimate special moment. And it can be done anywhere as well for flexablity. That way, if the Bride wants to simply arrive at the church seconds before the ceremony without the possiblity of any guests seeing her, it can be done. Go to a park, a waterway, a special building. Anywhere! The possiblities are endless!
Meesha

[robertwgross]

Our wedding photography packages go from $1500 to $4500, depending on how many hours are involved. All on the contract.

For one recent wedding, we started in a local park (with air temperature around F 100). We got all of the normal group poses there. Then we shifted to a fitness center for the main ceremony. I know that sounds like a strange place for a wedding, but there is an atrium area, all landscaped, and it was arranged in a very classy manner with rose petals scattered on the floor. The ceremony went quickly (20 minutes), and then there was a long pause before the reception got going. More poses were done during the pause. Then the reception went on and on. By the time we got the "going away" shots, the total time on the clock was eight hours.

Digital, 190 shots. Film, 200 shots. The cost was toward the upper end.

---Bob Gross---

[MRCPhoto]

my favorite places to shoot is one of our local parks...got gazebo and little bridges, great landscaping, and then there is a local bed and breakfast with an absolutely lovely yard.
Meesha

[WestFalcon]

We take formals ahead when possible....two hours ahead. Our typical package is about $1300 and includes 200-250 previews and a large Art Leather Album with about 26 -8x10's or a mixture with smaller sizes. We stay 5 hours at a wedding and charge $50/hour for overtime(almost all weddings go into overtime). My wife and I shoot about 300-400 shots on 3 - 10D's. I use White Lightning and 550Ex flashes and the 17-40L, 28-80L and 28-135IS get most of the action. We do alot of special effects on photoshop(colorized b&W, montages,bw,sepia,airbrushing etc on photoshop. Takes us 10-15 hours to edit our previews. They are sent to a lab 3 hours away via cable modem and we get them back in two days. We often deliver the prints the next weekend. Flesh tones took us a long time to master but we really are a lot better than we were a year ago. My old darkroom days really pay off in judging print quality.

[Dans_D60]

Prices range from $1,200 - $3,750. We shoot on average 1,000 images per wedding and use a combination of 1Ds, MKII, and 10D depending on the situation. Roughly 200 make it to the proof stage. Packages currently include prints but we have decided to split into service only (same pricing as above) and professional prints if they want them.

[DaveG]

are there here? How many frames do you shoot with your digital cameras during a typical wedding? Do you generally do formal stuff before ceremony or after? What type of reception service do you provide?
Meesha

I'm still feeling this out. I'm thinking that where I would have taken two shots with film, say of each group shot, now I'll take three. But the B&G will still only get two proofs. The expense is in the proof prints not the number of frames so I see no reason to NOT shoot those extra shots.

One thing to keep in mind is the time it will take to do all the extra stuff that we can do now more or less for free. I continually get warnings from brides about not wanting the photography to take all day. I know in a lot of weddings - especially European types - then the tradition is to make 30-50 different group photographs. North American B&G's generally want about a dozen poses, give or take, and if more are shot then it's generally the photographer's idea with $ signs in his eyes.

As for receptions I will only stay for a brief amount of time. That means faking the cake cutting and shooting a portrait shot of the B&G at their place at the head table. Then I leave and they can have their party. The main reason that I won't stay for the reception is that I don't want to deal with the drunks.

This is not something that can be segregated as happening in only low end weddings either since the "class" hardly matters. I shot a posh wedding a couple of years ago at a country club where the groom's (a doctor) best man (a lawyer) was so drunk and obnoxious while we were doing group photos that the B&G kept aplogizing to me then and when I delivered the proof book later. I can only imagine what he was like a couple of hours into the reception.

I get the battle filled reports from abused DJ's and what they go through and I want no part of it. All it would take is one drunk to pour a beer into my camera bag and I'd be out a season of wedding profits. Yes I miss the first dance, the speeches and the garter-taking-off fun, and no one seems to care.

[MRCPhoto]

a little bit (IF they are happy drunks!)) can get so out of hand. I had a couple of weddings where the groomsmen were actually drunk BEFORE the ceremony and kept making passes at me. They didn't care that I had a ring on my own finger. As the day progressed (I'm still not sure where they had their booze stashed!) they got worse. Even tried to pinch my backside. gggrrr....I'm a no touche my person person. And I told them so. The father of the GROOM was so embarrassed. He tipped me extra for putting up with and dealing with the drunks.
Like I said before, one of my packages includes a before the ceremony tour of the reception place so we can get pics of the cake, etc. Usually, once I explain the concept of ruined hair and make up and ease of getting to their own party, they are all for it.
To each their own.
Meesha